Coconut Aminos and Fried Rice

A few months ago I discovered that I could not eat beans.  I am not talking about green beans, but the legume variety: kidney, black, pinto, lima beans.  I cut them out of my diet completely.  Well, almost.  I forgot to include soybeans in my little list.  Maybe that was why I was still having stomach issues: soy milk in smoothies, soy milk in baked goods, Earth Balance made with soy, soy creamer in my coffee.  You get the picture.  So I cut out soy.  Much better, that is until I went to grab that bottle of GF soy sauce….SOY sauce!  Bummer.  I did some research and found a substitute that sounded interesting: Coconut Aminos.

Interesting, maybe.  Weird, for sure!  It is actually made out of organic aged coconut sap and blended with sea salt.  Sounds yummy!  I bought a bottle from a local grocery store (it was cheaper than Amazon) to try. 

First, let me say it does not taste like coconut.  It tastes like soy sauce, acts like soy sauce, cooks like soy sauce, without the soy.  I tried it out on my family to see if they could tell.  I made a Vegetable Fried Rice using the Coconut Aminos.  Delicious.  No one would have guessed that I didn’t use soy sauce.  In fact, Dan repeatedly told me how much he enjoyed the rice.  Seriously!  Multiple times!  About the fourth time he told me how good it was and how much he liked the taste, I began thinking that he was angling for a new power tool, but no, he just really like it that much.

I am sure we will be having this dish again soon.  It is perfect when you have leftover rice and need something quick.  You could easily add other favorite vegetables or even a protein like shrimp or pork.  I am also excited to try the Coconut Aminos in other recipes too.  I will keep you posted.

Vegetable Fried Rice

4 stalks of celery minced

5 cloves of garlic minced
3 small carrots finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
6 cups cooked rice
½ cup Coconut Aminos or GF Soy Sauce
Olive Oil

Add a small amount of olive oil (you could use butter if you prefer) to a large frying pan.  When the oil has heated, add your eggs.  Fry the eggs until cooked through.  Chop into small pieces.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add about 2 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan.  Add the celery, garlic, carrots, and onion.  Cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the rice and mix together.  Pour the Coconut Aminos or soy sauce over the rice and stir until the color of the rice is uniform.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes (longer if you like your rice crispier.)

Hope you enjoy it as much as Dan :)