Most of us now know that BROWN is a BETTER option than white when we think about grains, and here is a chart so you can VISUALIZE the huge difference!
SERIOUS BENEFITS of BROWN RICE
The image below from
Whole Grains Council compares fiber, vitamin, and mineral content in"white rice" (white bars) and "brown rice" (brown bars). The longer arrows indicate "enriched"* nutrients.
*ENRICHED sounds so fancy! Hardly. It means that there are SO many nutrients REMOVED from the grain (flour, bread, grain, rice, etc.) that the government REQUIRES that A FEW of them be added back!
Plus, you've gotta quickly see all the
GREAT Benefits of WHOLE GRAINS!
Here is a post called "
Grains Galore" that shows you a huge variety of WHOLE GRAINS to choose from, besides brown rice!
Finding the word WHOLE before wheat, as in "whole wheat" at the BEGINNING of the ingredients list is SO important! If you do, then you'll be getting all the nutrients of the BROWN BARS up above, naturally!
BROWN RICE Preparation: use directions on the package OR to SIMPLIFY...if you dare :)
Fill wide a pot with some water (3 or so inches) and dump some rice in the middle (pour roughly enough rice so the middle of the pile is dry, above the water). Bring to boil and reduce heat to a gentle boil for about a half hour. Done when chewy! If any excess water remains, simply use a straining spoon to serve!
What to do with your brown rice?
My kids actually love it plain! Here are some other ideas!
Add simply some chicken, celery, carrots, and pepper
to your brown rice for a chicken and rice dish, and add more liquid for soup!
Coming soon: Tomato Cashew Soup...so yummy!, Garlic Challenge!