Vegetable Fried Rice with Chinese Long Beans

This healthy vegetable fried rice was very heavy on the fresh veggies, particularly Chinese long beans. I also included Savoy cabbage, yellow zucchini, mushrooms, sliced red pepper, and large cubes of extra firm tofu.

The Chinese long beans, trimmed and cut in half in the skillet above, are also known as yardlong beans or dow gauk. Related to black eye peas, I found these at the farmers market and now wished I bought the lovely purple ones too! Beans are high in Vitamins A, C, and K, manganese, potassium, and iron, and good providers of dietary fiber. This toothsome, satisfying meal is my contribution to Sweetnicks ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday (ARF=Antioxidant Rich Food).

I fried a little chopped white onion and a minced garlic clove in a little olive oil, then added the red pepper and mushrooms and sauted for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms started to release their juices. I steamed the Chinese long beans, cabbage, zucchini, and tofu for a few minutes, before adding them to the onion mix along with less than a cup of cooked rice, 1-2 tbsp sesame oil, a little ginger juice, a little rice wine vinegar, and 1-2 tbsp soy sauce. I stir fried all ingredients over medium heat for about 5 minutes before serving. Yum!