Jazzed-up Brown Rice

We all know that whole grains are supposed to be good for us. Brown rice is healthy, filling, and slowly releases energy compared with white rice. Personally, though, I don’t normally like it! Even though I love lots of healthy foods, brown rice is not one of my favourites.

So, last week I came up with a way of making it a bit more tasty, by adding nutty, sweet and herby flavours. I still kept it healthy, but it was a big improvement from plain brown rice! This rice has a crunch from the seeds, a soft sweetness from the squash and a wonderful fragrance.

If, like me, you’re not a huge fan of brown rice, then try this recipe and let me know what you think. I will definitely be making it again!

Brown Rice With Roasted Butternut Squash, Seeds and Herbs

Start to finish time: 1 hour
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash
1/2 cup brown rice
big bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 vegetable stock cube
3 tbsp mixed seeds (any combination of your favourite seeds, e.g. pumpkin, sunflower, sesame)
garlic oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Halve the round part of the squash and drizzle with garlic oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. No need to peel! Roast for a total of 40 minutes or until soft.

2. Peel and cube the long part of the squash and also drizzle with olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow the larger squash to roast for about 20 minutes and then add the cubes to the oven.

3. Wash the rice and throw away the water. Then add the cooking water, stock cube and half your chopped parsley. stir and then cook as per the packet. Start cooking the rice when you add the cubed squash to the oven.

4. In a separate pan, toast the seeds for a couple of minutes or until they start to brown.

5. By the time the rice is cooked, the squash should be perfectly roasted and vice versa! Mix the remaining fresh parsley, toasted seeds, and cubed squash into the rice.

6. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve in the larger part of the roasted squash!

Enjoy!