Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice

Last week we had Grilled Ham and Pineapple Sandwiches.  This week we're having Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice.  It's always an adventure to take a recipe that you already enjoy (like grilled ham and cheese or fried rice) and throw in some new ingredient.  Last week's sandwich was a hit with all the eaters in our house, so I thought I'd give this Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice a try as regular fried rice is always a winner at our dinner table.  I first read about this recipe at Eat At Home on one of her weekly menu posts (her picture looks better than mine).  I've had it saved in my Recipes to Try file for several weeks.

One of the things I like about Fried Rice is that I can make it ahead of time on days when our dinner hour is hectic.  It's perfect for a busy night.  (It's Music Lesson and ISPTO Mtg night on our family calendar this week).  The 3 year old is napping for 45 minutes or so which is plenty of time for me to get dinner all ready to serve and have a few minutes to myself before the afternoon rush begins.  I can reheat the fried rice in just a few minutes after the girls are home from school and before we head out to our lessons.  Add a mixed greens salad and some zucchini bread (from the freezer) and we're all set for a homecooked meal together around the table for less than $6 in less than 30 minutes.

Here's the recipe:

Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
3-4 cups cooked, cooled rice (I made a batch in my rice cooker this morning before school)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups diced ham
4 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 lg can Pineapple tidbits, drained with juice reserved (you'll need 3+ Tbsp)
2 eggs beaten
1-2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or any other vegetables you might have leftover; kids said they prefer when I use shredded carrots instead of the frozen, cubed ones)
salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/8+ tsp pepper, just a sprinkling of salt)

Pretend there's also minced garlic pictured here!

1.  Saute the onion in a little bit of oil until soft in a large skillet.
2.  Add the garlic and the ham, 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp pineapple juice and heat until ham is hot.
3.  Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and stir frequently.
4.  Add the peas and carrots and heat through.
5.  Add the cooked rice and 2 Tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 Tbsp of pineapple juice and gently stir with a large spatula until rice and meat and vegetables are evenly combined.
6.  Taste and season with salt and pepper or more soy sauce if needed.
7.  Serve immediately or reheat for dinner later on.

Ham and Pineapple Fried Rice
The sweet pineapple gives this quick fix skillet dish a fresh twist

What's your favorite meal to fix on a night with filled with the kids' activities right around the dinner hour?

Fried Rice, a Perfect Repurposed Dinner

We had a pork roast for dinner on Sunday that turned out quite yummy.  Roasts are supposed to be one of those easy to fix kind of meals, but I always worry about getting the meat done on time so that the vegetables are done, too.  So, we don’t have them too often.  My mom makes good roasts, however, so I’m determined to learn how to make one that turns out good, every time.  The beauty of a roast, you see, is that the meat is big enough to make two meals.  I’m all about cooking once and eating twice.

The pork roast turned out pretty good, but I’m not so confident that I’m willing to share how I made the roast so that yours will turn out as good as mine.  You may have a winner recipe for a roast that you can share with me.  But, I will gladly share how I turned this roast into a second meal and no one really noticed that we were eating the same protein source two days in a row.  I repurposed that roast pork in a delicious one pan dinner that came together in less than 30 minutes.   Fried Rice was the perfect meal to fix for a busy family day. 

I love this fried rice recipe because you can adapt the recipe to whatever you might have on hand in the frig or freezer that needs to be “repurposed”.  My kids love it, too, because we let them eat with chopsticks.  They think that’s pretty cool.  We also offer forks so they can get up the last few bits of rice on their plates without having to lift the plates to their mouths.  This meal usually provides leftovers for 2-3 lunches, depending on how hungry we are that night.  It reheats great.  I like to use peas over other green vegetables in this recipe because they can go in the recipe straight from the freezer without cooking them first.  If you use other vegetables, you’ll probably have to cook them first.

Here’s the recipe:

Fried Rice

2 tbsp oil
2 carrots, shredded (these cook faster than chopped and give it nice color)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion (or some green onion, chopped)
½ cup mushrooms (optional; my kids don’t all like mushrooms, but it’s better with them if you like them)
1 ½ cups chopped meat (pork, ham, chicken, shrimp, whatever you have)
1 tsp ground ginger
A few shakes of ground red pepper
A few shakes of garlic powder
3 cups of cooled cooked rice (white or brown is fine)
2-3 eggs, scrambled (I make these in the skillet first and then remove before starting the rest of the recipe)
1 cup frozen peas (or whatever other cooked  green vegetable you like)
4 Tbsp soy sauce (may need to add more to taste)
2 Tbsp water

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the carrots and onion (and mushrooms) and sauté 1 min.  Add the meat and sauté another minute or two and add the spices.  Add in the cooked rice and mix.  Add the soy sauce and water and gently mix.  Add in the peas and scrambled eggs.  Reduce heat to medium.  Mix gently.  Cook 5-7 minutes or until warm.  Taste; add more soy sauce if needed or just serve with soy sauce at the table.

We like this simple one dish dinner with a tossed salad topped with fruit (like oranges) and a savory crunch (like chow mein noodles and sunflower seeds) and some fresh fruit on the side. 

Pork Fried Rice, Orange Asian salad, fresh fruit

What is your favorite “repurposed” meal?