Perfect Rice

Family barbecues are always a fun summer activity. There’s nothing like hanging out with the family around the pool while snacking on some tasty food. Family cookouts are a great way to bring the whole family together for some summer fun. Many families prefer to cook all of their barbecue food on the grill, but sometimes it’s more convenient to use slow cookers to prepare food. Slow cookers allow the chef to toss in a few ingredients, set the timer and get to work on other preparations. Here’s a sandwich recipe that will knock the socks off all the guests at your next summer barbecue:

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches:
~ 1 pork roast
~ 1 bottle barbecue sauce
~ ½ cup to 1 cup water

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and set on high. Leave pork to cook for about 6 hours. When it’s finished, remove meat from the bone and serve on hamburger buns. Enjoy!

When you want a meal that’s quick and easy, a steamer is a great cooking accessory to have around the house. Steaming is the least obtrusive of cooking techniques – the color, texture and flavor of foods is protected during the steaming process. In addition to looking and tasting better, steamed foods contain more nutrients and are lower in fat and calories than foods cooked by other methods. There are many types of steamers; aluminum steamers, rice-cooker steamers, microwave steamers, and bamboo steamers are all available in the market. Steamers are perfect for blanching or steaming vegetables, fish and other foods.

Vegetable and fish cooking times will vary in many steamer recipes. Here’s how to steam vegetables: Bring one to two inches of water to a boil on high heat. When the water reaches a boil start preparing your vegetables. Cut veggies into equal pieces to ensure uniform cooking. Place them evenly on the steamer rack and cover with lid. A few minutes is usually all that’s necessary for cooking the veggies to perfection.

Shhhh! I have a secret. It’s been a long time coming that I tell someone, so I have chosen you (yes, you!) to reveal this mind-blowing secret to. Did you know that crock pots can save you from spending hours slaving away over the stove? You may not believe it - but that’s my secret to feeding my family of 12 - crock pots! Between my 10 kids and my husband, I barely have time to go grocery shopping, let alone spend hours preparing meals.That doesn’t mean I let my family starve or eat fast food every day - it means I use my crock pot to prepare delicious and nutritious meals.

One of my favorite recipes is a simple chicken soup. I just throw in a few chopped chicken breasts, some chicken stock, potatoes, broccoli, and onions and set the crock pot to low. I leave all the ingredients to cook overnight and the next day I have a hearty stew to feed my hungry brood.

People don’t realize how unhealthy it can be to eat fast food for lunch everyday. Even if you have a healthy diet otherwise, eating out everyday can be so fattening it completely cancels out the healthy foods you eat. Why not start a new routine? It’s really not that tough, in fact it may just be a matter of getting use to using a rice cooker.

Start by preparing a big batch of brown rice (brown rice is much better for you than white rice because it still contains the fiberous husks). Next stir fry some meat and vegetables with a bit of soy sauce and terriyaki sauce. Choose a white meat, such as chicken or pork. For the veggies, you can pick anything you like. I like to use zucchini, bok choy and water chestnuts. Next, divide the rice and stir fry mixture into tuperware containers. It’s easy to make enough to last you for about two weeks worth of lunches. Making your own lunches is not only healthier for you - it will end up saving you money as well.

This delicious Crockpot chili can be made with ground turkey or ground beef.  I’ve tried dozens of crock pot recipes, and this one definitely takes the cake… or the chili if you prefer.  It’s great for cookouts, for dinner parties, or just as a hearty meal.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey or ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
2 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 16 oz. can strained pinto beans
½ cup chunky salsa
2 tsp. chili powder
½ cup shredded cheese
¼ cup chopped black olives
Sour cream to taste

Over medium heat, brown your meat in a large skillet with the onion.  Transfer the browned meat to the crockpot with the rest of your ingredients, and mix for a minute or two.  Cover the crockpot and set on low for five to six hours.  Serve with a spoonful of sour cream, shredded cheese, and olives.  Serves about 3-4! 

Here’s a scintillating recipe with a unique draw; this is fried rice, that isn’t fried!  It’s intended to be cooked in a rice steamer, and for all intents and purposes, falls under the category of rice cooker recipes.  But you wouldn’t know this rice is made in a steamer. 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups calrose rice
½ cup diced bacon
1 ½ cups frozen peas
2 scrambled eggs (chopped up)
3-4 diced onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Steam your rice according to the rice steamer’s directions, and while this is happening, place all your other ingredients in a large bowl.  Once the rice has been steamed, spoon it on top of the other ingredients and let sit for three minutes, then stir well, and serve! 

We’re all aware of the recommended 3 servings of vegetables per day, but who wants to be munching on raw carrots and celery all the time?  On the other hand, if you’re eating a lot of stir fry or sautéed vegetables, you can be ingesting excess calories and fat.  The most beneficial and delicious way to get your recommended servings of vegetables is through steaming.  Steamed vegetables lock in all the valuable vitamins in the vegetable, and also bring out the flavor.  There’s few people out there who would prefer raw cauliflower or broccoli over steamed cauliflower or broccoli; this is because steaming makes the texture more pleasant and also easier to swallow. 

Though you can use a vegetable steamer to steam your vegetables, it’s also possible to use a standard rice cooker.  In most circumstances you just need a little water and a pan with a lid to create delicious steamed vegetables at home. 

If you’re looking for a healthy recipe with some serious flavor, you can’t go wrong with this delicious broccoli chicken recipe served with rice.  When it comes to slow cooker recipes, this has to be one of my favorites of all time.  You’ll just need the ingredients and your standard slow cooker for this amazing meal. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast (cut into strips)
1 ¼ cups uncooked rice
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place the rice in your slow cooker or crock pot, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  Place your chicken pieces in, and stir in the cream of broccoli soup and the chicken broth.  Cover it, and cook on low for six to eight hours.  Serves 3-4! 

Here’s a simple, yet delectable recipe for clam chowder.  In addition to the ingredients, you will need a food steamer, a cutting knife, and a large pan. 

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion
4 small pieces of pork
1 can tomato soup
6 large potatoes
3 lbs. steamer clams
2 tbsp garlic
Salt and Pepper
Directions:

Using your food steamer, steam the clams, then shell and chop them into small chunks.  Simmer the pork and onion in your large pan with a little bit of olive oil until browned, then put the rest of the ingredients into the pan.  Add milk until desired consistency is achieved.  Cook until the potatoes are soft and tender.  Makes a great meal for a one night with leftovers for a couple days!

Here is a recipe for the perfect white rice that Japanese people eat with almost all their meals.  In addition to the ingredients, you’ll need a rice cooker (rice cookers provide several benefits which simplify the cooking process and improve the texture of the rice; if you don’t have one, buy one!).

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice
3 cups water

Directions:

The ingredients are quite simple, but the difficulty of cooking the perfect rice comes in the process.  The first thing to do is thoroughly rinse the rice in a bowl (the rice cooker bowl can be used if it is removable).  Once the rice has been rinsed, you will want to wash it; not with soap!  To wash the rice, take a small handful, and rub it between your hands for a few moments, then place it back in the bowl.  Repeat this several times for about five to ten minutes.  Once this has been done, place the rice in the rice cooker with the recommended amount of water, turn it on, and presto, perfect rice!