Thanksgiving Fried Rice with Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts

Remember when Friendsgiving was a thing?!?! For years, Ryan and I have attended an annual Friendsgiving hosted by dear friends. It was actually the site of one of our early dates. Ryan was daring enough to bring me to his college friends’ Friendsgiving (nothing like trial by fire for this one) and I remember agonizing over what to wear. Ha! Remember when our choices consisted of something other than leisurewear, leisurewear or leisurewear?

Over the years the Friendsgiving event, aptly named “Volksgiving,” has morphed from a traditional turkey dinner to a Thanksgiving bite-size appetizer competition. Attendees vote on the best Thanksgiving-themed appetizer of the night. For the first couple years, you were assigned a traditional Thanksgiving ingredient (stuffing, green beans, cranberry, etc.) and told to get creative in bite-size portions that didn’t require silverware. Then I think there might have been a year or two where you could choose your own ingredients but it had to contain at least 2 (maybe 3?) traditional Thanksgiving components.

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The first year of Volksgiving competition, I brought my mom’s Cranberry Bliss bars. Which, while very good, came no where near to winning. (The winner that year I believe was a turkey taco made with stuffing hard taco shells wrapped in Taco Bell wrappers – mind blown!) I quickly realized I had to up my Thanksgiving appetizer game. This girl is COMPETITIVE!

The following year I believe I made puff pastry spoons using ceramic Asian soup spoons as forms (linked here) to serve some sort of candied bacon and cheese mixture. Still didn’t win. We lost to fried mashed potato balls with a warm gravy surprise center (yes they were indeed amazing!). So then came Thanksgiving cannolis, chocolate-dipped pumpkin pie bites, and I frankly don’t even remember what else. For the last pre-COVID Volksgiving, I served Thanksgiving Fried Rice in tiny Chinese takeout containers (linked here) accompanied by chopsticks. Our dish tied for most votes and we ultimately lost in a Flip Cup tiebreaker. Devastating and obviously not bitter at all!

Someday I will bring home the Volksgiving turkey trophy (yes, its truly a thing!) and display it proudly for the remainder of the year. But, until then, I plan on consoling myself by eating my Thanksgiving Fried Rice sans Chinese takeout containers with a side of these amazing Kung Pao brussels sprouts. You need to make this meal before it no longer is seasonally appropriate to buy several boxes of Stove Top stuffing at a time. Its delicious even sans trophy!

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THANKSGIVING FRIED RICE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of bacon, diced (optional)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 to 4 cups cooked white rice, cold
• 1 box Stove Top Stuffing, cooked according to instructions, cold
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon ginger, or to taste
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cups diced carrot, celery, and bell pepper
• 1 cup green beans halves
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions, for serving

DIRECTIONS

• Put 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet, and turn heat to high. When it begins to shimmer, add diced bacon and cook for approximately 2 minutes just until bacon begins to brown. Then add onion, carrots, celery and bell pepper cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey, stirring until turkey is cooked through and vegetables have softened and beginning to brown, approximately 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove vegetables and turkey to a bowl.
• Put remaining vegetable oil in the skillet, followed by garlic and ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, about 15 seconds later, add the rice, breaking up clumps with a spoon as you go along and tossing it with oil. When the rice is well coated, make a well in the center and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble these, then stir into the rice.
• Return vegetables and turkey to the skillet and stir to integrate. Add green beans and 1-to-2 cups stuffing. Add mirin and cook, stirring, for approximately 1 minute until green beans and stuffing are warmed through. Add soy sauce and sesame oil, then taste and add salt, pepper, and more soy sauce if necessary. Turn off heat, top with green onion and serve.
• Note: You have got to plan ahead and use thoroughly-chilled cooked rice and Stove Top Stuffing.  A fresh batch of warm (or even lukewarm) rice and stuffing will not fry well when it hits the hot pan, and will result in soggy and sticky clumps — no good.  So leftover refrigerated rice is ideal!  Or, if you are in a hurry, just cook up your rice and stuffing.  Then spread them separately out on baking sheets or other large flat pans, cover with plastic wrap, then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes until it is thoroughly chilled.

KUNG PAO BRUSSELS SPROUTS

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 chopped garlic cloves
• 4 green onions (chopped), separate white and light green parts from green parts
• 1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• salted roasted peanuts, chopped, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Toss brussels sprouts with 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast the brussels sprouts for approximately 20 minutes (tossing once halfway through) until brussels sprouts are browned and tender. Note: This took approximately 30 minutes in our oven.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the white and light green parts of the scallions, the fresh ginger, and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add soy sauce, maple syrup, and rice vinegar to the sauce pan. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Once the brussels sprouts have browned, pour the sauce over the sprouts and toss. Serve directly on the sheet tray, or transfer to a platter and top with reserved scallion greens, chopped salted roasted peanuts, and more crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately, or wait to toss the sprouts with the sauce until just before you’re ready to eat.

Recipe Credit: Real Simple

So, without Volksgiving this year (gee thanks COVID!), I have extra time to plan my next competitive Thanksgiving-themed appetizer. What should I bring next year? Please share your ideas in our comment section below. Remember the stakes are high and I could really use your help!

And if you make our Thanksgiving Fried Rice, please take a picture and tag us @letswineaboutitsister. We would love to know what you think!