Take In Night: Spicy Broccoli and Brown Rice

You can tell the holiday season is beginning because over indulgence was the theme of the weekend, and I loved every moment of it. It all started on Saturday night with a huge Friendsgiving feast that was amazing. So much food and it’s so interesting to see the different dishes that everyone has in their Thanksgiving traditions. Sunday morning I woke up and made Pumpkin Spice Muffins. No recipe, just a quick bread mix I bought from William Sonoma at the beginning of fall. Add a little Irish Butter on top and it was delicious!

I managed to sneak in a run and then the rest of the day was dedicated to sitting around and watching football with Matt. Instead of ordering take out, which is usually not the sign of a healthy meal, I recreated one of my favorite take out meals, spicy broccoli & rice.

To kick up the health factor I added a few other classic healthy veggies. Carrots, peppers, onions & a healthy grain, brown rice. With the szechuan sauce, you will certainly not be missing any flavor in this dish.

Spicy Broccoli & Rice:

Makes 2 large servings

2 cups of cooked brown rice

3 bunches of broccoli, stems removed and cut into florets

1 red chili pepper

1 carrot, peeled

¼ cup of szechuan sauce

1 teaspoon of ginger

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 green onion

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

½ tablespoon of red pepper flakes

Prepare brown rice as directed on package. While rice is cooking begin preparing your vegetables. Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok on medium high heat. Add broccoli and red peppers. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add carrots & cook for another 5 minutes. Add szechuan soy, ginger, sesame seeds and red pepper. Cook for about another 5 minutes. Add a cup of brown rice to the bottom of each carton (if you’re using them) then pile the vegetables up to the top.

If you’re looking to make this a little more filling, Matt added shrimp to his.

Bruce tried to be cute in a sorry attempt to get some food from Matt

As I’m writing this, Bruce is also watching monkeys on TV. It’s pretty much the cutest thing. J Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!