Ghetto Rice Bowl
This is a meal I make when I’m ravenous but don’t have time to cook something complicated. It’s cheap, easy, and can be made with just about anything you have lying around your kitchen.
I like to keep a big bag of brown rice in my pantry at all times. After a childhood of despising the stuff, I’ve finally been converted by Massa Organics whole grain brown rice. Unlike the dry, flavorless brown rice I used to hate, this stuff is chewy, nutty and delicious. The Massa family grows their rice just East of here in the Sacramento Valley; you can find it at the West Berkeley Farmer’s market on Tuesday afternoons, or at most Bay Area health food stores.
Brown and white rice actually come from the same plant. To make brown rice, the outermost layer (aka hull) around each kernel is removed, but most of the nutrients in the rice remain. To make white rice, that same layer plus the next two layers, the bran and the germ, are removed. This strips the rice of many of its nutrients, including B vitamins, iron and magnesium. For for info about the benefits of brown rice, check out this page: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128
To make a Ghetto Rice Bowl:
1. Cook your rice. For those of you who are like me and forget how to do this sometimes: boil water, THEN put your rice in, cover the pot, and turn the heat down low. Let rice simmer for about 20 minutes. Do not take the lid off at poke at it every five minutes like yours truly. If the water dries up and your rice is still crunchy, add some more water. The water:rice ratio should be 2:1 (twice as much water as rice).
2. Scrounge around your kitchen for some tasty additions, dump them in, and nuke if necessary.
Some combos I like:
- Black beans, cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado
- Steamed broccoli and veggie protein
- Avocado, tomato, cucumber, feta cheese, balsamic vinegar
- Cheddar, avocado, sauerkraut
- Faux Risotto: tomato sauce and cheese (This one sounds simple but is unbelievably good- try Trader Joe’s tomato basil marinara)
Happy Eating! -e
