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Five Ways to Eat: Brown Rice

Do you eat brown rice? Or is it only white rice for you? We love brown rice, and even though it's not completely interchangeable with white rice, it has pleasures and merits all its own. Here are a few favorite ways to eat it.

 
 

Brown rice comes in several varieties, from short-grain to long-grain. The long-grain variety will cook up drier and more separate in its rice grains, while the shorter-grained types will be softer and more pearly.

  1. With soy sauce - Plain brown rice, nutty and sweet, with a splash of soy sauce is a wonderful lunch. We don't think good brown rice needs too much adornment.
  2. In a veggie burger - Brown rice is a basic ingredient in most veggie burgers. Here's the best veggie burger we know how to make.
  3. Fried with onions, ginger, and an egg. - Fried rice is better with brown rice, we think. This version includes an optional scrambled egg, and plenty of ginger.
  4. With squash and nuts - Here's a nutritional powerhouse: brown rice with creamy squash and crunchy cashews. Yum!
  5. In a salad - Brown rice, especially the long-grain drier variety, makes a wonderfully textured addition to green salads, like this mixed greens salad with dates, cashews, and chickpeas.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy brown rice? Here are a few more tips and ideas, including a great source for wonderful California-grown brown rice.

Massa Organics: California Whole Grain Brown Rice
Help Me Enjoy Brown Rice
Good Question: Brown Rice Risotto?

2009-10-05-SW.jpgMore 5 Ways to Eat Posts:
These posts are all ingredients paired with Social Workout's daily exercise over at their Fall Challenge.

(Images: Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan; Faith Durand)

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Ingredients - Pantry, Health, rice, brown rice

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Comments (10)

looooooooooove brown rice

posted by clampers on October 19th 2009 at 9:54am
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I just discovered this recipe for making brown rice - it turns out perfectly every time:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-brown-rice-recipe/index.html

I like to add some diced up veggies, walnuts, and herbs - maybe an apple or some chicken too. It's a great lunch to take to work since it is just as good at room temperature and manages to be hearty while still being pretty light.

posted by 86themilk on October 19th 2009 at 9:57am
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i like to make a deconstructed sushi rice bowl - brown sushi rice (with rice vinegar, sugar, salt), toasted nori, radish sprouts, bean sprouts, pickled ginger, and tuna with a wasabi/sesame oil/soy dressing. nom nom!

posted by rebecca_f on October 19th 2009 at 10:03am
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Brown rice with butter, soy sauce, and furikake is my favorite comfort food in the whole wide world.

posted by lotusmoss on October 19th 2009 at 10:08am
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This is my family's standard rice (well, brown basmati) - we use it everywhere. My kids actually like it better than white rice - they like the nuttiness (they're nutty). :)

posted by keltrue on October 19th 2009 at 10:43am
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Just had a delicious lunch today of brown sushi rice, steamed broccoli, aubergine with a dressing of Japanese sesame paste, ground up sesame seeds, a dash of soy, a dash of rice vinegar and a little sugar. I can't remember the exact quantities but it was from Harumi's Japanese Cooking.

posted by Madame Is on October 19th 2009 at 11:01am
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Used it in my california rolls. I love brown rice : )

posted by ashleym (aka autzve on flickr) on October 19th 2009 at 11:57am
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Brown rice with a touch of butter and a generous sprinkle of parmigiano reggiano. Delicious!

posted by philliesgirl on October 19th 2009 at 7:04pm
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Salad, add warm brown rice to chopped fresh tomato, green onion, and a fresh whisked oil and vinegar dressing with a whisper of black pepper and salt. The flavors all blend together to make a great room temp salad.

posted by lawoman on October 19th 2009 at 7:55pm
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Steaming brown rice in a bowl, splash of milk, a little sweetner and a warm breakfast or dessert.

posted by lona on October 19th 2009 at 9:58pm
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