Easy Brown Rice Pilaf

 

I've gotten into the very good habit of cooking a large amount of basic ingredients on Sunday night to use for the rest of the week.  For example, I'll cook a pot of quinoa, steam a bunch of kale, and bake some chicken and then during the week I mix and match these basic ingredients with other fresh ones to have a different meal every night.  Monday night I'll cook an Italian pasta dish with pieces of chicken and kale and portabella mushrooms; on Tuesday night I'll make chicken tacos with quinoa, avocados and tomatoes; Wednesday night I'll make a chicken salad with quinoa and apple chunks; Thursday night I'll cook an Asian inspired stir fry with kale, chicken, snow peas and shitake mushrooms and serve it over the rest of the quinoa, etc.... This last week I made a pot of brown rice that served as a delicious rice cereal for breakfast- with cinnamon, cardamom, maple syrup and rice milk.  For lunch I made a brown rice sushi roll with cucumber and avocado, and then one night I turned the rice into a pilaf with fresh veggies and chickpeas. Since the rice was already cooked- it was so fast to make this dish- I would say 20 minutes!  Having basic ingredients like cooked rice ready to go, saves time during the week when you've just gotten home from a long day of work, then a yoga class and are starving for some homemade food.  Try this recipe out, and-as always- please take the liberty to change up the ingredients!

Ingredients (will make 3-4 meals)

• 3 cups of cooked brown rice (1 cup of uncooked rice will make about enough)
• 1 cup of crimini mushrooms, sliced 
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large green onion, sliced thinly
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1 bag of arugula, washed
• 2-3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 a lemon
• 1 handful of parsley, mint, or your favorite herb, chopped finely
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions

1. Sauté mushrooms in a large pan with olive oil over medium/high heat until they begin to soften.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic and the white parts of the green onion.
3. Mix in the brown rice and chickpeas, and about 2 tsps of salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes to let the flavors blend together. 
4. Turn off the heat and throw in the arugula and peppers at the end to allow them to just wilt. 
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and squeeze the lemon on top.
6. Sprinkle with the herbs and the rest of the green onions and enjoy!