I don’t make plain rice any more. Why would I when it’s so easy to add a vegetable to rice while it cooks? And Brussels sprouts make a really good (and healthy) addition. They are a cruciferous vegetable that can protect you against cancer and heart disease. They also benefit your eyes and provide lots of minerals, vitamin C, fiber, and even protein!
My rice of choice is Uncle Ben’s converted rice, which cooks beautifully in 20 minutes, just enough time for the Brussels sprouts to turn soft and tender, and kind of sweet.
There is no meal in this house without at least one cooked vegetable, and always a salad, and this is an easy way to get people who may not like steamed and cooked vegetables to have them mixed into a tasty rice. This easy side dish goes really well with my salmon patties or lemon chicken cutlets. This is a really easy, simple recipe that anyone can make. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones
I admit I’m not a fan of cooked spinach when it sits alone in a big glob, but when it’s cooked in with rice and some onions, garlic, and dill, Greek style… I love it. With baby spinach available pre-washed and ready to go, this is a quick and healthy side dish. It’s what I usually have with my lemon chicken cutlets – they sound kind of Greek too.
This recipe is also in my cookbook but I’ve simplified the process a little to encourage everyone to try it. Spinach is loaded with antioxidants and nutrients and when it’s cooked, those benefits are even greater with a long list of vitamins, protein, iron, calcium, folate, and it has more potassium than bananas. Eating spinach will benefit your eyes, skin, and hair, support bone health, help protect against cancer & asthma, and it’s even good for your brain. This is a true superfood!
And this is an easy recipe. Everything cooks in one pot while you prepare the rest of your meal. I highly recommend the lemon chicken cutlets because they only take 20 minutes, the same time it takes the rice to cook. Oh, and the quick & easy broiled salmon – that goes great with Greek spinach rice too. Click here for the recipe. – Jenny Jones