Good Gift

I'm a huge fan of a practical gift versus the teddy bear or box of candy. Those who know me well have certainly considered this when getting Christmas gifts for me this year. One of those gifts was a huge rice cooker with a steam basket that also can be used as a slow cooker. Sweet! Let's test this baby out.


2 C. Brown rice
4 C. Coconut water
1 peeled butternut squash cut into big cubes

Place rice and water in rice cooker, top with steam basket filled with butternut squash, then start rice cooker.

Now what do I put in my rice to make it a meal? Well, a friend of mine gave me some ground beef from her cow that was raised in good old Friendsville, MD on organic grains in her front yard. Perfect. I love throwing together meals with what I have on hand because it always makes for an interesting meal AND it saves money while preventing waste.

1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of asparagus, cleaned and chopped
1 poblano pepper, diced
1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. marjoram
Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Brown meat with garlic and onions, when it is partly cooked, throw in the veggies and all the seasonings (do the beans last so they don't over cook and dry out). When the rice is finished, toss the meat mixture with the rice. Toss the squash with some Chinese five spice in a separate bowl and serve on the side. If you prefer spicy like I do, just sprinkle red pepper flames, or my fav., tapatio.

The cook-rice-while-steaming-vegetables-at-the-same-time venture turned into a success. It was fabulous. The super lean beef was great, too! I recommend staying local as much as possible with your meat and veggies and you'll always have the best quality while supporting your community at the same time.