Well, the sister is officially married. She looked like an angel, in an airy, vintage-style strapless dress from Etsy. The tables were decorated in blush pink with little paper cranes folded from Maneki Neko paper. It was really just a beautiful day because it was a celebration of nothing but a remarkable love shared between two people. It wasn’t about being showy or snobby. It was just a boy and a girl who have been with each other through a lot of hard times. And together, they’ve made those hard times manageable, and worth laughing about, and they’ve become stronger through them all.

And, oh. Can you tell they made me fall in love with their love? My sweet sis. Her sweet lover boy.

Happy sigh.

So, quick post for today because I’m all hopped up on romantic bliss and would really rather start an epi of Downton Abbey than sit on a cold chair and blog about pineapple rice.

But, ooooh. Pineapple rice.

Maybe I happen to be in love with being vegan right now, too.

(Note: maybe means heck yes I am.)

Happy sigh.

Vegan Pineapple Fried Rice

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 10-ish minutes

I've got a rice cooker, and I tell you, it was the best purchase I've ever made. Since reading Alicia Silverstone's "The Kind Diet," I wake up in the morning, toss a few cups of rice or whole grain into my rice cooker, then keep the stuff ready to eat in my fridge for the next 2-3 days. Having precooked brown rice makes eating vegan that.much.easier because you don't have to wait for a hour before snarfing healthy food down your gullet. You just open up the fridge, nab some already ready rice, top it with some beans or veggies, and you've got yourself a kick-arse meal. Or, on those nights when you're feeling particularly wondrous, you nab some fresh pineapple and pull together this absurdly quick meal in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3 cups sweet brown rice, cooked
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup peas, frozen
1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup roasted & salted cashews
1/2 cup scallions
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat the oils in a large wok. Add the garlic and red pepper. Cook the red pepper until slightly softened, about 1 minute. Toss in the rice, broth, soy sauce, and curry powder. Heat until the rice is sizzling Remove from heat, add the peas, pineapple, coconut, cashews, and scallions. Stir until well mixed. Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

Vegan