Necessary Meals: Feel Full Rice Bowl!

Hello! Welcome in and welcome back. I promised a few months ago to supply some quick and easy dinner recipes for those of you still learning the ropes within your kitchen. While I originally wanted to make one big post with a few quick recipes, I found myself a bit overwhelmed by the monstrosity of such an idea. Thus, I have decided to add a "Necessary Meals" section to this blog, of which this is my first entry!

However, before we get into that, let me update you. Most importantly: I graduated college! Very exciting stuff, yes. Although, like most recent college graduates, that post-grad celebratory feeling that we all dream about has not quite sunk in yet. I walked for graduation on Saturday and by the end of the five minutes it took for me to stand up, get my name called, shake hands with department chairs, accept a diploma, take a picture, and sit back down I realized just how underwhelming the whole ordeal truly was. I wanted to be excited, to feel accomplished, or even to shed a tear as I hugged my family. Hell, I spent a whole semester telling myself I would never be as happy as I was going to be on graduation day again, and then when the day came I simply walked for five minutes and all four years of trouble were signed, sealed, and delivered. I was done; I am done--what a letdown!

But then again, maybe it wasn't really a bummer after all. You see, I spent the past year building up the moment of graduation in my head: Would it be the happiest moment of my life? Would we all cry because my dad wasn't there to see it? Would everyone be proud of me and would I be proud of myself? And most importantly, would I make it there to see these possibilities come true? I spent much of my semester worrying, wondering, and genuinely believing I would not make it until May. Believing something would happen to keep me just short of the finish line. I spent so much time overthinking the "big event" of graduation that I no longer believed I was capable of getting there. But guess what? I made it to May. I graduated, and beyond that, it was BORING!

All of this is to say: things aren't always as big as our anxieties or imaginations make them out to be. That vacation you're super excited about will be over as quickly as that test you're dreading. It's important to remember this so you don't get bogged down whilst making a mountain out of a molehill. Now of course this isn't to downplay our lives either. Sometimes there really are BIG things that happen to us. But if you're a serial anticipator like me then you're perhaps still taking the time to learn that these BIG things are not a common outcome. Most of the time we are leading boring little lives with not much to write home about, and this is an ostensibly good thing. My doomsday-prepping brain and I are still working towards accepting this idea, but it's a lesson I've had to learn a few times now. Most of the scenarios we find ourselves anticipating will end up being nothing more than a memory (and not even one to tell stories about at the next party you attend). This is exciting news because it means we might be able to forget about our BIG futures and spend some more time being present with the lovely little moments of our very ordinary lives.

With all that being said, let's get to a meal that I think pairs rather well with a simple life. It's not too frilly, super quick to make, and gives you all the nutrients you need to feel fulfilled!

Feel Full Rice Bowl

Rice bowls. I love them. Rice bowls often prove to be a wonderful tool in any dinner arsenal when you've got a bunch of ingredients and no real vision for the meal you're going to make with them. Whenever I'm putting off going to the grocery store for a few more days, I often start planning my dinners with a base of cilantro-lime or lemon-pepper rice and then I see what I can add from there. The rice bowl creation I am sharing with you today was a particularly successful iteration of my usual rice bowl fun. Remember: this blog is meant to help you use your own logic in the kitchen. Do what feels right to you!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter

• 1 TBS of olive oil

• 1/2 TBS minced garlic

• 1/2 lemon or 1/2 TBS of lemon juice

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 1/2 onion

• Brown Rice (I used 1 Boil-in-a-Bag Brown Rice)

• Asparagus to your liking (at least 6 shoots)

• 1 egg

• Handful of pea shoots (enough to cover the bottom of a small pan)

• Garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, paprika

• Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste

Directions

1. Begin by boiling water for your rice. I use boil-in-a-bag rice (which only takes about ten minutes) to save time but cook your rice via the instructions on its package. While waiting for your rice water to boil, wash and cut asparagus and onion. Dice onion. Cut asparagus length-wise down the middle and then chop it into fourths. Wash chickpeas and dry them thoroughly.

2. When the rice has ten minutes left to cook. Melt 1 TBS of butter in a medium-sized pan on medium-high heat. Once the pan is warmed and the butter is beginning to bubble, put cut asparagus and onion into it. Season immediately with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Let cook for five minutes then add minced garlic and lemon. Turn down the heat to medium or medium-low and cook until the rice base is ready.

3. Around this time heat 1/4 cup of water at medium heat in another medium-sized pan and add seasonings for your chickpeas to it. I use cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, and salt. It's also just as easy and delicious to use a rotisserie chicken seasoning if you're looking for an easy seasoning solution. Stir seasonings, add chickpeas, increase heat to medium-high, and let cook until rice base is ready while stirring occasionally. The water will allow for the seasoning to cling to the chickpeas easier but should be fully evaporated before serving.

4. When the rice has six minutes left to cook, begin heating the olive oil on medium-high heat. Once heated, add pea shoots to the bottom of the pan and let cook for two minutes. Crack the egg and place it in the pan so the yolk sits in the middle and the rest falls into the pea shoots. Season with salt and chili powder (I used Asian chili powder which I thought worked perfectly). Fry for about 5 minutes or until the egg looks crispy on the sides and no longer runny on the top. It will most likely be ready after your rice is ready as well.

5. Once the rice is cooked, mix in 1 TBS butter and add cilantro, lime, salt, and a hint of garlic powder to taste. Stir until butter is fully melted.

6. When plating, layer rice in the bowl first, then place chickpeas on top of the rice to one side and asparagus to the other, and lay egg-pea shoot medley on top. I finished this dish with a few dashes of Cholula, but you might also like to finish it with more lemon, pepper, or even parmesan.