When I tell people what I do for a living I can almost see the mental images racing through their minds; They picture every meal as a gourmet one with perfect food pairings and picture presentations — all eaten on a luxurious table setting, of course. This is not exactly how meals happen in my home.
My husband and I are unpretentious people that love eating everything from tacos at the humblest of places to lobster dinners in fancy establishments. Sometimes we eat properly with dinnerware and cutlery, and other times we eat off of plastic plates and use breads as instruments to get the food from the plates into our mouths. When I don’t take photos for the blog or work, I don’t fuss too much with presentation.
We are foodies. And if there’s good food to be eaten, we don’t discriminate.
Our home cooked meals are casual, regardless of what’s on the menu, the focus is always on making the food taste as good as possible. Often times this means taking simple inexpensive ingredients and finding new and interesting flavours to devour.
I see food as an endless palette of possibilities in which to create new dishes.
I always say people don’t have to be rich to eat well. We really don’t. All we need is a little imagination to transform ingredients into gourmet flavours.
I’d now like to introduce you to Broccoli Rice. This inexpensive, modest, healthy, quick to prepare, and easy to devour dish is packed full of awesome flavours. Really, you’ll be amazed at how such simplicity can turn into a favourite comfort dish. It has for us and I hope it does for you and your family too.
- 200gm or 7 oz finely chopped broccoli florets*
- 150 gm or ¾ cup long grain rice (un-rinsed)
- 25 gm or .88 oz white onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 350ml or 1.5 cups of vegetable broth (low-sodium & no MSG)
- 1 to 1.5 tsp fine sea salt (adjust to taste)
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a pot. Once warm sauté the onions until soft and translucent. Add the rice and sauté until it begins turning golden and releases a nutty scent, will take about 8 minutes or so. Make sure to stir often and prevent the rice from burning. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, next add the bits of chopped broccoli florets and sauté for about 5 minutes. Gently pour in the broth while being careful not to splash yourself. Add the salt, stir well, partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the rice is softened and cooked through. If the liquid has evaporated and the rice is still firm add a little bit more water until it is cooked through. Serve as a side dish to your favourite main dishes or for a healthy snack or light meal.
See how quick and easy it is to prepare? The taste is very simple: The fluffy rice with bits of cauliflower pair perfectly with the flavours from the onion, garlic and vegetable broth. It’s not complicated at all and it’s defiantly comfort food to us.
Enjoy and have a fantastic Monday!:)
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