Any Simple Brown Rice Recipes?

[huntressa]

Hey everyone! This is my first post to the group :)

So, since becoming a vegetarian almost 3 years ago, I still have yet to learn how to really cook and mostly rely on frozen entrees and vegetarian junk food. And it seems like every time I vow to start eating more wholesome food, I pick up a bag or box of brown rice.  And proceed to never cook it.

Comments

[voxsjournal]

You like garlic?

If so, try this. Very simple:

1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
about 5 cups of water

Rinse lentils, put in pot. Add water. Bring to boil. Throw in brown rice. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Add chopped garlic to taste (not the dried stuff, just chop up some cloves) maybe 5 minutes before it's done. Garlic flavor will be STRONG, which I like. :-)

Also can add a bit of ginger (for a semi-Asian feel) and red pepper flakes (careful with these if you don't like it hot).

I wait until I've put it in a bowl to add soy sauce to it.

And that's it. Can be a main or side dish.

Btw, can add 1 small can of tomato sauce, chili powder, garlic, onions, green pepper if you like, and you've got a quick lentil chili. No soy sauce or ginger in that one, of course. :-)

Rice and beans--you can't really go wrong.

[huntressa]

This may be a really silly question, but do you mean the dried kind of lentils in a bag or like the mixed can of lentils? I've never cooked with the dried kind, but I am willing to learn ^_^

Also, this sounds really good! I always see mentions of how simple and awesome rice and beans are as a staple of the vegetarian diet. I figure rice is a good place to start learning all this cooking stuff C:

[oh_eudora]

I think they must mean canned lentils...dry lentils and beans take several hours to cook.

And yeah, rice and beans is always a good choice! When combined, they have all the amino acids--a complete protein! (:

[voxsjournal]

I mean the dry ones, which cook quickly. Unlike something like pinto beans, there's no need to pre-soak lentils. Also, they're little nutritional powerhouses! I use lentils a lot, mostly because I like things simple and easy.

If you ever want to venture into using other kinds of dried bean, the quick soak method works very well. Just bring beans to a boil for a few minutes, remove from heat and let sit for an hour.

[spunkymonkey]

my mom just bought me a book that mentions you should chew brown rice fifty times according to macrobiotics. wow. personally i usually buy 'instant' brown rice and then to add to soups and chili. but i bet it would be pretty good stir-fried with vegetables. try adding nuts like slivered almonds or cashews.

[huntressa]

Hehee - I've read that about chewing things before -I believe in the book "The Kind Diet". Yeah...I definitely need to chew my food more when I eat (but I don't know if I could chew it *that* much). And slivered almonds sounds really tasty :)

[aneurisms]

OH YES!

this is a good recipe if you are a fan of avocado rolls.

start with a warm bowl of brown rice

toss in some chopped up avocado

crush up nori sheets (toasted seaweed sheets used for making sushi rolls) & sprinkle on top

splash on some soy sauce and sesame seeds (if you wish!)

a surprisingly nourishing meal!

[huntressa]

Oooo I love love love avocado rolls. I will have to try this :D

rice-stuffed peppers : )

[inmyblueheaven]

Do you know how to make scrambled eggs? If so, stir fry some thinly chopped tomatoes and onions in a pan with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. When they are almost cooked, pour in a mixture of two eggs and some milk (as if for scrambled eggs). Keep chopping the cooking egg up with your spatula and mixing it with the vegetables

Re: rice-stuffed peppers : )

[huntressa]

Thanks - that sounds really good! And simple enough I think I'll be able to manage :) We used to eat non-veg*n stuffed peppers all the time when I was growing up, so it's cool to have a recipe that's meat free, because I haven't had stuffed peppers in years C:

Re: rice-stuffed peppers : )

[inmyblueheaven]

: ) Enjoy