Kids Special - Brown Rice & Veggies mix

Though we bought the Organic Sona Masuri from Indian store, I am not satisfied cooking it every day.  It is fully polished white rice with starch & Carbohydrates thereby increasing the chance of diabetes. Also the level of nutrition is reduced considerably.            

Brown rice on the other hand is healthier because the outer bran (husk) is still intact. It has more fiber and other minerals (magnesium, manganese, zinc) than white rice. With that said, at least twice a week I cook brown rice and it goes well with all our Indian dishes & curry.               

I made Brown Rice & Veggies mix for DD’s lunch.                  

                       

Ingredients:              

Carrot ---------------------> ½ cup chopped fine

Broccoli -------------------> ½ cup florets

Zucchini -------------------> ½ cup chopped fine

Brussel Sprouts ----------> ¼ cup chopped really fine

Purple Cabbage -----------> ¼ cup thinly sliced

Shallot --------------------> ½ cup chopped fine

                       

Procedure:                 

v  Do the seasoning with mustard seeds in olive oil, followed by Onion             

v  Once it is translucent, add carrots fry for a minute                 

v  Then Broccoli, after a minute Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts & Purple Cabbage, salt;                    

v  Close it and leave it in medium for 5-6 minutes.                    

v  Now add Pepper-Jeera Powder and mix well.                          

v  Pressure Cook Brown rice with 3 cups of water for each cup of rice.                                      

v  Mix Veggie curry & Brown rice with Ghee.                   

v  Ready to serve with Sambhar             

She liked the nutty flavor & chewy texture of Brown Rice.

Barley & Veggies Medley

On a Sunday after our trip from India, I was not up to the speed to catch up my normal routine even I was bored of cooking. But wanted to make only one dish quickly. So I was surfing the fridge and Pantry. I decided to make something with whole grain Barley, Brown Rice, Black Beans & Veggies. Don’t look at me crazy. Just an experiment and I acted according to my instinct.

                               

Ingredients                       

Barely ---------------------> ½ cup (Whole Grain)

Brown Rice---------------> ½ cup

Black Beans--------------> ½ cup

Pinto Beans--------------> ½ cup

Onion----------------------> 1 cup chopped fine

Green chillies------------> 2 chopped fine

Tomatoes-----------------> 1½ cups Chopped fine

Ginger---------------------> ½ inch minced

Garlic----------------------> 2 Cloves minced

Broccoli-------------------> 2 cup of florets

Zucchini-------------------> 2 cup chopped into cubes

Green Peppers-----------> 2 cup chopped into cubes

Purple Gabbage----------> 1 cup sliced thin (healthier than Green Cabbage)

Chilli Powder-------------> 2 tsp

Cilantro-------------------> ½ cup chopped fine

Salt ------------------------> A2Y taste

For Seasoning                   

Mustard Seeds ---------> 2 tsp

Jeera ----------------------> 2 tsp

                               

Procedure                          

v  Pressure cook Barley, Brown Rice, Beans together or separately. I cooked together first time, but next time onwards I'll cook them separately.

v  In a Saute Pan Pan, add little oil; do the seasoning followed by Onion, Green Chillies, Tomatoes, minced Ginger & Garlic;                  

v  Add Bell Peppers, Broccolli                           

v  When the vegetables are half cooked, add Zucchini, Cabbage and pinch of Chillie powder + Salt according to ur spiciness                  

v  Now add the cooked Barley, Brown Rice & Beans                           

v  Sprinkle Salt if required  and mix it well                 

v  Keep stirring for couple of minutes.                       

v  Garnish with Cilantro                     

                               

The chewy & nutty like texture of Barley & Brown rice supplemented the new medley and tasted like Mexican rice. When I shared with my friends(@ workplace) in lunch and they also liked it very much. I enjoyed it with Walnut & Celery Chutney. Definitely it is a high fiber & protein rich dish and heart healthy for adults+kids provided they like the chewy texture. It is the easiest way to have Barley, Brown Rice and Wheat in our diet.                           

In the next trail I cooked Pinto Beans, Black Beans, Barley separately and mixed with the vegetables. As a whole, the medley came out with good look & taste. 

                      
         

Ideas:                   

Ø  For healthier options, u can even add/replace with Quinoa & Whole Wheat. I would like to try with Couscous & Buck wheatJ.  I’ll post the result after my trial.