It's April in Texas and that means onions and carrots are in season.

Simple vegetables, but sometimes it's the simple things that bring the most pleasure.

During the week I believe cooking should be uncomplicated, yet appealing. Filling, and healthy.
For my junior high cooking class last week the name of the simplicity game was stir-fried rice.

It's a seven-ingredient tasty wonder.

A little soy sauce, sesame oil, green onion, egg, frozen peas and carrots, chicken, and, of course, rice.  Using a pasture-raised chicken breast, of course, from a local producer would be ideal for this dish.  One breast will provide the perfect amount of chicken.

Texmati brown rice was my choice for this stir fry; Texmati rice is a Texas product and I love supporting producers from the state even if Alvin, TX, where they're headquartered happens to be closer to Houston than the metroplex.

There were a couple of scrunched noses to the idea of a brown rice stir fry, but the reality is that white rice is really brown rice with the most nutritious parts scrubbed off to achieve that sparkling white color. Why bother wasting the time and nutrition, I said? Especially with stir-fried rice when the soy-sesame sauce mixture added to the rice, whether white or brown, gives it that beautiful brown color anyways. And brown rice, because it is only missing the outer husk, has a more interesting texture.

Surprisingly everyone loved the green onion garnish and squabbled a bit over getting more to put on their plates. Who could have predicted that?

Several said they were going to make this simple, beautiful, delicious, nutritious dish at home.

Mission accomplished.

Chicken Stir-Fried Rice

4 cups cold cooked white or brown rice
2 eggs beaten
1 bunch green onions, bias-sliced tops, thin-sliced greens
1 cup cooked chicken, cut into chunks
1/2 cup fresh diced carrots
1/2 cup fresh peas
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons hot sesame oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use

Prep vegetables
Bias slice the white parts of the onion.
Thinly slice the green parts
Measure out the peas and carrots

Prep sauce
Mix together soy sauce, hot sesame oil.  Set aside until needed.

Prep eggs and green onions
Bias cut the white end of the green onions.
Thinly slice the green end of the green onion for a garnish.
Whisk eggs in preparation for scrambling.

Stir-Fry
Heat wok over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.  Allow oil to heat for a minute.
Add the green onions.  Saute for a minute.  Add the eggs and scramble.
Remove the eggs and green onions from the wok.  Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok.
Add the peas and carrots to the wok, stir-fry for a minute. 
Stir in the rice and stir fry until rice begins to crisp.
Add the cooked chicken to the wok.  Stir fry until chicken is heated through and rice is crispy.
Stir in the soy sauce mixture and continue to cook until the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir in the green onion and scrambled egg mixture.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with extra soy sauce on the side.