Rice Day

Ingredients:
2 c short grain brown rice
4 c water
2 vegetable bouillon cubes (or replace water & bouillon with 4 c vegetable broth)
2 tbsp Earth Balance or butter

Toppings:
Sunflower seeds
Gomashio*
Golden sprinkles (nutritional yeast)
Butter
Tamari or soy sauce
Carrot sticks

Instructions:
Boil the water and add bouillon cubes to prepare broth. Rinse the rice and put in a medium-sized pot. Add the boiling broth and Earth Balance / butter and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Once boiling, stir once and place a tight-fitting lid on the pot. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, covered, for 35-45 minutes. It’s okay to lift the lid every once in a while to check on the rice, but don’t check it too often as you don’t want the steam to escape.

When most of the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and allow rice to sit with the lid on for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve with your choice of toppings.

*Bonus Recipe: Gomashio

Ingredients:
2 c white sesame seeds
3 tbsp sea salt
(the ratio is 15 parts sesame seeds to 1 part salt)

Instructions:
In a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) over medium heat, toast the salt until it turns slightly grey. Set aside.

Toast the sesame seeds until they start popping and turn golden brown, stirring constantly so they don’t burn.

The traditional (and preferred) method is to grind the sesame seeds with a mortar and pestle to split them open and release their natural oils. It will take several rounds to grind up all of the sesame seeds (unless you have a gigantic mortar and pestle!). If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (or just don’t want to work that hard), you can add all the ingredients to a blender, food processor, or even a clean coffee grinder and pulse a few times until the seeds are crushed and everything is combined (but not so long that it becomes a paste).

Combine crushed sesame seeds and salt in a jar and shake well to combine.