Interning with SFC’s The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre® has been a wonderful experience, and not a day goes by where I don’t learn something new! Because I started just in time for the revision of our cookbook, Fresh, Seasonal Recipes, I have had the opportunity to test (and eat!) a lot of our recipes. The dishes are easy, inexpensive, and quick to make, and every time I complete I dish, I can’t help but take a picture and put it on social media. My friends at A&M took note, and pretty soon they were filling my inbox with recipe requests. The pleas were a bit surprising, as most students reach for the nearest PB&J or Bagel Bite. True, it can be daunting to find the time and energy to cook a meal on a college schedule, but this cookbook and these recipes offer anyone- from college students to busy workers- the chance to eat nutritiously while saving a little extra cash.

Below is a recipe that has been sent to and approved by many Aggies- and hopefully y’all will love it too! Best of all, it feeds 8 at $0.39 a serving!

Fried Rice

Ingredients

- 6 cups cooked brown rice, cooled

- 5 tablespoons canola oil

- 7 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced

- 1cup cabbage, thinly sliced

- ½ cup carrots, diced

- ½ cup peas (fresh or frozen)

- 3 green onions, thinly sliced

- 1 small jalapeno, finely chopped

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

Instructions

- Heat oil in a large skillet

- Sauté ginger and garlic until golden brown

- Remove ginger and garlic from the pan and set aside until later

- Add cabbage and carrots to the pan and sauté until tender

- Add peas and cook until soft (about 2 minutes)

- Remove all the vegetables from the pan

- Put the cooked ride into the pan and stir until heated through. If the rice is sticking to the pan too much, add a little more oil.

- Make a hole in the middle of the rice and add the eggs.

- Stir eggs until they are well cooked.

- Toss vegetables, ginger, garlic, green onions and jalapeno with the rice and eggs

- Stir in soy sauce

- Heat for 1 more minute