The health benefits of brown rice are fabulous!  Cooked brown rice contains several minerals and nutrients that our bodies need (manganese, selenium, magnesium, trytophan. . . just to name a few).   Brown rice contains a greater amount of nutritional value than white rice as several of the nutrients are lost when white rice is processed.  Brown rice is packed with fiber.  Additionally, the oil in whole brown rice helps to lower cholesterol.  Brown rice aids in reducing metabolic syndrome (a strong predictor of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as visceral obesity, low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high blood pressure being common features of metabolic syndrome).  Brown rice is CLEARLY a healthy choice for our bodies and helps aid in disease prevention.

That being said. . .Have you ever attempted to cook brown rice and been left with rice that still has a crunch on it. . . wishing it was soft and fluffy, yet you already spent FOREVER cooking it?  Not to mention the times when it cooked on the stovetop a little too long and then maybe got scortched on the bottom of the pan?  Please tell me I’m not the only one!  I battled with non-perfect brown rice for a long, long time.  And then, I was blessed with this fabulous new way of cooking, or should I say baking it!?  This rice comes out of the oven so soft and fluffy that I wish I could eat the entire batch in one sitting.  It’s a cinch to prepare and I find myself making batches of it so I can store the leftovers in my fridge to be reheated for a quick side dish.  I can honestly say that I’ve spent countless mornings at 5am sticking a batch of rice in the oven, heading to the gym, and then returning to a batch of rice that I know will last me for a few days.  You MUST try it so you know exactly what I’m talking about!  I hope you enjoy the ease, taste, and texture of this staple side dish of mine!

Baked Brown Rice
Source:  Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

1 1/2 cups brown rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse rice.  Place rice and chicken broth in a 2-quart casserole dish.  Cover with foil (or a fitted lid works if your casserole dish has one).  Bake for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Remove foil, fluff with a fork, serve, and enjoy!  Pretty darn easy, eh?

Serves  5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/2 cup, cooked)
Calories: 143.5
Protein:  5.4g
Carbs:  27.8g
Fat: 1g (0.2g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.1g