Rice Cooker Recipes for Easy Vegetarian Meals

Rice Cooker Recipes for Easy Vegetarian Meals. My recipes are some of my favorite meals, they are easy to prepare and give me time to relax. I have been using these recipes since the 80's when I spent many summers in Hawaii. I had the good fortune of spending time with friends and family and learned many new recipes which I still make today. My favorite is short grain Calrose that is very popular among Asian Hawaiians.

Calrose recipes are commonly used when you are looking for a sticky varieties like in sushi. There are many other varieties of rice available today and each one has it's own unique bouquet and taste. Most of us are familiar with wild varieties, now most markets are now carrying many different types from all over the world. Different varieties can vary in color from black, purple, yellow and everything in between. Most people cook and eat the varieties that grows commonly in the geographical regions where they live.

The new age for rice is here and it is time to experiment with the huge selections that are now available. If you have never taste Jasmine or Basmati rice you should start your testing here. These varieties are very fragrant and have a perfume to their taste. Since each type of rice grows in various parts of the world, they provide slightly different nutritional values, but are all excellent choices for any vegetarian diet when combined with legumes or vegetable to form complete proteins.

The basic rule of thumb for cooking rice and most legumes and grains is 1 part to 2 parts water. In this case that would equal 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. When cooked it will give you approximately 3 cups of cooked. The same basic rules apply to most grains, while legumes may vary slightly.

When experimenting with your recipes you may also want to add oil or butter when using beans or legumes in your cooker. The texture and taste will be improved, and seasoning can also be added before the cooking begins. You can substitute broth for water to add flavor to your rice. I sometimes add celery and onions as well. Packaged seasoning mixes work well too. Taco seasoning, fried rice seasoning and other packets of seasoning should be place in the pot before cooking. This will flavor your meal while it cooks.

Packaged mixes can be used by simply following the directions on the packages. There is no need to stir while cooking, just put it in the cooker and wait. The cooker will automatically switch to warm when cooking is completed. If you are not ready to eat it right away, I unplug the cooker and it stay warm until dinner time. I discovered that it sometimes continues to cook and may burn onto the cooker pot making clean-up problems.

You can also steam vegetables in your cooker Some cookers will come with special inserts or pot designed just for that purpose. You will also find some simple recipes in the instruction booklet that come with your new appliance.

Quinoa like rice can easily be cooked in the pot by itself or by adding other ingredients. Most packages of quinoa will give you some suggestion or you may want to purchase a cookbook to get more ideas. As a former science teacher, I am an experimenter. Don't be afraid to try new ideas, I find if it sound good together it usually is wonderful after it is cooked.

In the photo I have here you can see some of the thing that I cook in my rice cooker. Another suggestion I have for you is after yours has cooked, you may lay cooked veggies or cooked meats or raw fish on top of the rice and keep it covered until it is heated. I know people who make Jumbolaya by cooking a packed mix then adding raw shrimp on top after the cooker has switched to warm, this quickly cooks them as it adds flavor to the mix.

For bean and legumes I usually cook them like I do my rice. Be careful with parboiled rice, grains, beans and legumes. They need less water and less time to cook and really don't work well.

Some of the most amazing rice cooker recipes for rice, veggies, and other grains. Just put your ingredients into the cooker and when the automatic button clicks to the warmer your meal is ready to be served or left to keep warm until you are ready to serve it. This is they best way to cook a meal and prepare homemade nutritious meals.

You can:

1. Use package rice mixes
2. Stem Veggies
3. Add shrimp near the end of cooking to add flavor
4. Add you own seasoning to plain rice