Batch cooking allows you to cook once and eat all week. Eating whole food, plant-based is made easier with these batch cooking instructions.
Cook brown rice. Add rice and 4 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Let cook for 30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and grains are cooked and tender. Let sit, covered for an additional 5 minutes. Or cook rice in a rice cooker or Instapot according to manufacturers instructions. Cool then refrigerate until ready to use.
Make Pepita Dressing. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend on high for 30 seconds until very smooth and creamy. Place in a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Wash all the vegetables. Place the stems of the fresh herbs into a cup of water and keep in the refrigerator.
Cut broccoli into very small florets, green onions into very thin strips, bell pepper into 1/4 inch strips then dice, cucumbers into slices then quarter.
Open, drain, and rinse 2 cans of beans. Keep a third can on hand in case more are needed later in the week. Canned beans are recommended for simplicity. Cooking beans from dry is also an option. Use 2 cups dry beans to make 6 cups cooked beans.
Store bowl ingredients in sealed containers and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
To make your bowl, place rice in your bowl and top with beans, vegetables and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice or Pepita Dressing. The list of ingredients is flexible. Make each bowl according to personal taste preferences.
Additional ideas to make with this batch prep:
-Omit the rice and put your beans and vegetables in a pita bread. Try this in your kids' lunches.
-Make a Mediterranean fried rice for a quick dinner. Stir fry the vegetables in a teaspoon of oil for 3 minutes then add the brown rice. Season with soy sauce. Cook until heated through.
-Make a Mediterranean salad by piling all the ingredients on a large pile of greens. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice or dressing.
-Make stuffed mushrooms. Clean two portobello mushrooms and remove stem and gills. Brush with olive oil. Mix together vegetables and pinenuts and mix with Italian bread crumbs. Pile filling in each mushroom and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until mushroom and vegetables are tender.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook brown rice. Add rice and 4 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to as low as possible. Let cook for 30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and grains are cooked and tender. Let sit, covered for an additional 5 minutes. Or cook rice in a rice cooker or Instapot according to manufacturers instructions. Cool then refrigerate until ready to use.
Make Pepita Dressing. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend on high for 30 seconds until very smooth and creamy. Place in a container and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Wash all the vegetables. Place the stems of the fresh herbs into a cup of water and keep in the refrigerator.
Cut broccoli into very small florets, green onions into very thin strips, bell pepper into 1/4 inch strips then dice, cucumbers into slices then quarter.
Open, drain, and rinse 2 cans of beans. Keep a third can on hand in case more are needed later in the week. Canned beans are recommended for simplicity. Cooking beans from dry is also an option. Use 2 cups dry beans to make 6 cups cooked beans.
Store bowl ingredients in sealed containers and store in refrigerator until ready to eat.
To make your bowl, place rice in your bowl and top with beans, vegetables and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice or Pepita Dressing. The list of ingredients is flexible. Make each bowl according to personal taste preferences.
Additional ideas to make with this batch prep:
-Omit the rice and put your beans and vegetables in a pita bread. Try this in your kids' lunches.
-Make a Mediterranean fried rice for a quick dinner. Stir fry the vegetables in a teaspoon of oil for 3 minutes then add the brown rice. Season with soy sauce. Cook until heated through.
-Make a Mediterranean salad by piling all the ingredients on a large pile of greens. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice or dressing.
-Make stuffed mushrooms. Clean two portobello mushrooms and remove stem and gills. Brush with olive oil. Mix together vegetables and pinenuts and mix with Italian bread crumbs. Pile filling in each mushroom and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until mushroom and vegetables are tender.