Change Your Breakfast: Healthy Fried Rice with Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa Chef Beau MacMillan is encouraging us to think outside the (cereal) box when it comes to breakfast. While we may all think fried rice is best served alongside your favorite Chinese take-out dinner, it’s also a great way to fuel up with some energy-boosting carbs in the morning. This healthy take on fried rice  includes vitamin-B₆-rich brown rice, lots of fresh veggies, and a minimal amount of fat, making it a great and tasty option for anyone looking to change their breakfast.

Please note: Lop chong is a dried, cooked Chinese sausage with a slightly smoky, sweet flavor. You’ll have to make a trip to your local Asian grocery store to get some, but you can also feel free to leave it out.

Breakfast Fried Rice with Scrambled Eggs (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

For the Fried Rice

2 tbsp chopped lop chong (Chinese sausage; optional)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp peeled, chopped fresh ginger
1 green onion, white and green parts, chopped
2 tbsp diced red onion
1 or 2 leaves baby bok choy, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shredded red cabbage
5 sugar snap peas, cut into thin strip on the diagonal
2 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin

For the Eggs and Garnishes

2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsps toasted cashews, chopped
1 green onion, white and green parts, sliced thin on the diagonal
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

1. To make the fried rice, in a large wok or large skillet over high heat, fry the lop chong until rendered, less than a minute. Transfer the lop chong to a paper towel–lined plate and discard the fat.
2. Set the wok over high heat and heat until very hot. Add the oil to the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, chopped green onion, red onion, bok choy, cabbage, and snap peas. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the vegetables have softened and you can smell the ginger.
3. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring, until everything is coated, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce and mirin and toss well. Remove the wok from the heat.
4. To cook the eggs, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray, and then pour in the beaten eggs. Cook, gently stirring the eggs, until scrambled but still moist.
5. Transfer fried rice to a serving bowl and top with the scrambled eggs. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, toasted cashews, and diagonally cut green onion and serve right away.

Reprinted with permission from The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: Recipes to Boost Brain Health by Dr. Marwan Sabbagh and Beau MacMillan, copyright © 2012. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. Photo credit: Caren Alpert. Available wherever books are sold.

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