Feed me - I'm SICK!

It's flu season and even though JB and I had our flu shots, we seemed to have both caught some strange virus. Mine caused me to sleep non-stop for three days and JB's played havoc with his insides. So how does food come into all of this? JB needed a more sedate diet to help him recover. His request? Rice.

I hate making rice. It's just hard to get rice right. Mine comes out too chewy, too mushy...too too and those bags are just messy. So low and behold I was watching PBS and there was a cooking show touting the benefits of a rice cooker. Since I never was a rice fan - I steered away from this gadget. My kitchen is not that big so I need to watch what I buy. But I watched in fascination when I learned you cook almost everything in a rice cooker. Not to mention that I could CURE JB with my fabulous cooking. Strange fantasy I have - ALISE CURES CANCER WITH STICKY BUN RECIPE!!!!!!!!!

So I bought a Rival 3 Cup Rice Cooker from Target. $14.99 and a bright cherry red. A very cute appliance if I might say so myself.

I made this dish all in the rice cooker. Clean up was so easy and JB loved the result. The spices were toned down in his version - hence the sick food - so add more than I have listed here.

All in One Pot Comfort Meal
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups organic, free range chicken stock
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast - bite size pieces
Tamari sauce to taste
Salt and pepper
1 cup frozen peas

Add the rice and chicken stock as instructed by your rice cooker. If you have a steamer, place on top of the rice mixture. If you do not have a steamer, it works to just put the vegetables on the rice/broth. Layer your veggies - placing the garlic on the very top of the heap. Then add your chicken pieces. The goal is to cook the chicken on top of the veggies infusing the chicken with the extra flavor. Turn rice cooker on. About 10 minutes before the cooker turns off add your peas. Peas only need to be heated up.

Note: Some may gasp at putting raw chicken on top of the other ingredients. *JB did. The steam will cook the chicken thoroughly and bring all of the ingredients to a very high temperature. Just make sure to check your chicken by cutting into the thicker pieces for doneness. No pinkness should be left in the chicken. This is a wise thing to do with ALL chicken dishes.

We loved this dish. The chicken was very tender. The rice was perfect. For well eaters, add more spices to the dish. Here is a link to some excellent rice cooker recipes I intend to try.