Whole Grain Sweet Brown Rice Risotto (Quick)

I have seen recipes for Risotto, but never tried it. Last night I decided to give it a try whole grain style. The key to Risotto is using a short grain rice. The short grains are starchy and stick together better. So I had some Sweet Brown Rice, that is short grain that worked great. I loved the creaminess of it. It is not what you normally get when you are eating rice unless you are eating rice pudding. I knew it was a success when family members were going for seconds. :) It was a hit! The fun thing is you could do lots of different variations. You could change around the spices, meat, and cheese. It is also a way to incorporate some of the herbs I have talked about the last couple days. It was an easy meal. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

2 C sweet Brown (needs to be a short grain)
4 C water or Chicken Stock
1 T thyme
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2-2 C mozzarella cheese shredded
2 eggs beaten
2 T fresh Parmesan cheese grated
1 can of chicken breast drained or meat of your choice
2 C frozen stir fry vegetables (Great way to have the family vegetables)
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 C cut up fresh parsley
Parmesan cheese for on top
crushed red pepper * optional


Directions:

1. Cook Brown Rice with thyme and liquid. In rice cooker, pressure cooker, or on the stove. (I used the pressure cooker for 17 min on high pressure and let it sit a couple minutes when the timer went off. There was a small amount of moisture on the top. When I opened it. I just stirred in the water to the rice.)

2. Stir in the garlic, cheese, eggs, vegetables, chicken, salt and pepper. Turn on to low, cover pan and let sit 3-4 min. Take off the lid and stir again.

3. Stir in the parsley. Grate some cheese on top and serve.

*You could have a crushed red pepper shaker on the table if anyone wants to add a little more spice to it. I liked it. The red pepper tastes great on pizza too. I think I may put a shaker on the table more often, to incorporate red peppers into our diet more.