Foolproof Brown Rice

Oh, the beloved holidays! The time of year when you get to eat whatever you want and not feel guilty about it. When you can gain a couple of extra pounds but then hide it with a baggy pair of jeans and a sweater. Sound familiar? I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’m carrying a couple of extra pounds around after I indulged in pretty much anything that wasn’t strapped down since Halloween. And as fun and delicious as it was,  I know it’s time to take control of my inner fat girl and get back to my healthier eating habits. This recipe for Foolproof Brown Rice is a great place to start my journey. Are you going to join me?

If anyone needs a foolproof method for making brown rice, it’s me. Rice is just one of those things that I don’t do well at all. As a person who is half Puerto Rican, I really should be an expert rice maker. My grandmother once told me she had been making rice and beans since she was 10 years old. One taste of her rice and you would know she wasn’t lying! The woman could literally do it with her eyes closed and the flavor was unbelievable. She then passed the trait down to my aunts. I have stood next to them many times in the kitchen to watch their technique but I just can’t replicate it. It’s so stinking frustrating!

Which brings me to this confession. Here’s the truth. Patrick is actually the rice maker in our house. He’s pretty darn good at it too. He adds the perfect amount of salt, a little bit of butter, and does this steam-releasing thing where he tilts the lid just right. It’s pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

I could easily just let him make rice for the rest of our marriage but there’s just one problem. His method only works well for white rice. As much as I love white rice, when I am trying to be more health conscious I eliminate white rice from my diet and stick with the brown kind. I had to figure out a way to overcome this whole rice-making issue once and for all.   

And then it happened. I came across a recipe on Pinterest for making brown rice that really caught my eye. It promised “perfect rice every time” and stated, “anyone can make it”. Determined to prove this person wrong, I decided to follow the brown rice recipe they suggested but I really didn’t have high hopes, Well guess what?! It came out perfect. Literally, perfect! From that point forward I have been using the recipe and have never looked back.

What makes this recipe so awesome? It’s made in the oven! And what’s even better? You can make a big batch at one time and use it all week long. If you are looking to make healthy lunches to bring to work, you could make this recipe on Sunday and divide the rice out into Tupperware containers for the week. Just add a lean protein and a veggie in your container and you have a healthy meal ready to go for every work day.

So what do I need to make Foolproof Brown Rice?

1 ½ cups brown rice, 2 ⅓ cups water, 2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt

Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Spray an 8 x 8 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Measure 1 ½ cups of rice and add it to your casserole dish.

In a saucepan, bring the water, oil and salt to a boil.

Carefully pour the boiling water mixture into your casserole dish and give it a stir.

Using heavy-duty aluminum foil, tightly cover the casserole dish.

Transfer the dish to the oven being extremely careful due to the boiling water you just put inside it!

Bake for 1 hour.

After an hour, remove the dish from the oven and fluff the rice with a fork.

Next, cover the rice with a kitchen towel to absorb the extra steam coming off the rice. Keep the rice covered with the towel for about five minutes.

Once the five minutes is up the rice is complete and ready to serve!

And you did it! You just made Foolproof Brown Rice. This is exactly what I need after eating countless helpings of Sweet Potato Casserole and Candied Pecans by the handful this past holiday season. It’s time to get back on track, people. Who’s with me?