When you cook rice .. preferably "quick-cook Italian brown rice, which is really easy to do, then here's a tip (based on one or two servings) that will help you make a great rice and vegetable meal while preserving the goodness (vitamins) of the veg.

NOTE: By the way, don't bother with those faddy steamer gadgets. Rice takes ages in them and so do vegetables, which means that lots of the nutrients are lost from over-lenghty cooking.

When you cook your brown rice:
Pour some rice into a non-stick saucepan and cover with about three times the amount of boiling water (i.e. one cup brown rice and three cups boiling water. Turn up your cooker to full and put a lid on the saucepan. Around two thirds of the way through cooking take the lid off and try the rice to see if it might need a little more hot water. Rice absorbs the steaming water so that it swells and becomes soft ... that's how rice cooks. So you need to add only as much hot water to enable the rice to absorb what it needs to become soft and fluffy.
OK ... back to the tip: Around three quarters of the way through just as the water level is bubbling about half a centimetre over the almost cooked rice, add your fresh cut vegetables like broccoli, carrots and even ripe sweetcorn etc. Put the lid back on and allow the steam from the boiling rice to cook the veg. This should take no more than around 5 mins. Taste the rice to see how it's doing. If it's too hard and there's not much water left pour some more boiling water in - just enough to allow the absorption to make the rice fluffy. experiment with this using your own cooker and saucepan because cooking times can differ.

EXTRA TIPS: At the same time as you begin cooking your rice throw in one finely chopped garlic and some herb salt. Also, add a chopped spring onion and a few flakes of red chilli for extra bit.

Just before you add the vegetables, squeeze a quarter of a fresh lemon into the saucepan and give a quick, light stir...

Final touch options:
Pour in some virgin olive oil right at the end of the cooking process and cook for an extra minute at full heat, tossing the rice and veg in the saucepan.
When serving add a touch of mayo (ordinary or vegan) on top with a dusting of paprika.

................. YUM!

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