Edamame Fried Rice

I made a discovery over the weekend. Fried rice is ridiculously easy to make. And doesn't have to cost $8 for a box filled with oil and a ridiculous amount of salt. This was the absolute perfect weekend lunch.

Edamame Fried Rice
from Daily Garnish
serves 3

• 1 cup dry brown rice, cooked
• 2 Tb. sesame oil, divided
• 1 cup shelled edamame
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 3-4 mushrooms, chopped*
• 3 Tb. soy sauce
• 1 egg

*These were a perfect last minute addition so they're not in the picture. I cooked my rice in the microwave, which is my favorite way - so easy! I put 1 cup dry brown rice and 2 cups water in a large microwave safe dish and cook for 10 minutes on high and 20 minutes on 50% power. You may have to mess with this depending on your microwave and rice. White rice used to only take 20 mins total and had to add the extra 10 mins when I switched over to brown.

Heat 1 Tb. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add brown rice and saute for about 5 minutes. This gives the rice that "fried rice" texture.

Add the carrots, mushrooms, and edamame. Cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir together leftover 1 Tb. oil and soy sauce in a small bowl. Add to pan and stir quickly to coat.

Here was my favorite part. It was so easy but it just made me feel cool. Bahahaha. Make a well in the center of your pan and crack the egg into it.

Scramble the egg with your spatula; it shouldn't take more than a minute to cook through. Toss completely and serve!

Nutritional information (for 1/3): 435 calories, 16g fat (2.3g sat), 58g carbs (6.5g fiber), 15.5g protein

How good was this? SO FREAKIN GOOD. Seriously. Loved it! It's already on the menu again. I added more soy sauce than the original recipe just because I really like soy sauce. But if you don't or have problems with salt, the original recipe only used 2 tablespoons. I added the mushrooms because I had a couple leftover in my fridge and they were the perfect addition. I was also so impressed on how quick this was. Make sure to get all your veggies chopped and stuff ready to go because the cooking moves quickly.

Now I know that edamame may seem like a weird vegetable to most...but it's actually just "immature" soybeans! Edamame is a complete protein, which means that it provides all of the amino acids, so it's a great way to make this into a well-rounded meal. Normally vegetable fried rice is just a high calorie side, but the edamame adds enough protein for it to stand alone. Plus, they taste great! Frozen works just fine in this recipe and can be found almost anywhere!

Have you ever tried edamame? 
While it's not my favorite just to sit and eat out of a bowl, I love incorporating it in recipes!

Have you ever won anything?
Shuesday (3 times!) or other things that require timing or knowledge...but if it requires just LUCK. Nope, ain't happenin. ;)