This week the Dishing It Up crew decided to put together a few recipes for you that would freeze well. I don’t specifically cook things to freeze (other than hamburger meat), but I immediately put almost all of my leftovers into either containers that hold just enough for my daughter and I to have together or a single serving for me to have during the day while she’s at school.
I love Chinese food, but with my gluten intolerance, it’s so hard to go to a Chinese restaurant. All of the many tempting dishes and fried yummies are so hard for me to resist. So, instead of fighting the temptation to eat things I shouldn’t and paying the expense of eating at a restaurant when I shouldn’t, I’ve been creating my own Chinese recipes. With my Beef Fried Rice recipe, you’ll notice that there is no egg. No, I’m not trying to be healthy or anything, I just don’t like eggs! By leaving the egg out of my Beef Fried Recipe, it makes it allows you to reheat without the rubber egg texture.
I have never cooked a pot of rice on top of the stove. My parents tried to teach me how when I was younger, but it always came out a nasty pot of stuff. Thankfully, at some point, I learned how to cook rice in the microwave. Maybe it was after I bought a microwave with a rice button. I’ve even taught my daughter to cook rice in the microwave. She knows that you have to use twice as much water to the amount of rice you are using. So, the amount of water you use equals the amount of cooked rice you will end up with and you add half that amount of uncooked rice (1 c. water + 1/2 c. rice = 1 c. cooked rice).
We also like the individual grains of rice, instead of sticky rice, and began using Uncle Ben’s Parboiled Rice years ago. It’s the ONLY rice that I’ll use now. To cut down on cooking time, I allow the rice to soak in the water all day or sometimes overnight, if I’m planning ahead, to reduce cooking time down to between five and ten minutes. To flavor your rice, you can substitute broth for water or part of the water. Bouillon cubes can also be used instead of replacing the water with broth for flavoring the rice.
We often “box up” our leftovers as soon as we’re finished eating our original meal. I have a drawer full of containers that are solely for the purpose of leftovers for the freezer. This works great for quick meals when we can’t decide what we want for lunch or when I’m at home during the day without my daughter. No need to buy frozen meals for $2 – $4 each when I can make a meal have many individual portions for less than $5.
- 1 small to medium Onion
- Green Onion (optional)
- Frozen Peas and Carrots
- 2 cups Uncooked Rice
- 4 cups Water
- THIN cut beef (or other meat)
- Olive Oil
- Mrs. Dash
- Garlic Powder
- Seasoned Salt
- Soy sauce
- Set frozen peas and carrots out to allow them to thaw.
- Add rice and water to a large microwave safe dish. Cook on high power 22 - 30 minutes until water is absorbed and the rice is fluffy. While rice is cooking, proceed with the following.
- Chop onion into desired size pieces or chop using food processor. Place onion in skillet.
- Coat onion with olive oil.
- Slice the green onion and set aside. It will be used as garnish, if desired.
- Cut meat into bite size pieces. Add meat to skillet with the onion.
- Season with Mrs. Dash, garlic powder, and seasoned salt to taste.
- Brown the onion and skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat once browned.
- Once the rice has cooked, add a little more olive oil to the meat and onions. Return to medium heat.
- Add rice to the meat and onions and continuously stir the rice to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
- Soy sauce may be added to taste or may be added when served. I like to add it while still cooking to cook the flavor into the rice.
- Reduce heat to low and add the frozen peas and carrots. Mix into the rice.
- Allow to heat thoroughly to cook the vegetables, stirring ocassionally.
- Garnish with green onion.
- I also make the fried rice without the meat and then serve it as a side with sweet and sour pork or chicken. I cut the meat into bite size pieces, seaso with my same seasonings as above, coat with flour, and deep fry until golden brown. I like my sauce on the side. Leftover meat can be frozen and then baked in the oven to reheat and it should come out crispy again.
Here are a couple of other recipes that I’ve posted in the past that freeze well:
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Ground Beef
- Pinto Beans Make Great Refried Beans
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast for the Holiday and Leftovers
- Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
Check out what some of my other Dishing It Up pals are putting in their freezers. Just click the froggy to start checking out the links. 
Frozen vegetables should not be frozen after heating!