As usual, I headed to the kitchen and started throwing whatever I had into a pan, and wound up with a fresh, filling, nutritious lunch. Maybe a couple of them, by the size of the batch I wound up with. And all because I have a couple of cups of cooked brown rice leftover.
Always cook twice as much as you need. Leftovers can get us through all manner of obstacles.
Here, then, is my spicy rice and broccoli. I got the flavor just right, I must say. This stuff was amazing.
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into small florets
2 cans diced tomatoes, juice and all
1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles, juice and all
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
About 2 cups of cooked brown rice (cook in advance.)
1 heaping teaspoon garlic powder
1 heaping teaspoon onion powder
A generous surface-shake of curry powder
A generous surface-shake of turmeric
Chia seeds for garnish
Instructions
Heat the pan until drops of water beat up and dance.
Add the onions and peppers. Cook just above medium, stirring frequently.
When onions are translucent, add the garlic and broccoli. Sauté until things start sticking, then add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles. Add the spices. Stir well. Cover and simmer 15 to 20 minutes on low heat, until the broccoli is at the desired tenderness. I like to keep mine a little bit crisp.
Meanwhile, heat up the already-cooked brown rice with the third can of diced tomatoes in a separate pan.
When both things are hot, combine the rice with the panful of veggies and tomatoes. Mix well over a low burner to continue the heating.
Serve in a bowl. Garnish with chia sees.
It’s also excellent topped in nutritional yeast.