Brown rice can really be boring on it’s own but add several hand fulls of small sized diced or shredded veggies and you completely transform it from blah to fantastic in 2 seconds.

I frequently make use of a new product on the market from Birds Eye Vegetables, frozen brown rice.  It usually is $1.00 a bag at most grocery stores and since it can be made in 2 minutes or added frozen to most recipes, it is a real winner in my book.

This particular recipe, Rainbow Rice, is something I used to make for my kids when they were younger and first learning to feed themselves.  I used to make 4 to 6 cups of cooked brown rice, add it to a lightly oiled skillet with 1 shredded zucchini, 1 shredded carrot, 1 shredded yellow squash, 1 finely chopped red pepper, 2 C of frozen peas 1 14.75 oz can of undrained mandarin oranges.

They always loved that dish.  Add diced cooked chicken and you have a complete meal.  But now that they are older I make a more ‘grown-up’ version of this but the formula is the same.

Rainbow Rice
4 to 6 cups of cooked brown rice
drizzle of olive oil
pinch of salt/few cracks of fresh pepper
shred the following over skillet of hot rice: 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash and 1 carrot
2 green onions, sliced
1 small red pepper, finely chopped
1 14 oz can of undrained mandarin oranges.

Add cooked rice to a well oiled skillet on medium heat.  Stir in the veggies (or ANY that you like) allow to cook for about 2 minutes.  Gently fold in the oranges.  Allow to cook for 2 minutes more, remove from heat.  Add the green onions and fold it in a bit.
Serve with a nice piece of grilled meat or fish.
Most recently I served this with Crispy Orange Duck