Vegan Hawaiian-inspired Island Fried Rice recipe. 100% plant-based. 100% awesome.
This post was originally published on Crunchy-Vegan.com.

It's International Bacon Day. What better way to celebrate than by not killing pigs, eh?

Pigs are incredible animals. Not only can they smell out their favorite foods, recognize their friends, and have super sensitive hearing, but they also demonstrate unique character traits and personalities.

Perhaps you've heard that pigs are smarter than toddlers? Indeed, pigs are brilliant in their own right. Among their many intellectual skills, pigs can comprehend a situation pretty accurately. When something positive or negative is about to occur, they can sense it (source). When they're headed to slaughter, for instance, they are fully aware that their friends before them are being killed.

Instead of eating animals, we'll stick to our compassionate alternatives. Which is why I'm very excited to provide you with this Island Fried Rice recipe with tempeh bacon, served with START! Sauce's Pineapple Curry Hot Sauce. START! Sauce is free from artificial and harmful ingredients, providing a low sodium, certified vegan, all natural and great tasting hot sauce that's versatile enough to include in a range of dishes. (Plus, they have gorgeous labels, and I'm a total sucker for label design!)

START! Sauce has three flavors, and I have all of them! I can't wait to try them on other recipes.

The pineapple and fakin' bacon combo is a perfect pair, with the sweet and hot sauce providing a pleasant complement to round out this dish with full flavor.

Island Fried Rice Recipe

Prep Time: 10 (not including cooking rice) min. // Total Time: 20 min.
Yield: 5 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups white or brown rice, cooked
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 a white onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 cups frozen peas and carrots (a 10 oz bag)
4 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
12 slices tempeh bacon, cooked and chopped
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
2 green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons liquid aminos or soy sauce
Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Prep Cooking: Both the rice and the bacon should start cooked. The rice will work better if it's a day old (see the note below).
Heat a wok over medium to high heat.
Heat the chopped onions in oil, stirring often, until translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
Add vegetables and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Stir in garlic and cook for another minute.
Add rice, green onions, pineapple, tempeh bacon, liquid aminos, and pepper. Stir while cooking another 2 minutes, or until heated thoroughly.

Notes and Swaps:

Cook your rice ahead of time to avoid the soft and mushy results of using freshly cooked rice. Head the day-old rice in the microwave for about 1 minute to warm it before adding it to the recipe.
Short-grain sushi rice works best for a recipe like this. But you can also use brown, jasmine (pictured), or long-grain white rice.
Use a pan, such as a wok, that's large enough to heat everything thoroughly.

This recipe works great for any meal. I had leftovers for breakfast this morning!

If you give this recipe a try, let me know how you like it!!

Until next time, be sure to follow me! And find me on my website, Crunchy Vegan, and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (to name a few!).