Survival Skills for the Vegetarian Expat

Mahalo Chicos,

One of my favorite and oh so universal vegetable is the spinach. One can incorporate spinach in just about any dish from around the globe.

I like to buy the spinach fresh from the Tuesday Farmer’s Market and then prep it for cooking through out the week.

Luckily its one of the vegetables my other half eats. Although I am not quite sure he favors spinach over peas which are much sweeter. Digressing.

My Spinach Coconut Brown Rice is a perfect dish for all seasons. Summer you can pair it with my vegetable loaf and winter a hearty root vegetable soup.

Prep time: Less than 5 minutes

Cook time: About 60 minutes

Serves: Up to 4 people

What you’ll need:

1. A rice cooker
2. 1 packet of fresh cleaned spinach about 3 cups
3. 1 can or 2 cups of coconut milk
4. 4 c of brown rice
5. 6-8 c of home made vegetable broth
6. fresh ground sea salt and black pepper

What to do:

1. Thoroughly rinse the brown rice. Let soak for 10 minutes in clean water.
2. After 10 minutes, add fresh ground salt and black pepper to taste along with 6 cups of the vegetable broth.
3. Turn on the rice cooker and make the necessary settings to cook the brown rice.
4. Meanwhile, chop the freshly cleaned spinach and set aside.
5. Once the rice is almost done, add the coconut milk and let sit without mixing in.
6. Finally, when the rice is complete and on warm setting, place the spinach on top and add a bit more fresh ground sea salt and black pepper.
7. Turn off and serve warm. If you are planning on serving a bit later in the day, don’t add the spinach until ready to serve. Cover the already cooked rice with the coconut milk and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
8. Once you are ready to serve it, warm it up in the microwave then place a the spinach after a few seconds to cook a bit.

Enjoy.

Ciao,

Odeliza Jacoba

Odeliza