Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Kale and Shiitake Fried Brown Rice


Lately I've been really trying to make it a point to incorporate more greens into our diet.  I use chard (my favorite green) in my morning smoothies, eat spinach salads for lunch, and then try to have one dinner a week where the greens are a main component.  It's only been mildly successful because Joey isn't a fan of all greens, but I take my wins when I can.  

This fried rice was definitely a win.  Its fast and easy, it's very healthy, and it's tasty to boot.  The kale is sliced into thin little ribbons, then sautéed with the mushrooms.  You add the (already cooked) rice, a few simple seasonings, and you're done!  I think Joey doesn't care for kale on account of the bitterness, but it is masked a bit here by the soy sauce, garlic, and mushrooms.  This could be a light main course all on its own, but I served it alongside the teriyaki salmon

With dishes like this in my repertoire, getting more greens into our diet is becoming an easier task.  Now if I could just get Joey to eat beets, I'd be money.



Kale & Shiitake Fried Brown Rice
  • 3/4 lb kale, thick stems discarded
  • 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, and caps thinly sliced
  • 2 Tbs sesame oil
  • kosher salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal, plus more for garnish
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • sesame seeds, for serving
Roll a few kale leaves into a tight cigar, and thinly slice to form ribbons.  Run your knife through the kale a few times to chop it into smaller pieces.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.  Add the kale and mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until they are softened and tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Season with salt.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and stirring constantly, cook until fragrant but not browned, about a minute.  Stir in the scallions and rice, and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often.  Add the soy sauce, cook another 30 seconds, and season to taste with salt, additional soy sauce, and/or red pepper flakes.

Divide among serving dishes and top each serving with more scallions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.


15 comments:

branny said...

Um, I adore the last line of this post!

Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar said...

What a fabulous combination of flavours! This sounds simply lovely.

Joanne said...

I've been OBSESSED with greens lately! My next few recipes use them...swiss chard is my favorite also and whole foods now carries this 1 pound tub of different varieties of kale that I keep buying. It's a serious addiction but a good one. so I'll keep it. Love the sound of this fried rice! Pinned it!

Sarah @ Fresh Living said...

This dish looks incredible! I've been trying to add more kale to my diet and I will definitely give this recipe a try. Thanks for posting!

Cate said...

This looks like something we'd definitely LOVE! Fried rice is one of my favorite things

Jen said...

looks great and right up my alley. i am definitely making this!

Caitlin said...

I made something similar as a side dish one night, and while it was good then, the leftovers were awesome the next day for lunch topped with a poached egg. Love kale!

Anonymous said...

Maybe Joey would like to taste this ? http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-04-17/features/0804150357_1_beets-cream-cheese-frosting-baking-soda

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

wonderful, wonderful blend of hearty ingredients - kale, shiitake, brown rice - all healthy! i love your blog by the way! consider yourself blogrolled! LOL!

amy@currylime said...

This looks fresh and wonderful!

Unknown said...

This sounds good! On the note about the beets, try blending them up in a smoothie with other fruits and veggies. The red colour it turns out is very appealing. Also, you could try shredding the beets and incorporate into a salad. Hope this helps! Happy healthy eating! :)

ErinsFoodFiles said...

Baby-prep has left my Google Reader embarrassingly ignored. So my apologies for the delay in commenting! How funny though, I was just telling a friend about this dish yesterday. I LOVE your addition of shiitake mushrooms. This looks great!

Dee Kitchen said...

YUM. So easy and healthy! Made this with baby bella mushrooms and it was still fantastic. :) Great and gluten-free, too.

Anonymous said...

What? Beets are da bomb, Joey would do well to start eating! But anyway, this fried rice bowl looks phenomenal. I love how it's brown rice specifically, and that there's more veggies than rice in the bowl. :) healthy and delicious at the same time!

Heather Gaudette said...

I've never cooked with kale before, so this is my first experience and it was great! I did use about half the kale (if I didn't like it I didn't want to ruin the recipe for myself), but I still LOVED the flavors! Here's my full review--thanks so much for this recipe! http://heatskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/08/fried-rice-with-kale-and-mushrooms.html

Post a Comment

 
BLOG DESIGN BY: SHERBET BLOSSOM DESIGNS