516-670-9694 audrey@audreyquick.com

My rice cooker is one of my favorite kitchen appliances.  It is very easy for me to add rice, water/broth and some seasonings, turn it on and then forget about it.  Mine has a keep warm feature, so as long as I remember to actually start it before dinner time, it’s one less thing to worry about when preparing meals.  I try to vary the types of brown rice to keep things interesting.  My main staple is either long-grain or short-grain brown rice, but sometimes we have black sticky rice, or red rice, or some blends.  Trader Joe carries a rice medley that includes black barley and radish seeds, which add a bite to the rice.

Lately, I’ve been mixing up my own blends.  1/2 Cup Rice, 1/4 Cup Millet, 1/4 Quinoa is one example.  If you have a rice cooker, and at least 1/2 your mix is rice, you can stick with the brown rice setting.  Most grains require a 2:1 ratio of liquid for the rice cooker.  Quinoa can be cooked on the white rice setting, but if I’m just throwing in 1/4 cup with rice, I stick with the brown rice setting.

I also like to vary the herbs and spices that I add to the rice.  You don’t need to add any, but I find that it jazzes up and also keeps it interesting.

For those who are new to a eating a whole foods, plant-based diet, here are some grains that are in my pantry:

  • long grain brown rice
  • short grain brown rice
  • brown basmati rice
  • brown jasmine rice
  • red rice
  • black sticky rice
  • quinoa (white, red and black)
  • millet
  • buckwheat (and if it’s toasted, it is kasha)
Love,
Audrey
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