It's Not Too Lackluster.

(rice dish, pre-cheese application)

I never had much proclivity towards eating rice. It's always been fine, I've never minded it much, and then recently, a brown short-grain version was unveiled before my eyes at the grocery store. It came home with us, a batch was steamed, and a deep love sparked.

This recipe was born out of necessity. We went to dinner at my mom's, I offered to bring a warm veggie side dish, but challenged myself to use whatever remaining produce we had remaining in the sometimes-scary abyss of  our refrigerator drawers. 

It went something like this.... and turned out pretty flavorful! Hope you like it too (also, I believe the brown, short-grain rice for this made all the difference- the grains are thicker, but kind-of chewy and meaty. Give the short-grain brown version a try. Promise.).

Short-Grain Rice with Kale, Garlic, Pepper

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups veggie broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large handfuls dino kale (the dark green version, also known as lacinato or Tuscan kale), shredded, ribs removed

1 large red pepper, finely diced

1 cup of goat's cheese or feta

Kosher salt

In a large saucepan, bring the veg broth to an effervescent boil. Add the rice, and cook according to package directions (you might need to add more water if the rice soaks up excessive liquid). Just before it's finished cooking (which could take 30+ minutes, be patient my friends), add the kale and garlic to the pot. Remove the pot from heat, cover with lid, and allow the kale to partially wilt and soften (10 minutes-ish).

Make sure to check that it's well-seasoned (add salt and pepper as needed). Scoop into serving bowl, add the diced pepper, and sprinkle choice of snobby cheese on top. Serve warm....or cold- fortunately, it's quite good either way! Lucky us.