EASY MEAT AND RICE ONE-POT

Cooked brown rice keeps in the frig
for about a week, and it's easy make
quick meals with it.

This is an easy dish that's fairly easy to clean up after.  I will make a big batch of brown rice, keep it in my frig, and make variations of this dish with the rice until it's all used up.

The principal behind this is to incorporate a whole grain, two or more veggies, and a protein into one dish, making a complete meal.  The variation comes with what you use for those categories, and how you spice them.

INGREDIENTS

This recipe doesn't require much measuring.  Generally speaking, here's how to estimate how much to use of each ingredient.  For those with big appetites, add more rice, onion and greens:

• Onion - 1/2 per person, or 1 large one for 3 people
• Meat - 3 to 4 oz per person.  Cut small pieces and it will look like a lot, and the flavor will go farther, too.
• Greens  - one bunch for 2-3 people, two bunches for 4-5.  If you don't have enough greens, you can supplement these with other green or cruciferous veggies, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, etc.  Green beans if you must.  :)
• Flavor veggies (optional) - mushrooms, bell peppers, celery.  I used 1/2 package (4 oz) of sliced mushrooms for this batch.  Amounts for these can vary wildly, and are definitely your call.
• Cooked brown rice - 1 heaping cup per person.  If you don't have cooked rice handy, cook the other ingredients and serve on top of whole wheat toast.
• Seasonings - this is definitely to taste.  For salt or soy sauce, taste often so you don't over do it.
• Olive Oil - lots of it.  Really, lots of it. 

PREPARATION
Preheat a large skillet or pot on slightly above med heat (6 on a scale of 1 - 10), and cover the bottom with olive oil.

Chop up the onion and toss it in.  Stir it occasionally.  You want the onion to become translucent (kind of clear) and that takes at least five minutes.  If you want it caramelized, that will take about ten minutes.

While you wait on the onion (don't forget to stir it sometimes), cut up the meat in small strips and put it in a bowl. 

 

Toss the cut meat with seasoning.  I like soy sauce, garlic powder and ground pepper.  There's no need for salt if you use a lot of soy sauce, by the way.

 

 

When the onions are nice and browned on the edges (but not burned), toss the meat into the pot.  Treat this step like a stir-fry.  Keep tossing the meat around in the pan until it's done.   Because you cut the meat into small strips, it's going to cook pretty quickly, 2 to 3 minutes.

When the meat is done, pour out the contents of the pan onto a large plate or a bowl. 

Put the pan back on the stove, move the heat down to medium (5), and cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  Toss in some sliced mushrooms. 

Toss some garlic on them, and stir often while they cook.  However, in between stirring, you are going to rinse and cut your greens.  The easiest way to rinse greens is to submerge them in water and swish them.  Shake the water off gently, and then move them to your cutting board. 

Cut the greens however you want.  I like to cut mine into strips because it's easiest for me.

By the time you get your greens cut, your mushrooms are probably done.  Turn the heat down to med- low (3) and toss the greens into the pan.  Salt them a little, and add whatever other spices you like (yet more garlic, ground pepper, chili powder, etc.).  If you like a little spice in your dish, use a package of those chili pepper flakes you get with pizza.  They add a nice bite that's not too hot.

When the greens start to go limp, they're done.  Pour the contents of the pot onto a plate or into a bowl.  Cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil - yes, again.

Turn the heat back up to medium (5) and wait a minute.  Then, toss the cooked brown rice into the pot (be careful not to splash the oil). Let it sit there and sizzle the bottom layer of rice for a minute, then stir it all together.  If you cooked your rice without salt, throw in a little extra soy sauce or salt at this point.

.
Once the rice has heated, toss everything else back in.  Stir it all together until it's hot, and then turn off the heat and serve.

The meat looks a little pink in this picture - in reality,
it was quite brown.  Speaking of, I used beef, but you can
use your favorite lean protein source - chicken, beans, bison,
fried eggs, even tofu (if you really like it)