I’m one of those people at the office who brings in lunch every day. The same lunch every single day. The Huffington Post wrote an article about us.
Sure packing a lunch every day can get tiresome, but it’s cheaper and healthier to do it yourself. It’s hard to argue with that.
If you’re on board the lunch-packing train, even just a few days a week, this lunch will definitely keep you satisfied. It’s just as good as a Chipotle bowl but costs about $2 or less. It’s also perfect for packing on a Sunday night to have later in the week since you don’t have to worry about sogging bread or spoiling meat.
For a simple step-by-step photo guide, scroll below the recipe.
Rice & Bean Bowl
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 1 lunch):
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 3/4 cup(1/2 can) black beans
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen vegetables
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup shredded cheese
Method:
- In a microwavable bowl, layer the rice, beans, vegetables, salsa, and cheese in that order.
- Cover tight with a lid. Don’t keep at room temperature for more than 6 hours.
- When ready, microwave on full power for 3-4 minutes.
I love cinnamon in just about any dessert this time of year, or sprinkled on top of coffee or into yogurt. But it’s not used as much in savory dishes as it should be.
Just a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg make simple rice into a perfect seasonally spiced rice pilaf. You’ll be surprised how much this rice smells like a snickerdoodle cookie but tastes earthy and subtle.
If you want to take this recipe to the next level, roast the chickpeas while the rice is cooking to add a chewier texture and garnish the dish with salted pumpkin or sunflower seeds on top of extra sour cream.
Savory Cinnamon Rice and Chickpeas
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream or butter
- 2 15oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Method:
- In a rice cooker or over the stove, combine the brown rice and vegetable stock and boil until the rice has cooked.
- add the rest of the ingredients in with the cooked rice and mix well.
- Season with extra salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
The term “veggie burgers” have become an oxymoron these days; veggie burgers have just about everything but vegetables in them. Soy protein, artificial flavors, and wheat gluten—yes. But veggies? Nope. They hardly live up to the health halo surrounding them.
The best thing you can do is make your own. It’s cheaper, healthier, and the possibilities for ingredients are endless. The first time I made these was a complete accident of stir-fry gone wrong. I ended up liking them so much that I made them again. The brown rice makes these filling while the vegetables add a fresh crunch—way better than anything you’ll find in the freezer aisle.
You can get fresh stir-fry vegetables in a package in the produce department, but I like getting the frozen vegetable packs which are usually cheaper and stay fresh until you use them.
Asian Stir-Fry Rice And Veggie Burgers
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients(Makes 10 burgers):
-
2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
-
1 cup stir-fry vegetables, steamed
-
2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
-
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
-
2 X-large or 3 medium eggs
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until the eggs are well beaten and incorporated.
- Line or grease a baking tray. With a large utensil, make dense patties on the tray with about 1/3 cup of rice mixture roughly an inch apart from one another.
- Bake for 25 minutes on one side, flip, and bake for another 25 minutes. The patties should be cooked enough after 25 minutes that they hold together when you flip them to cook the other side.
- Remove from the oven and let the patties cool. When ready to eat, heat them up in a microwave, pan, or on a grill. You can freeze extra patties to thaw later.
Since these have an untraditional flavor to begin with, I’d recommend getting untraditional with the condiments, too. Pineapple relish and kimchi, anyone?
I never really liked rice. Growing up we would have Chinese takeout at least once a week—usually Friday nights—and the last thing I would touch would be the rice. It always tasted so plain. I even bought a rice cooker and for a year never made rice in it; why would I?
That’s probably because all the rice I had tried was just rice—nothing added to it—and that’s just not good. Add a little seasoning, however, and rice goes from a side dish to a star on the plate.
Seasoning rice is so easy and just requires a few pantry staples. The flavor is similar to the seasoned rice in sushi rolls. And because the sugar makes the rice sticky, it’s easier to eat with chopsticks! I used brown basmati rice because that’s what was on hand, but you can use brown or rice, long or short grain.
How To Season Rice
You’ll need:
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar*
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
*Can use white vinegar in a pinch
Method:
- Heat up the rice in a pot or microwave if it’s not already hot.
- Add in the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and salt and mix thoroughly.
- Scoop onto plates and serve hot.
Once you’ve mastered making delicious rice, everything else on the plate instantly tastes better, too. You can mix in whole sesame seeds or chili powder for a stronger flavor if you’d like.
Or really fried quinoa. But what’s the difference?
I love mushrooms but don’t buy them much since they’re not much to eat on their own. I had some leftover this week and thought I’d add them to a stir fry to lend a “meatiness” to it. I don’t think mushrooms remind me all that much of meat; I think they remind me a whole lot of mushrooms. But that’s OK because I like mushrooms.
Mushrooms are prized in Asian dishes because they’re high in umami, or what I’d probably butcher by calling savoriness. Sautéing the mushrooms in oil helps to bring out this flavor and spread it through the whole dish which elevates the flavor. I like mine best with some red chili flakes to add a level of spiciness.
Fried Rice With Mushrooms
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Ingredients(For 2 people):
- 2 large portabella mushroom caps, sliced
- 1 Pepper, diced
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 3 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 1 cup cooked rice(or quinoa)
- 2/3 cup bean sprouts
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs(optional)
Method:
- Heat up 1 Tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of soy sauce in a large pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, toss in the mushroom slices and diced pepper and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the rice, bean sprouts, vinegar, sugar, and the rest of the sesame oil and soy sauce and mix all of the ingredients together.
- Continue cooking until most of the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated away, also about 5 minutes.
- Crack in the eggs if using and mix them in with the rice. Cook until the egg has cooked through.
- Plate and serve hot.
I served this with some steamed kale to bring color to the dish. You can leave the eggs out and make this vegan, adding in tempeh for extra protein or not. I like adding eggs because it’s a cheap way to add bulk to a meal.
