Lunch can be one of those mealtimes when you're often in the middle of something that you're too busy to think about yourself and (whether you're a student, parent, at work or at home) suddenly its 1 o'clock and you're hungry! This can be dangerous - if you can avoid it, don't go rushing to the nearest shop and buy a sandwich and a packet of crisps! These won't give you the sustainable energy you need to finish your day properly and are not likely to offer too much in the way of nutritional value. Processed breads, hams and cheeses are never going to love you and your body in the way that an avocado will - I promise!
This is an absolute favourite of mine, both for lunch and dinner, and not only because it tastes so fab, but because it is so quick and easy to make and can be made in advance for an on-the-go lunch! An all round winner in my eyes!
All you need is:
1 cup of brown rice
Vegetable stock (I use Boullion powder, but use any veg stock cubes/powder - just try to avoid the overly salty ones!)
A large spoonful of green pesto
Olive oil
1 x avocado
A couple of handfuls of chopped spinach and basil
Start by mixing 2 1/4 cups water to 1 cup rice and stirring in the stock. The following rice cooking tutorial is one that was passed down to me by my granddad and it works every time! I've shared it with family and friends over the years and everyone who once hated the battle of cooking sloppy rice has now been saved! Once you've tried this once, you'll never go back.
The water must be cold when you start, and then brought to the boil on the hob (this should take 3-5 mins), once its boiling, turn the heat right down and cover with a lid (preferably glass so you can keep an eye on things). The water should now be simmering as opposed to boiling. In the next 25 mins, you should be left with perfect fluffy rice, that doesn't need draining and hasn't stuck to the bottom of your pan. The real secret here is not to stir your rice at all until the end, when the rice is covered in hot water and you stir it, starch is released and this will make your rice sticky (which is why when making a risotto, you are required to stir the whole time). To check whether there is still water at the bottom of the pan, just tilt it to the side and see if any water becomes visible. If the water is running low and the rice is still al dente, just add a little more water and keep checking on it.
So back to lunch. Cook the rice. While this is simmering away, roughly chop the spinach and basil and put to one side. Slice an avocado and you're pretty much done. As far as the pesto goes, if you like home cooking and you have the time, and/or you have special dietary requirements, you can make a jar of your very own pesto easily! But dairy-free pestos are also available to buy, and otherwise you can just use any green pesto you like. Once the rice is done, drizzle over some olive oil, leave to cool for 5 mins so its not too hot, then stir through the chopped leaves and a dollop of pesto. Spoon the rice into a bowl and add the slices of avocado - so simple and so delicious!
For those of you at work - this is easily adaptable to a take away scenario. Just cook the rice the night before and let it cool all the way through to room temp (or use left overs). Then do exactly the same and box it up. The spinach and basil won't wilt and go soggy because the rice isn't hot and to stop the avocado from going brown squeeze a little lemon juice over it before you leave.
Happy munching everyone!
Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X
