Archive for October, 2011
How to cook the perfect batch of brown rice
I have always been intimidated by cooking rice.
Rice is deceptive – it seems like it should be so easy but it is not; or it never has been for me anyway.
I tried again and again over the years to get that perfect fluffy texture that my mom always got when she cooked rice. I would ask her how she did it, she would tell me, I would try, and it never came out as good as hers. I wanted that perfect consistency, not mushy, not too soft, not too hard, just that perfect, fluffy firmness.
I eventually gave up and started a relationship with a rice cooker. Never as good as my moms, but always consistent.
I recently got motivated to perfect a batch of rice. I cook all of the time, and the fact that I could not make a decent batch of rice without relying on my rice cooker was embarrassing.
After a few experiments and some failed attempts, I can finally say that I can cook a batch of brown rice, without a rice cooker, almost as good as my mom. I can’t wait to make it for her the next time I see her!
I’ve made this recipe about a half dozen times now and it always comes out the same.
Makes 3 cups of cooked rice
2 cups water
1 cup brown rice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 tsp. sea salt
- Place all ingredients in a pot
- Stir once to combine and bring to a boil
- Turn heat to low, place a lid tightly on the pot and simmer for 47-50 minutes (check at 45 minutes)
- Turn off heat and fluff with a spoon
Enjoy!
The vegan world is opening up.
There has been a shift in the last year, mainly due to celebrities, talk show hosts, authors, and political influencers that has made veganism less weird/elitist/ granola/cult-like/bland/fill in your adjective here, and much more, just a way to eat.
People like Ellen DeGeneres, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Clinton,Oprah, Kris Carr ,Carrie Underwood, Mike Tyson, Kathy Freston, Leah Michele, Steve-O, Bob Harper, and Robin Quivers have all had a positive influence on making “Vegan” seem less like a religion and more like a healthy, happy way to eat.
This bodes well for the future of the vegan industry.
Restaurateurs, cookbook authors, personal chefs, and wellness coaches are all verticals that will benefit from incorporating a splash of vegan to their offerings.
The above areas have also proven to be successful being vegan all their own. This will likely have people becoming more curious about where to go to learn about vegan food.
There are currently 5 schools/programs that are worth learning more about if you’re thinking about diving into the world of vegan food.
The Natural Gourmet Institute is located in New York City. They offer a 619 hour program that focuses mainly on plant based foods but also incorporates preparation techniques of seafood, eggs, and chicken.
Natural Kitchen Cooking School
The Natural Cooking School is located in New Jersey and only allows 12 people per program.
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts
The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts offers a 900-hour Professional Chef Training Program. The school is located in Austin Tx. Out of all of the schools on this list, this school seems to be the most intensive. They train in the following areas: vegan, macrobiotic, vegetarian, Ayurvedic, and raw and living food.
Living Light Culinary Arts Institute
Living light is located in Fort Bragg, CA. They offer training in raw vegan cuisine.
Bauman College – Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts
Bauman offers Natural Chef training (450 hours) as well as training to become a Nutrition Consultant (700 hours).
You might get some vegan teachings at Bauman but they also incorporate meat and seafood in their curriculum.
If you want to learn more about vegan cooking but you don’t want to go to school to do it, you can always look online and find people/groups who do classes on a more informal basis.
craigslist.org and meetup.com are good places to start.
Whichever the method, now is a good time to have a little vegan up your sleeve!
