There used to be a time when people mentioned organic brown rice, they would get the impression of someone who also shops for vitamins. As times have changed, we have come to understand that healthy living and organic foods are more commonly found. But seriously, what does organic brown rice have to do with health?
The virtue of organic brown rice
Traditional rice is grown in fields in countries where pesticides are commonly used. Most of these countries have heavy rainfall and aren’t regulated by US authorities for using proper growing methods. In many cases, the level of inorganic arsenic comes from soil that naturally has higher levels than rice will absorb. While this sounds pretty scary to know that most rice that comes from foreign countries has a certain percentage of this arsenic, most of the levels are higher than you might expect.
This is why organic brown rice is grown in soil and environments that have been carefully created so there are very low levels of inorganic arsenic. The truth is that arsenic is a naturally occurring element that cannot be totally removed. What does help is cooking rice in plenty of water that helps remove anything that’s gotten into the rice. It goes without saying that a generous rinsing of rice will also help clean off cooked rice.
This strange phenomenon only seems to occur with brown rice, since the absorption rate is always higher compared to white rice. If you’re looking to play the ‘better safe than sorry’ card, organic brown rice is your best bet. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take the same precautions for using enough water to boil and rinse the cooked rice afterward.
What’s a good recipe for organic brown rice?
Brown rice is often described as slightly chewy and nutty flavored rice that is good for having a great texture in many selected meals. We decided that a Fiesta Bowl would make a great Tex-Mex dish that’s packed with a little bit of everything. All of the ingredients can also be found at your local Trader Joe’s to create this healthy dish right away. Here’s what you need:
Organic brown rice
Equipment
- Deep cast-iron skillet
- Large cereal bowls or soup bowls
- Small skillet
- Handy bowls
- Scoop
- Serving bowl
Ingredients
- 1 Package Precooked carnitas
- 1 Package Roasted corn (frozen)
- 1 Package Organic black beans
- 1 Package Mexican cheese blend
- 1 Container Guacamole
- 1 Can Tomato sauce
- 1 Container Salsa
- 2 Cups Organic chicken broth (low sodium)
- 4 Cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Teaspoon Sea salt
- Teaspoon cumin
- 2 Cups Organic brown rice
- Cup White onion (medium-sized/diced)
Instructions
- Begin with preparing the organic brown rice since this takes the longest to cook. You need to take a deep cast-iron skillet and heat this to medium-high. Add your oil and before it starts to sizzle add the sliced onion and sauté them until they become softened for 2 minutes. Now you can add the rice and stir it so the rice is coated. Keep stirring until the rice has browned more than it appears for at least 3 minutes.
- After three minutes, you can now add the cumin, salt, and pepper and keep mixing until this scent will easily be noticed. Now you can add the broth and tomato sauce while mixing this together. The temperature needs to be raised until it reaches a boil and then cover your skillet- Reduce the heat to simmer at this point for the next 15 to 20 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Now you take large cereal bowls or soup bowls and prepare all of the items that will go in. Be sure to heat up your precooked carnitas in a small skillet but the other items can be served cold. Grate the cheese and place the salsa, guacamole, minced garlic, beans, and corn into handy bowls to select from each as you need.
- Scoop out a healthy spoonful or two of brown rice into the serving bowl followed by the carnitas, beans, and corn. Sprinkle with cheese and guacamole, or add salsa and minced garlic as you like.
