 |
| Brown rice, Green Lentil, Red and White Quinoa |
Here is an easy way to cook your brown rice right out of the oven. Not to mention, the lentil and quinoa amp up the nutritional value as well as the overall taste of this dish.
Brown rice has this wonderful nutty taste and chewy texture that I absolutely love. It does take longer to cook than white rice, but it is definitely worth the wait. Since brown rice is a whole grain and still has its bran intact (unlike white rice), it contains more fiber, protein, manganese, and selenium. So stop being lazy! Just cook a large batch and keep it in the fridge because it stores well.
However, if you are in a hurry, skip the white rice and try substituting it with oatmeal. I have done this plenty of times and it works out great (unless you're making stir fry or something fancy...hmm). I usually make old fashioned (rolled) oats and beat an egg into it after about 3.5 minutes, but steel cut oats would also be a great alternative because it's chewier like brown rice AND it takes 25-30 minutes to cook.
In this recipe, I really wanted to dress up the brown rice with more fiber, protein, texture, and color. I used Alton Brown's method of baking brown rice in the oven at 375F, but I did not use the same ingredients because it was boring and had butter. My family usually makes brown rice with a mixture of beans, but I forgot to soak them so they did not make it into my recipe. Barley would also be a great addition to this brown rice medley. Sadly, I ran out of vegetable stock and had to omit that as well. Next time!!
***EDIT: See picture of rice baked with beans at bottom!
 |
| Rinse and drain |
 |
| Pour boiling broth and mix |
 |
| After 1 hour in the oven |
Brown Rice Medley:
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 cup red quinoa
1/4 cup white quinoa
1/2 cup green lentil
5 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
1) Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
2) Rinse and soak brown rice for at least 2 hours (6-8 hours if possible), then drain
3) Rinse quinoa (unless package says it's not necessary) and lentil. Drain and mix with brown rice in casserole dish
4) Boil vegetable broth. Pour into casserole dish and stir.
5) Cover with foil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Can store in fridge after cooling or transfer to rice cooker to keep warm.
 |
| I had to post a picture of the rice with beans because it tremendously elevates the taste and texture of the rice. Soaked 1 to 1.5 cups of uncooked beans for 2-3 hours and did not add any extra water/broth to my recipe. Came out perfectly! |
