Tuesday, June 11 Unfried Rice Rating: 4.25

Appetite for Reduction really is one of my very favorite books. I forget this recipe all the time; usually we just go for a quick stir-fry or the Cheater Pad Thai from Happy Herbivore when we have Asian food for dinner.  I was flipping through AFR and noticed this one and decided it was a great use of some of the alarming amount of broccoli from our CSA box. I used to really like fried rice way back when, but you know, all the oil, plus the eggs… Anyway, I made a bunch of rice for Sunday’s dinner that you didn’t get to see pics of, and set aside enough for this dinner too (another benefit of planning ahead). I pressed and marinated the tofu the night before so all I had to do was bake it before adding to the rice. You can really put whatever you like in it once you get the basic recipe done. The shallots, ginger and a little bit of sesame oil (a very little bit) give the rice an authentic taste, without being greasy the way it is in restaurants. Plus, since you start with cold rice, it doesn’t get sticky (that’s the secret, by the way.) We like ours pretty heavy on the veggies (surprise!) so we added a lot of broccoli, some peas and carrots. This makes a lot, so be prepared for some lunches that will make your coworkers jealous!