SS&GF: Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

I know this sounds like a boring dish but don’t give up on me just yet…it’s actually one of my favorite go-to recipes when I need a simple, healthy naturally gluten-free side that won’t compete with the flavors in the rest of my meal.  It’s budget-friendly, too.  Sometimes I struggle with what to post because I’m not sure what you want to read.  It seems desserts are always a huge hit but, then again, practical dishes have their place too.

Cooking brown rice on the stove top is always a mess.  It takes 45 minutes, it usually boils over, and it was either too dry or too sticky.  I avoided it as much as possible.  A rice cooker seemed like a great solution, so I bought one that would make brown rice.  The rice burned.  Shortly after that, I came across a recipe for oven baked rice in The New Best Recipe by the editor’s of Cook’s Illustrated magazine.

I’d never heard of baking rice but I gave it a go and, to my surprise, the rice turned out perfectly.  I’ve even put this in the oven and set my oven timer to come on while I’m gone so that the rice will be cooked when I get home and that works too.  I like to use broth to give the rice extra flavor.

Even though it’s not the sexiest dish in the world I wanted you to have this recipe so you can make perfect brown rice, too.

If you want a great dish to use this rice in, visit Shirley at Gluten-Free Easily for her CrockPot Jambalaya.

You can also find more fabulous recipes at:

• Food on Friday at Ann Kroeker’s
• Amy’s Finer Things Friday
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
• The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

What are your favorite go-to side dishes?  And, what would you like to see here?

Printer-friendly recipe

Simple Oven Baked Brown Rice
adapted from The New Best Recipe
serves 4 -6

2 1/3 cup homemade  chicken stock or chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put chicken stock and butter in a mirowaveable container and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put rice and salt in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.  Carefully pour broth over rice and stir to mix well.

Cover rice with a double layer of aluminum foil, taking care to get the tightest seal possible.

Place baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for one hour, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.

Remove foil from baking dish, fluff rice with a fork, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then uncover and let sit for 5 minutes more.  Serve immediately.

Note:  I put the baking dish on a sheet pan to catch any drips (doesn’t happen often but it has happened) and the baking dish is so much easier to get out of the hot oven this way.