This week I found myself in a rut, and not the usual sort: it was an oatmeal rut. Over the summer I'd cultivated a near-obsession for the hearty, naturally gluten-free grain; I especially loved to make overnight oats for Sunday breakfasts, which I'd bring to eat at a coffee shop between mass and yoga class topped with a frozen banana that would defrost juuuust enough to make a delicious, mashable, refreshing treat.
But now that it's October, and my delinquent grocery shopping has left my cupboard barren of cereal grains save for that canister of oats I once loved, I'm looking for an alternative. And what better way to spice up breakfast than to make an un-breakfast?
This breakfast fried rice is like a dinner-and-lunch combo made delectable for slept-in mornings--or mornings when the view of your refrigerator shows a solitary Chinese take-out carton. The recipe here is a highly adaptable foundation that can be added to and subtracted from in countless ways: the greens could of course be left cold depending on your mood; swap nutritional yeast for some silky tofu as your protein (and make it closer to some of the egg-topped varieties you may see on Pinterest); or choose avocado, peppers, or even a diced apple as a mix-in. Breakfast is all about making the day the best it can be for YOU--so you do you, and carpe diem!
YIELDS
1 serving
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1/3 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 cups fresh greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, or arugula all work)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon tamari
- To taste Thai-style green chili sauce
Directions
1. Add rice and 1/2 teaspoon oil to a medium sautée pan. Stir to coat, and cook over medium heat until the rice is crisp and slightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add the tamari and nutritional yeast, stir, and heat just a few more seconds to cook through. Set aside.
2. In the same pan, add another 1/2 teaspoon oil to the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Add the greens, and steam until they're just soft but still bright in color for 2-3 minutes. Add a dash more of tamari if you like.
3. Add greens to a bowl and top with rice. Drizzle with chili sauce. Enjoy!
2. In the same pan, add another 1/2 teaspoon oil to the onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is soft (about 5 minutes). Add the greens, and steam until they're just soft but still bright in color for 2-3 minutes. Add a dash more of tamari if you like.
3. Add greens to a bowl and top with rice. Drizzle with chili sauce. Enjoy!
Also by Jennifer: Vegan Thai Avocado Noodle Bowl
Related: Vegan Savory Steel Cut Oats
Vegan Herbed Sausage and Potato Hash
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Photos: Jennifer Kurdyla
