Rice is a hit or miss in this house. Whenever I make it fresh, I either make too much or not enough so I like to air on the side of too much because when there is too much, you just save for a later day and make fried rice, which to some, might be even better then fresh rice. So there you go.
Fried rice. Not really a complicated dish. Basically it is just reheating rice up in a skillet with some stuff. This version is carrot ginger with chickpeas because those flavors are on point and also I had just made a huge batch of chikepeas and always have carrots and ginger on hand. The rice was just waiting to be reheated and I was glad for it because fried rice take a quarter of the time to make then fresh rice (I use brown rice) and I was trying to get dinner done without having to make much of an effort. And because there is veggies and chickpeas in this rice, it is a complete meal and did not need to make anything else. One pot dinner and done. Good things.
Now to the fried rice!
The stuff. Cooked rice, chick peas, carrots, fresh ginger, garlic, soy, red wine vinegar, olive oil, scallions, cabbage, and cilantro (optional). Also going to need a little water. And black pepper.
Start with veggies. Dice the carrots into very small little pieces. Toss into lightly oiled skillet with a splash of water and set on low heat. Then start mincing garlic and the fresh ginger. Toss that into skillet with carrots. Grab scallions and cut the thick white parts from he green and slice thinly and toss into skillet. And lastly shredded cabbage and thinly slice the greens of the scallions and set that aside.
Carrot, ginger, garlic, and scallions are in skillet getting a little heat. Turn heat up to medium, add a splash or two of water, and cook until the carrots are just starting to get a little soft and the ginger and garlic are fragrant. If the
Add in the chick peas, the soy, and the vinegar and cook away.
Once chick peas are warm through, add in the rice and another splash of water and mix around.
And when the rice is warm, add in he cabbage and greens of the scallion and mix until incorporated.
Done and ready.
Now scoop into bowls, toss some cilantro and black pepper on for good measure then grab a eating utensil.
And eat.
-C
Chickpea Carrot Ginger Fried Rice
serves 2-3 as a meals or 5-6 as a side
3 cups already cooked rice (white or brown, I used brown)
2 cups cooked chick peas
2 carrots
2 inches fresh ginger root
2 gloves garlic
3-4 teaspoon soy or liquid aminos
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
2-3 large scallions
small hunk of cabbage
black pepper
Few tablespoons water
fresh cilantro (optional)
Start by prepping the veggies. Cut the carrots into very small little pieces and toss into a large, lightly oiled skillet Place on stove on low heat with a splash of water. Now mince the garlic and ginger and toss it into the skillet was well. Shredded the hunk of cabbage and set aside Grab the scallion, cut the green parts from the white, then thinly slice the the white, thicker part and toss into the skillet and thinly slice the green and add to the pile with the shredded cabbage. Mix all the veggies around, add another tablespoon or two of water, turn heat up to medium, and cook until carrots are slightly soft and the garlic and ginger are fragrant.
Once it is all starting to cook, toss in the drained chickpeas and add in the vinegar and 2-3 teaspoons of soy. Mix and cook until chickpeas are warm all the way through.
Now for the rice. Toss that in and mix around. Once rice is warm, toss in the greens of the scallions and the shredded cabbage. Cook until the rice is hot. Taste, and if you need more soy, add in in another teaspoon.
Once its all hot, it ready to eat and that is what you do. So scoop into bowls, add some chopped cilantro and black pepper and eat.
Before we left for the weekend, I was was trying my hardest to empty the fridge out of all food with the intention of leaning it empty so I could leave it open to defrost while were were gone. Unfortunately I was not able to make it happen. What I did make happen was emptying it almost completely so that when we got home, we had pretty much no food in the house, except for a few things that probably should be eaten. Plus one of the last things that I want to do after sitting in a car for 6 hours is go to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter, so I was determined to make with what wet had in the fridge:
The stuff… A huge hunk of a bigger then my head kohlrabi (or 2 normal bulbs). A carrot, an apple, toasted walnuts, red wine vinegar, and some salt. 
Sprinkle with salt and a good glug glug of red wine vinegar. Chop up the walnuts (some big chunks and some very small pieces makes for good eating), toss it all together and, well that's it. But wait…. let it sit for a few minutes before serving to really let the flavors draw out.
And there we have it. Super fast, full of flavors and crunchy texture. A salad slaw after my own heart.
Beans are in a pot filled with water unit beans are completely sumerged. Add in the onion, jalapeño, tomato paste and cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil then cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes….. After about a half hour, start up the rice. Water in pot with rice, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 
The rice is done and fluffed with at fork. The beans are cooked with just the tiniest bit of bite, bathing in a thick spicy tomatoey sauce. The chunks of onion and jalapeño have broken down and are hiding in every bite…. Oh so good!
Bringing a little spice and nice to this crazy cold winter day or any fun festivities you may have planned.