Baked Garlic Brown Rice

I have a confession to make.

I’ve been holding out on you.  (Ooo…this is hard to say…) OK.  I’ll just type it really fast!  Sometimes I make food and I don’t blog about it!  Phew!  I’m glad I got that off my chest…

In truth, its good food.  Food that you would want to know about and make in your own kitchens and feed to your families and friends.  Sometimes it is food I make a few times a year, sometimes it is food I make a few times a month.  In my defense, I sometimes don’t blog about things because they really don’t photograph well.  For example, I have been making and tweaking and remaking this upside down pizza thing that is crazy good.  I mean crazy good.  Super easy and a total kid pleaser, but made with simple pantry ingredients.  I even had the recipe tested by a few other busy Moms (What up, Alters family and the Lewis crew?!)  Unfortunately, my totally yummy dish looks like a dogs breakfast when photographed.  I am toying with the idea of posting pictures of bunnies and kittens and sunsets and then just posting a recipe at the end and saying MAKE THIS FOOD!  But I am a little apprehensive.  I don’t want people to see pictures of kittens on a food blog and get the wrong idea…

The following recipe is one I have been holding on to.  I don’t know.  Sometimes I feel like I need to have some surprises, you know?  But a recent conversation with my closest friend-and fellow Mom-made me want to post this recipe.  She mentioned that unless she was going after a specific recipe for something I had made recently, she usually searched for ideas for side dishes when on my blog.  She was always looking for new food that she could pair with her tried and true main proteins.  This kind of surprised me but it made sense.  It gets really easy to do the same salads, potatoes, and veggies when trying to complete your weekly menus.

So here is an easy, super healthy, outstandingly tasty new side dish for you to try.  Do not be fooled by its simplicity.  Not only is there a ton of flavor here, but it will make your house smell outrageously good.  The hands-off method of cooking makes it a nice thing to serve when you are busy.  Its not fast (Hello!  Brown Rice!) but it is definitely worth it.  And don’t worry about all the garlic; it adds lots of flavor but is mellow and not as overpowering as it sounds.

There.  Now.  Aren’t you glad I shared it with you? Two Years Ago: Laura’s Salad

Baked Garlic Brown Rice
Recipe inspired by Annie’s Eats
You can easily double this recipe.  As long as the rice has room, the cooking time is the same.  Leftover rice is great in Sloppy Joes or used in a Fried Rice Scramble! 

2 T olive oil, grapeseed oil, or butter
1 c brown rice
5 cloves fresh garlic, minced fine
2-14 oz cans good quality chicken broth
salt & pepper
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the rice and garlic.  Toast lightly over the heat until fragrant, stirring often so that the garlic doesn’t burn, about 3 minutes.  Pour the rice mixture into a medium casserole dish with a cover.  Add one can of chicken broth, stir gently, cover, and place in a 375 degree oven for half an hour.  Stir.  If the liquid hasn’t been absorbed yet, cover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the last can of chicken broth, stir, cover, and bake for another 30 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is popped and fluffy.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Stir in chopped parsley.  Serve.