Beef Fried Rice

(This recipe was originally posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad Week of 2/5/12 - 2/11/12)

Stir-fry is a great way to stretch meat!  This fresh-tasting dish uses only one pound of beef, but the rice and vegetables add enough bulk to feed at least six adults.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp of olive oil, divided, for stir-frying
3 eggs, beaten
1 lb (give or take) top round roast or steak, sliced VERY thin
2 1/2 cups coleslaw mix
1 cup sliced and chopped mushrooms
1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed, and cut into approximately 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup onion, sliced very thin, rings cut in half and separated
5 cups cold cooked rice
4 Tbsp butter or margarine, cubed
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp pepper (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil until hot.  Add eggs.  Scramble and cook over medium heat until completely set and chopped into small pieces.  Remove eggs from pan.  In same pan, heat remaining oil.  Stir-fry the beef, coleslaw mix, asparagus, mushrooms, and onion for 6-7 minutes or until beef is no longer pink and vegetables are crisp-tender.  Add rice and butter.  Cook and stir over medium heat 2 minutes or until heated through.  Add soy sauce and pepper, and return scrambled eggs to the pan.  Cook and stir 2 more minutes or until all ingredients are heated through.

Options and Tips

• Surprisingly enough, my kids absolutely loved this meal.  It helps that they like asparagus, but the rest of the vegetables just mixed right into the rice, so they didn't really notice them. 
• We all had seconds, and we still had tons of leftovers...so this dish will easily feed a large family! 
• I used instant rice, but you could use regular as well.  Just cook it early in the day and then refrigerate it until you're ready to make the rest of the meal.
• Substitute brown rice to add a little fiber.
• After all the meat and veggies are sliced/chopped, the cooking time is quite short...but pre-chop the ingredients if you'll be in a hurry around dinner time. 
• The vegetable and meat measurements do not have to be exact...add a little more rice or coleslaw mix, or leave out the mushrooms...or even use less meat to save money. 
• A cheaper cut of beef could be substituted as another way to cut costs.

This recipe in its original form can be found on page 61 of Taste of Home's Busy Family Favorites cookbook.  I made quite a few alterations.