Kitchen Essentials: Rice Cookers

A small appliance can be helpful for pulling together a quick and healthy meal. Take a rice cooker, for instance. It’s perfect for making steel-cut oats in the morning: Just add the water and oats, put on the cover, turn it on, and walk away. When you’re ready, your oatmeal is waiting. You can also use it to make healthful grains such as barley and, obviously, it’s great for making rice, especially stickier varieties that can be challenging to cook.

A rice cooker looks like a slow cooker on the outside but has a nonstick bowl inside. Most also have a basket for steaming vegetables. After the rice is done, the cooker keeps it warm until you’re ready.

And they’re more versatile than you may imagine. “Most people are astonished to learn that nutritious meals can come from a rice cooker—dishes such as soups, pasta, potatoes, and many more entrées and side dishes,” says Neal Bertrand, author of Rice Cooker Meals: Fast Home Cooking for Busy People. Louisiana-born Bertrand became a rice cooker devotee when he used an easy recipe for jambalaya and had a delicious meal in less than 30 minutes without having to “mind the stove.”

A practical dietitian, Robin Kline, MS, RD, CCP, adds, “I’m first and foremost a proponent of cooking simply. So if a rice cooker would be to you another appliance that is simply going to gather dust or clutter up precious counter space, I would think twice.” On the other hand, she says, “Rice cookers certainly reach a safe temperature for cooking foods and can indeed be used for many dishes other than rice. A rice cooker could be a convenient appliance for some people to assemble a dish, plug it in, and let it cook. As a matter of fact, the only reason I would use a rice cooker is for other dishes. Rice is utterly simple to cook in a saucepan on top of the stove.”
 
— Michele Deppe

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Baked Crab and Asparagus Rice Balls

Serves 6

8 ounces canned or fresh white crab meat, drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1⁄2 cups Arborio rice, cooked and cooled
4 scallions, white parts chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 stalks asparagus, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chives, snipped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
Sweet chile sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

In a medium bowl, combine crab, egg, rice, scallions, and soy sauce.
In a small skillet, heat the oil. Add the garlic and asparagus and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add them to the crab and rice mixture and blend well. Form the crab rice mixture into 12 balls.

Mix the snipped chives and red pepper flakes with the bread crumbs. Roll the crab rice balls in the bread crumbs. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
Serve on a bed of Napa cabbage with sweet chili sauce for dipping.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 323; Total Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 62 mg; Sodium: 181 mg; Carbohydrates: 56 g; Fiber: 3 g; Protein: 16 g

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Eggs on a Blanket of Rice

Serves 2

1 1⁄2 cups cooked brown rice (leftover works well)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon shaved Parmesan cheese
Cooking spray
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tomato (optional)

In a small bowl, combine the rice, oil, basil, and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Make two large, thick patties from the mixture and set aside on waxed paper.

Coat a large cast-iron skillet with cooking spray and preheat it. Place the patties in the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes until the underside begins to brown.

Crack an egg on top of each patty. Cover and cook until the eggs are lightly set.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with roasted or sliced tomatoes.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 265; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 3 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g; Cholesterol: 214 mg; Sodium: 116 mg; Carbohydrates: 34 g; Fiber: 3 g; Protein: 11 g

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Moroccan Mushroom Caps

Serves 4

4 small Portobello mushrooms, stemmed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tomato, diced
1⁄2 cup chickpeas
1⁄2 cup golden raisins
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked rice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

With a spoon, remove the spores from the mushroom caps and wipe them clean with a damp paper towel or cloth.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Sauté the mushroom caps for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

In the skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and heat on medium. Add the cumin, paprika, and turmeric and sauté for 1 minute. Add the cinnamon, diced tomato, chickpeas, and raisins and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the salt and rice and stir to combine.

Place the mushroom caps in a shallow baking dish. Fill the cavities with the mixture and bake for 10 minutes, or until heated through.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 346; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 306 mg; Carbohydrates: 59 g; Fiber: 7 g; Protein: 10 g

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Mango Rice Flan

Serves 8

4 large eggs
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 cup cooked Arborio rice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen mango
One 14-ounce can evaporated skim milk
Fresh fruit for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until foamy. Add the rice and vanilla extract.

Combine the milk and mango in a blender or food processor and blend until well incorporated. (The mixture can be somewhat lumpy.) Pour into the egg, rice, and sugar mixture and stir.

Spray eight ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Divide mixture among the ramekins.

Place the ramekins in a large baking pan. Fill the pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the ramekins or custard cups.

Bake the flan for about 45 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serve warm or cold. To serve, set a plate over the ramekins or cups and invert the plate. Garnish with fresh fruit, if desired.

TD&N Nutrient Analysis: Calories: 198; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 110 mg; Sodium: 105 mg; Carbohydrates: 33 g; Fiber: 1 g; Protein: 9 g

— Kate Jackson

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