Looking for your favorite brown rice recipes....

I love it in chinese style egg fried rice!

Cook the rice and allow it to go cold - then stirfry some beaten eggs, and put to the side. The stirfry mushrooms, spring onions and rice - add dash of soy, then re add eggs. Finish with small amount of sesame oil!

Calorie count depends on quantaties used, but is really filling - for more protein add some cooked chicken or prawns!

Yum!

Brown rice, unlike its white counterpart is nuttier and less starchy so less absorbant so I feel you really need to add extra flavour to make it a tasty meal.

My peronal brown rice fave:

Chicken & chorizo Jambalaya., sevres 4

2 skinless chicken breasts, chopped.
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 scotch bonnet chilli pepper, deseeded and finely chopped.
2 tbsp cajun spice mix
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp thyme
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
6 vine tomatoes, cut into chunks.
1.5 tsp pimenton/ smoked paprika
1/2 a chorizo ring, chopped into cubes.
250g (1 cup??) of uncooked brown rice.
2 cups chicken stock/broth
1 bunch chopped spring onions (green onions/scallions) white & green parts.
Fresh lime juice & parsley to garnish.

Also- add any veggies you wish to bulk up the dish and add flavour. I reccomend courgette (zuchinni) peas, corn or broccoli.

Method:

1. brown the chicken, chorizo, garlic, chilli, peppers and cook for 5 mins.

2. Add the rice, spices & thyme and stir through.

3. Add the stock. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Season well and add any additional veggies.

4. Simmer for about 35-45 mins on low. Top up stock if you need to. After 25 mins add tomatoes.

5. Serve and sprinkle with scallions, parsley & lime juice.

Stuffed peppers (for 2!)

2 red peppers, halved length-wise and seeded (it bakes faster than whole peppers and is easier to eat)
1/2lb ground turkey or beef
1/2 c brown rice, cooked and room temperature (great when you have leftovers)
1 carrot, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2T tomato paste
1/4c shredded mexican blend cheese
1T taco mix (I use more most of the time but adjust to your taste)
2T chicken stock

Using pan (sprayed with cooking spray), sautee carrots and onion and cook until softened, Add the garlic, tomato paste, taco mix and salt to taste.
Stir in the beef or turkey and cook until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato and chicken stock and cook until the tomatoes soften a bit.
Stir the rice into the meat/veggie mixture until well incorporated. Take off heat and add all but 2 T. of the shredded cheese.
Stuff pepper halves with mixture evenly, top with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot.

(The pepper will still have a good amount of crunch but not raw, if you want them soft, microwave the cut peppers for a minute and they should start out at the "blanched" stage)

Also, you may have more mixture to make another pepper or 2. Use your judgement with how much it should be stuffed. Each pepper is about 450 calories as instructed but if you split it out to 3 or 4, you can reduce the calories

I make a lot of rice pilafs that I eat cold for lunch, especially in the summer. Cook the rice anyway you like, all good suggestions above. You can also use wild rice and quinoa. Then add a few ingredients from the categories below:

Whatever vegetables you like, e.g. celery, carrots, onion, garlic, zuchinni, tomato, mushroom
Nuts: especially sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
Throw in some beans if you want, especially good are chickpeas because they retain their texture.
Add seasonings like salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon, lime, soy sauce, fresh herbs
Dried fruit is good too, especially dried cranberries because of the tartness, raisins, and apricots. Fresh fruit is good too like apples, blueberries, strawberries.

One example, Mexican style: rice, carrots, onion, garlic, black beans, pumpkin seeds, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, lemon or lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, hot sauce/cayenne pepper. Ok, so no fruit in this one.

Something else yummy: wild rice, celery, onion, dried apricots, dried cranberries, cashews, pecans, blueberries, olive oil, a tiny splash of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper.

I find the flavor of brown rice makes gives this recipe more flavor. I used to make it with white rice, but I much prefer the brown now. This recipes is very flexible as far as what vegetables you use and how much you make, but this is how I make it at home:

Brown Rice
Chicken bouillon
minced garlic
minced onion
frozen vegetables

Follow directions for the brown rice on the box. (1 c water- 1 c rice....the variable is dependent on how many servings you want to make) with a little extra water (1/4-1/2 cup). Boil the water. Add chicken bouillon cubes to make broth (1 cube for 1 cup water, 2 for 2 cups, ect)....depending on what your tastes are, you might want to add an extra bouillon cube. Add minced garlic and onions (If I use dehydrated onions, I put in some extra water). Add frozen vegetables equal to the amount of rice you're going to add (I use frozen veggie blend of carrots, green beans, peas, corn and lima beans but you could use a stir fry mix, or just broccoli if that is what you like. This recipe is very flexible). Let return to steaming (veggies will cool water down considerably) when water is steaming but not quite boiling, add rice and return to boil....then, according to rice directions simmer for 5 minutes, sprinkle with some paprika, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. This makes a very nice vegetable rice pilaf of sorts that makes an excellent side or a nice reheatable lunch.



I call this one Mexican Chicken because it reminds me of a dish my almost Grandfather in law used to make in Texas...but it is really made with Cajun Seasoning. I'm trying to give you basic directions but just about everything I make is by taste. So you'll have to taste test often.

3 chicken breasts (cubed)
Medium Onion, halved and sliced (you can do smaller of course)
1 Red Pepper (seeds removed and sliced)
1 Green pepper (seeds removed and sliced)
1 Yellow pepper (I usually only use red and green) (seeds removed and sliced)
jalapenos (you can get other peppers if you like it spicy) I have to mince these for my family, but you could just slice them up
Cajun seasoning
Garlic Salt
Cayenne
Salt and Pepper
lemon juice (can be omitted)
Chicken bouillon
Brown Rice

In a deep frying pan, fry up some cubed chicken breasts (like 3)-I like small pieces but this is of course up to you. Add cajun seasoning (I use a lot....about 3 tablespoons maybe) a sprinkle of garlic salt (literally, a sprinkle!) and some cayenne (I like it hot so I use a teaspoon or more), and black pepper. Then, I add the onion and let it fry in the pan for a bit (almost caramelizing). Add peppers. Then add 1 cup broth made from chicken bouillon. Cover and let "steam" in the pan for 5 minutes. I like my vegetables soft, so I uncover and let the steam evaporate. This dish shouldn't be very "wet". And I add just a sprinkle of lemon juice towards the end of cooking. Make your brown rice (about 2 cups of dry rice....but use more or less to your taste). Now....there are two ways to serve this dish. The first time I had it, my sister put the chicken mix on rice and served it like that. I've flavored the water for the rice with cajun seasoning and chicken bouillon, and then added the rice to the veggies, mixed and eaten with a fork. OR instead of eating with a fork, you can eat it on tortillas with sour cream and cheese (but that all knocks the calories up). I like this really spicy, so you may have to tweak the recipe to meet your likes. The peppers, as they cook down, will change the flavor of this dish so add spices slowly and add more if you have to.

bump

Last year I started making this rice pilaf like thing. It sounds like a lot of work but it's not - someone earlier posted about adding additional water to the rice and adding the frozen veggies to the same pan - wish I thought of that!

1 serving rice cooked with chicken bouillon
1 cup frozen veggies (I like broccoli & cauliflower)
1 scrambled egg, chopped into bits
1 piece turkey or pork bacon, chopped into bits
Fat free shredded cheese to taste

Make everything and toss together! The hot foods will melt the cheese and you get delicious gooeyness. Depending on where I'm at calorie wise, I'll scramble an egg white instead or toss out the bacon/cheese. I like my lunches to be more calorie laden, so this always worked for me and kept me full!