Almond Fried Rice

I got my youngest son involved helping with this recipe. We served this as a side dish, although it could easily be served as a main dish with a salad on the side. I had to fight to keep some leftovers for lunch today. If you have brown rice already cooked, it comes together in a snap.

2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. thinly sliced scallions
1/4 c. raw almonds, coarsely chopped*
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/4 c. diced roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers
2-3 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Garlic Powder and Real Salt to taste

*This is a fun thing for kids to do. I put the almonds in a zip-closed bag on top of a cutting board, gave my son an unopened can of dog food (although any heavy can or object will work) and let him go nuts - no pun intended. :~) Supervise so that little fingers do not get smashed and provide direction to ensure some level of uniformity to the coarsely chopped almonds. You don't want a powder, but you don't want giant chunks of almonds either. Finish with a knife on the cutting board if necessary.

If you don't already have cooked rice on hand, fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add as much rice as desired (I always cook extra to have on hand for quick meals during the week - I usually cook 2 dry cups at a time). Regardless of how much you are making, be sure you have about 3 times as much water as rice. Boil for 45 minutes and drain. Do not rinse. Measure out 2 cups of rice for recipe. The remaining rice, once cool, can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for several days.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add scallions and almonds, stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes or until almonds are lightly toasted. Add rice and peppers, stirring to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, still stirring constantly, until rice and peppers are heated through. Add remaining ingredients to taste. Serve immediately.

Note #1: The Bragg's Liquid Aminos have a naturally salty flavor, so you will likely need less Real Salt than you would normally put in other recipes. Keep this in mind when flavoring your rice.

Note #2: When I made this, the ingredients had a tendency to stick to the pan. Add additional olive oil while cooking as necessary to prevent sticking.

Variations: This recipe could easily accommodate any variety of vegetables or nuts. Feel free to experiment.