One thing that is delicious whether you are vegan or not is Asian food. As long as you leave out the egg, fish sauce and meat, as a vegan I can go out and eat or cook Chinese, Thai and Japanese food with no worry at all.

My wife found an awesome recipe for fried rice. The whole family loved this, including our little ones. We used carrots, peppers, zucchini, summer squash and broccoli, but you can always substitute and use your favorite vegetables. We use pineapple and cashews as well.

You can add tofu, either fried or sauteed, if that tickles your fancy. Too many ingredients is not a problem in this recipe. Preparation time is at least 30 minutes when you cut everything up and find all the spices and sauces. Once that is done though, it takes less than 10 minutes to cook. It tastes great and with all the veggies is very healthy for you.

Enjoy the veggie fried rice and like always, enjoy that vegan thing.

 

VEGGIE FRIED RICE

3 tablespoons vegan margarine

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups brown rice, cooked

Any amount and combination of veggies you want. I added about 2 cups carrots, ½ cup green pepper, 1 cup zucchini, ½ cup summer squash, 1 cup broccoli.

3 tablespoons tamari

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

½ cup green onions (whites and greens)

1 cup diced pineapple (drained, if using canned)

½ to 3/4 cup of raw cashews, toasted (I pan-fry these over medium heat, stirring frequently)

In a wok, melt vegan margarine. Add garlic and saute about 2 minutes. Add vegetables (carrots, green pepper, zucchini, summer squash and broccoli). Cook for 5 minutes.

Then mix in cooked rice, tamari, sesame oil and brown rice vinegar; cook for several minutes, mixing every so often. Add in pineapple, cashews and green onion. Cook for one more minute and serve.

Jeff Peterson anchors the news from 5 to 7 a.m. on CBS 13 and from 7 to 8 a.m. on FOX 23 and is a vegan.