Easy Brown Rice Bowls

Sometimes it's just easier on a weeknight to throw together something hearty & hopefully a little healthy in a "one bowl meal." We like brown rice bowls - nothing fancy, just whole grain brown rice, veggies & lean turkey sausage or grilled chicken, or whatever else we can toss in. This version has some onions, garlic, peppers, broccoli & sausage and came together pretty quick & easy (good for a busy Tuesday night). Leftovers work for lunch the next day, too.

Ingredients:

• whole grain brown rice - I used 2 cups of rice
• chicken stock - prepare rice according to directions on package, I used 4 cups stock
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 sweet yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 large crown of broccoli
  
• 1 link lean turkey sausage
  
• 1 bay leaf
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 T butter
• salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic salt & any other seasoning to taste
  

Preparation:

Prepare the rice according to your liking - I use the risotto method, meaning I saute onion, garlic and red bell pepper in olive oil until tender, then toss in the brown rice to coat in olive oil and toast for a couple minutes (stirring), then I add stock, a bay leaf, seasoning and simmer & cover until done (cooking times will vary depending on your rice). Meanwhile, I grilled the sausage on an indoor grill pan and tossed it all together.

*Consider marinating chicken in soy sauce/garlic/ginger and grilling. Add sugar snap peas, bean sprouts and water chestnuts for an Asian version, or green chilies, black beans and cilantro for a southwest version.