I love to cook. The kitchen is by far my favorite room in the house and I wouldn’t mind spending all day there, most of the time. There are those nights, especially after a long day at work, when I’d much rather be veggin’ out on the couch than standing over the stove.  That’s when I turn to my favorite kitchen appliance – my Rice Cooker.

This thing is seriously the greatest.  I can have a complete and nutritious meal on the table in 25 minutes and with little cleanup.  All you need is water and the ingredients and you are ready to go.  It doesn’t get easier.  Do I sound like an infomercial yet?  That’s how much I love this appliance.

I purchased my rice cooker at Target for about $20.  You can find one for even cheaper on Amazon.  They come in several sizes and price ranges.  Make sure you buy one that has a food steamer on top.  This way you can cook your rice and steam your veggies all at the same time.  You can also cook chicken or fish with the steamer!

Its use is beyond simple and each comes with an instruction manual that gives you water amounts and the time it will take to cook.  My manual even has a page just about rice.  Did you know that there are more than 140,000 different varieties of rice, but only 10% are marketed and sold?

Here’s a simple recipe that is a fan favorite at my dinner table:

Steamed Salmon with Rice and Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

• 2 small salmon fillets (with skin removed)
• 1 cup rice of your choice
• 2 cups water (optional: substitute 1 cup chicken broth for 1 cup water)
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup baby carrots
• 2 garlic cloves – sliced
• 2 tbsp bread crumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• lemon
• red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Pour the rice and water into the rice cooker.  Add red pepper flakes and garlic.  Stir.
2. 2. Season your salmon with the bread crumbs and salt and pepper.  Place the steamer rack on top of the cooker and place the salmon in the steamer.
3. 3. Arrange the broccoli and carrots around the salmon.
4. 4. Squeeze some lemon over everything.
5. 5. Cover the rice cooker and press Cook.

I like my rice sticky but if you prefer it more al dente you can use a little you less water.

That’s it! Enjoy!