Broccoli Fried Rice

4 cups cooked rice
4 Tbsp. canola oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups broccoli, chopped
1 cup sweet peppers, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 cup snap beans, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1-2 eggs
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
Cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in your largest frying pan or wok.  Sauté the onion and garlic until softened over med heat, remove to a platter.  Add the rest of the vegetables in batches; stir fry each batch for a few minutes removing each batch after it has become just a little tender, you may need a little oil after each batch.  Add a little more oil and prepare the scrambled egg remove.  Add the cooked rice to the pan, stir well, breaking up the rice so that all the grains are separate and coated with oil. Again, add a little oil as necessary.  Add all of the vegetables and the egg to the rice in the pan.  Gently mix and add the soy sauce and fish sauce stir again and turn off the heat. Drizzle on the sesame oil.  Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or Thai basil.

Some options: Have extra soy sauce or Sriracha chili sauce on the side.  Add chunks of bacon, ham or cooked chicken, roast pork, or leftover steak, for a main dish version of this dish. Add fried tofu cubes or beans for a vegetarian main dish.

From: the Kitchen Garden

***Change the recipe with vegetables on hand, snow peas will work in place of snap beans.

If there is too much broccoli to serve within the next few days, here are some simple directions for freezing:

Cut up broccoli into florets and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, remove from boiling water with as slotted spoon.   Plunge into an ice water bath to cool. Drain and pat dry with clean kitchen towels. Freeze in quart-size freezer bags. For easier use, pre-freeze on a baking sheet, and then pack into bags.