Stir Fry Brown Rice

I have been eating rice ever since I can remember. For most of my life I only ate white rice. That was the only kind I knew. When I was introduced to brown rice it took me a while to get use to it. I found it kind of heavy and chewy and always messed it up when trying to cook it. Now, it is my go to rice. I choose brown rice over white because it has double the fiber. It also has vitamin B and E which white rice does not have. Brown rice also gives me more of a full feeling than white rice, mainly because it has more fiber. I like the short grain kind which is sticky and chewier. If you prefer a more fluffy rice then you would go for the long grain type. Cooking it is not that hard once you stick to the ratio of 1:2. One cup of brown rice to 2 cups of water. White rice is more of a one to one ratio but because the brown stuff has double the fiber it needs double the water and takes twice as long to cook – about 40 minutes. These days I just use a rice cooker. It makes it much easier to juggle everything in our busy home when the rice cooker helps out. In this recipe I had left over rice in the cooker and wanted to jazz it up a bit. So it became a stir fry dish.

For this recipe you need:

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup strips of gluten (can substitute with any bean instead)

2 cups chopped bok choy (any green leafy veg will work)

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 chopped parsley

2 cloves minced garlic

3 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 Tbs no salt seasoning

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbs braggs amino

Directions : Start by sautéing the seasonings – garlic, parsley, oregano, onion and garlic powder, Braggs amino and no salt seasoning. Next add the spices – turmeric and cumin.  Sautee the  seasonings in about 1/2 cup water. I don’t sauté in oil anymore because heating oil to high temperatures creates harmful toxic compounds that damage the lining of our blood vessels. If I want to add oil to a recipe I do so at the end usually after turning the stove off. After about 2 – 3 minutes of sautéing I add the bok choy. You never want to over cook greens because they loose nutritional quality and they don’t taste as good. So give the bok choy about a minute to steam then add your brown rice. In this recipe I add home made gluten to increase the protein content and make it a one pot meal. You can substitute that with black beans or garbanzo beans easily. Last add the bell peppers and stir everything well. The flavor should be bursting out right about now. Oil is not necessary in this recipe. If you want to change the flavor a bit and increase the calories you can add oil. I did add 1 Tbs coconut oil, after I turned off the stove. Remember that oil is calorie dense. If you are struggling with extra pounds or diabetes it’s better to skip the oil.

This is a very filling and tasty meal. It has complete protein, loads of fiber and vitamins. It’s also a great way to use up left over brown rice.

I hope you enjoy this dish!

Bon Appetit!

Dr. Kathy