Brown Rice – #thegirlwrites

Ah, brown rice. Twenty-four grams of protein per cup, plus fiber and iron. Brown rice is a worthy carb. And you can make it! It has a much richer flavor than white rice and pairs nicely with any side to make it a meal. Serve it with roasted tofu, a beet salad, or beans! Or serve all four for a fuller meal.

Brown rice fills and sustains. It will also keep in the fridge for about 4 days, making it a perfect staple for meal planners who cook once a week. Cook it with only the salt, and rotate the add-ins and sides. Cooked plain, brown rice forms a great bed for vegetables as it will absorb any juices and flavors from whatever tops it.

You can always substitute the add-ins for whatever you like. Don’t like olives? Add some cooked broccolini. Or some sauteed mushrooms. Or caramelized onions. Or frozen veggies. Or corn.

Brown Rice with Carrots and Olives

[recipe-notes]
Serves 4
[/recipe-notes] [recipe-ingredients]
– 2 cups brown rice
– 2 carrots
– 2 cloves garlic
– 2 Tbsp. olive oil
– salt to taste
– ½-1 cup sliced manzanilla olives
– 2½ L water, plus more as needed
[/recipe-ingredients] [recipe-directions]
1. In a bowl, rinse the rice. Place in medium pan over medium-high heat. Stir gingerly as the rice grains start to toast.
2. Once the rice has puffed and toasted, add 1 L water and salt. Stir to mix.
3. Boil for approximately 30 minutes without stirring, and add more water only as needed in 1 cup portions.*
*If you add too much water, your rice will be gummy. We want fluffy rice, so keep your rice completely submerged in water until it is almost tender. Once it is getting to the right tenderness, add water very little by little or drain if there’s too much.
4. Once rice is soft and the water has almost completely evaporated, turn off heat but do not remove from burner.
5. Add additional ingredients.
6. Mix and let water fully evaporate without turning on burner.
7. Serve hot and enjoy!
[/recipe-directions]