My Go-To Fried Rice Recipe {Easy Ham Fried Rice}

 This was such an easy recipe and better than what we have eaten at Chinese take out. 

Get the recipe here at: Mel's Kitchen Cafe Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 2 to 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cups cooked cold rice (see note)
• 1 to 2 cups diced leftover ham, or deli ham
• ½ to 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the sesame and olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and let the mixture cook until set on the bottom, just a few seconds. With a rubber spatula turn the eggs slowly until mostly cooked. Scoot them to the side of the skillet.
• If the skillet is dry, add another sploosh of oil (sesame or olive oil) to the center of the skillet. Add the garlic and the white parts of the green onions to the skillet and cook for 20-30 seconds, until sizzling (but not burning!) and the mixture smells fragrant.
• Add the cold rice on top of the onions and garlic (keep the eggs mostly over to the side still), breaking the rice into clumps. Cook until the rice is sizzling and the clumps start to separate into smaller pieces, 3-4 minutes. Incorporate the eggs back into the rice mixture.
• Add the chopped ham and peas and stir to combine. Add the soy sauce stir until evenly incorporated. Cook the fried rice until all the ingredients are heated through, 4-5 minutes.
• Serve immediately with additional soy sauce, if desired, and the green parts of the onion. (If not serving with additional soy sauce, season to taste with additional salt and pepper, as needed.)

• Notes

  Cooking Rice: the key to really good fried rice is using cooked rice that is really cold. This keeps the fried rice from turning mushy. However, if you don’t have precooked rice on hand, you can use hot rice that’s just been cooked (as long as you are ok with a slightly different texture to the finished fried rice). When cooking the rice on the stove, use 1 1/2 cups water or broth for every cup of rice. In the Instant Pot, I use 1 cup rice to 1 1/4 cups liquid (4 minutes high pressure for white rice/22 minutes high pressure for brown rice).

  Types of Rice: white or brown rice can be used. I usually use jasmine or basmati varieties.

  Soy Sauce Substitute: a gluten-free alternative can easily be subbed. Liquid or coconut aminos or tamari would work great here. I’ve also subbed in or added oyster or hoisin sauce.

  Other Substitutions: this recipe is easily customizable. It can be made meatless or any variety of cooked meat can be subbed in for the ham. Other vegetables can easily be added as well.

Maple Ginger Sticky Chicken Bowls

 Backyard Chef: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cre0CUrGv0

Serves 4

 

For the Chicken & Glaze:

4 TBSP Soy sauce
4 TBSP Maple syrup
2 TBSP Rice vinegar
2 TBSP Fresh ginger (grated)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 tsp Chili flakes
2 tsp Cornstarch and a little water to dissolve
4 cups Chicken thighs or breast (diced) – about ½ breast per person

For the Yum Yum Sauce:

½ cup Mayonnaise
2 tsp Ketchup
2 tsp Maple syrup
1 tsp Rice vinegar
½ tsp Paprika
2-4 tsp Water (to thin)

For the Bowl:

4 cups Cooked rice (jasmine or long-grain)
1 cup Carrot (shredded)
1 cup Cucumber (diced-prefered or sliced)
4 TBSP Green onion (sliced)
2 tsp Sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Chicken & Glaze: Whisk together all ingredients except the diced chicken. Heat a little oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the chicken and lightly brown it (no seasoning needed). Pour the glaze over the chicken and cook until coated and cooked through, being careful not to overcook so the glaze stays smooth and doesn't get hard.

Yum Yum Sauce: Combine all ingredients and mix well.

 For the Bowl:  Add rice to a bowl, then top with the glazed chicken, carrots, cucumbers, green onions, and sesame seeds. Drizzle the Yum Yum sauce over the top.

Nancy Note:  Tried this for an easy gluten-free meal for Katie's friend Daedan.  It was an instant favorite and so easy to make!

Yummy Potatoes

2 lbs frozen hash browns* OR 6 cups diced potatoes

1 can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 soup can milk

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup grated onion (optional)**

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup corn flake, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

Cook fresh potatoes or thaw frozen potatoes (see *note below).

In a large bowl, combine soup, milk, sour cream, cheese, and onion (see **note below) and salt and pepper to taste.  If a saucier dish is desired, add 2-3 tablespoons additional milk. Mix well. Add potatoes and mix until coated.  Spray bottom of a 2-3 quart casserole dish or a 9x13 cake pan with cooking spray. Place potatoes dish.  

Crush cornflakes in a zip-locked baggie with a rolling pin.  Melt butter and pour it in with corn flake crumbs. Shake cornflakes in bag until coated with butter.  Sprinkle crumbs over casserole.  Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout.

NOTES:

* Use approximately 6-8 peeled, diced, and cooked fresh potatoes; or approximately 2 pounds frozen, southern style, diced hash browns (not shredded).

** Use 1 tablespoon dried onion OR sauté 1/4 cup fresh chopped onion in 1 tablespoon butter until transparent.

"Also called "Ward Party Potatoes," "Christmas Potatoes," "Potato Casserole”,  probably many other names - but the most famous is “Funeral Potatoes” because it is often served at funerals and Church parties in Utah."

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Six Sisters Stuff

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2014/07/garlic-cheddar-chicken-recipe.html

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin (or 4 butterflied-cut horizontally in half)

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.   Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.

3.   In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano, pepper, and salt.

4.   Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the bread crumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with any remaining bread crumb mixture.

5.   Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

NOTE:  Seems like it would be better to leave the cheddar cheese out of the breading and just sprinkle it on top of the chicken before cooking.  The cheddar is hard to coat on the chicken.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

http://www.mrsregueiro.com/2011/09/buffalo-chicken-tacos.html

Yield: 5 servings, 2 tacos each.

Ingredients: 

1/3 cup flour
3 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Buffalo Wing) , plus extra for garnishment
1 Tablespoon olive oil
10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces

Toppings:
Shredded butter Lettuce
Diced onions mixed with cilantro
Avocado slices
Ranch dressing
Green onions, sliced thinly

Directions:
Heat a large skillet oven over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder.  Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, set it aside in a bowl and toss with 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce.

Assemble 10 tacos, dividing the toppings evenly among each taco. 

Grilled Chinese Chicken Kabobs

Another delicious recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Six Sisters' Stuff.  These kabobs are simple with lots of flavor!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (1 breast per person)

Directions:
Mix together the first seven ingredients and place in a gallon-sized resealable bag. Place chicken pieces in the bag and mix until all the chicken is completely coated. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (I recommend more like 6-8 hours).

Remove chicken from fridge and thread chicken on skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning). Discard marinade.

Place kabobs on a grill over medium-high heat. Cook until chicken is no longer pink and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees (about 10 minutes, turning chicken once).

Top with sliced green onions and serve with Grilled Caramelized Pineapple.

Cheeseburger Wraps

This recipe comes from Six Sisters' Stuff.  This tastes better than it sounds.  

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
5 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
additional hamburger toppings you like (tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, ketchup, mustard, etc)

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown hamburger until no longer pink. Add ketchup, mustard, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper and cook for about 2 minutes, until all combined.
Take a tortilla and line the middle with a small amount of cheddar cheese. Add some cooked hamburger beef and then top with your favorite hamburger toppings. Roll the tortilla up and tuck in the ends (like a burrito). You can either eat as is or throw on a grill (or even an indoor grill- like a George Foreman grill) for 3-5 minutes (just until you see grill marks).
These go perfectly with our Baked Tater Wedges and Fry Sauce!

This recipe from: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/cheeseburger-wraps.html#gGD8qf5KMBO4sdGG.99