How do I make brown rice more interesting?

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  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
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    I put fiesta salsa on mine its really good :drinker:
  • deannajf4
    deannajf4 Posts: 223 Member
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    SALSA!!! I tried it this week instead of the usual soya sauce and I LOVE IT!!! Just find a good one with low cals, low sodium. Not only is it minimal calories, I belive the hot peppers etc and tomatoes are huge advantages to your overall health!!

    The only other thing you might want to play with is the temperature of the salsa, I pulled mine from the fridge, and didn't really enjoy how cold it was against the warmth of the rice and meat.
  • Casilibre
    Casilibre Posts: 21
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    I tend to make spanish rice a lot when I do eat brown rice. Throw in a can of no sodium tomato sauce, pepper, diced onions, diced green bell peppers, diced tomatoes, 1/2 a can-1 can of corn, minced garlic and wala! :) You can then add in your black beans as a topping. Because of the versatility of this, I actually throw in already-cooked shredded chicken into the pot as well.

    I second this! Spanish brown rice is soooo tasty, and the ingredients don't add too much calories. I like to fry my uncookded rice in a tbs of olive oil with white onion & 1 clove garlic, til really golden brown. Then I add my chicken broth & tomato sauce broth for the liquid. Delicious!
  • torzorxx
    torzorxx Posts: 16 Member
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    Is there a reason you want to eat brown rice instead of something you enjoy eating?

    Mainly because it is one of the foods on a meal plan I am following and I always hear how good it is for you.
  • torzorxx
    torzorxx Posts: 16 Member
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    thanks for all the advice I think i am going to try the salsa idea as well is cooking it in a chicken or vegetable broth! I like to keep things as simple as possible, especially since I really have no culinary talent :laugh:
  • Only1Mickee
    Only1Mickee Posts: 415 Member
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    I put butter and soy sauce. Or uncle bens has a brown rice medley thats real good. Microwave in 90 secs.
  • CLFrancois
    CLFrancois Posts: 472 Member
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    salsa or cajun spice
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    Is there a reason you want to eat brown rice instead of something you enjoy eating?

    Mainly because it is one of the foods on a meal plan I am following and I always hear how good it is for you.

    Comparison of the nutritional value between brown rice and white rice

    Callegaro Mda D, Tirapegui J. Arq Gastroenterol. 1996 Oct-Dec;33(4):225-31.

    Cereals are considered an important source of nutrients both in human and animal nourishment. In this paper nutritional value of brown rice is compared to that of white rice in relation to nutrients. Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible antinutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9302338


    Effects of brown rice on apparent digestibility and balance of nutrients in young men on low protein diets

    J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1987 Jun;33(3):207-18. .Miyoshi H, Okuda T, Okuda K, Koishi H.

    The effect of brown rice with low protein intake was studied in five healthy young men. Feces were weighed, the digestibility of nutrients was determined, and blood tests were made. Each subject followed a diet consisting mainly of polished rice for 14 days and one consisting mainly of brown rice for 8 days. Both diets contained 0.5 g protein per kg of body weight. The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, and P. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. The phosphorus balance on the brown rice diet was significantly negative, but other minerals were not affected by the diet. The levels of cholesterol and minerals in the plasma were not significantly different on the polished rice diet and the brown rice diet. Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake (Miyoshi, H. et al (1986) J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol., 32, 581-589.), we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2822877
  • tootoop224
    tootoop224 Posts: 281 Member
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    I like it with black beans and corn.
  • eylia
    eylia Posts: 200 Member
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    Also, try preparing your meat and veg differently too. A slow cooked stew or stir fry served over the top of plain brown rice works really well; the sauce from your dish flavours and moistens the rice, and you might find it easier to ration your meat through the entire meal if it's mixed through with the veg and sauce in pieces. A bit of rice, with a bit of the topping on each mouthful, and usually I have a bit of everything left until the end.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Anyone have any suggestions? I just started having brown rice and fish/chicken and its really good as long as I have some meat with it, but once the meet is gone it is really hard for me to continue eating it because of the blandness of the rice.

    Any tips or things I can do to spice up the brown rice to make it more desirable?

    throw a low sodium stock cube into the water while you're cooking the rice.
  • free8gent
    free8gent Posts: 61 Member
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    Try adding:
    - browned onions (can also add mushrooms too if you like them - just quickly stir-fry the onions alone for a minute before adding the mushrooms and sauteeing for a few more minutes until brown)
    - saffron
    - a few drops of soy sauce
    - mix it with purple rice

    Kasha, barley, brown basmati rice, and quinoa are other healthy whole grains that have quite distinct flavours and textures. They're great to try for some variety.
  • firedupfriend
    firedupfriend Posts: 140 Member
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    Craft glue, board, noodles, spray paint.

    Good craft idea for the kids!
  • bdtyson77302
    bdtyson77302 Posts: 86 Member
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    I LOVE the minute rice brown rice cups...I buy the brown and wild cups. Perfection in one minute! I mix in a half cup of fat free refried beans and add tobasco...sounds nasty but tastes really good! :)
  • nessagrace22
    nessagrace22 Posts: 430 Member
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    Bump :smile:
  • Bettyeditor
    Bettyeditor Posts: 327 Member
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    Anyone have any suggestions? I just started having brown rice and fish/chicken and its really good as long as I have some meat with it, but once the meet is gone it is really hard for me to continue eating it because of the blandness of the rice.

    Any tips or things I can do to spice up the brown rice to make it more desirable?

    What you described is basically what I eat for lunch every day, and often for dinner! Brown rice and some kind of meat: chicken or turkey or fish. I yummy it up with delicious veggie mixes. I found some amazing frozen steams-in-the-microwave mixes from Green Giant and Bird's Eye that have seasonings and spices and sauces. You can browse my diary to see, but here are some examples:

    All Green Giant boxed veggies: http://www.greengiant.com/pages/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=1
    * Healthy Vision (carronts, zucchini and green beans in rosemary butter sauce)
    * Antioxidant Blend (broccoli, carrots, red/yellow peppers in garlic-herb sauce)
    * Healthy Weight (carrots, snap peas, black beans and edamame in butter sauce)
    * Farmer's Blend (cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrots and cranberries in butter sauce) -- goes good with turkey
    * Just for One Peas and Corn in a basil butter sauce

    Bird's Eye Steam Fresh veggies: http://www.birdseye.com/vegetable-products/birdseye-steamfresh/steamfresh-chefs-favorites
    * Green Beans & Spaetzle in Bavarian Sauce
    * Szechuan Vegetables in a Sesame Sauce
    * Lightly Sauced Roasted Red Potatoes & Green Beans with Parmesan Olive Oil Sauce
    * Lightly Seasoned Southwestern Corn (the YUMMIEST corn on the planet, no joke!)

    I could go on and on.... so many yummy varieties!

    I cook up a whole bag of veggies (ignore the 3-4 servings and eat the whole thing! ;-)

    There is always enough sauce in these mixes to flavor your rice too. And meat too if you want. When I'm in a hurry for dinner and have homework to do, I will cut up my meat and dump my veggie mix with its sauce into a big bowl and add my rice and meat and eat it out of one bowl so that my veggie seasoning flavors everything. That's my quick-and-dirty trick. :flowerforyou:
  • Jemellc
    Jemellc Posts: 308 Member
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    spices
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    Oyster sauce. Trust me, it makes everything better. That & Tumeric
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
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    Pour curry and lentils all over it!
    Cook with yams
    Make rice pudding with it
    Serve it with spicy chilli
  • BellaReady
    BellaReady Posts: 11 Member
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    I love grating a couple of carrots & crushing a glove of garlic and mixing in with the brown rice.. More of a salad but goes well with chicken..