Comforting and healing, brown rice cooked with coconut and basil….
A few nights ago I spent the evening catching up with one of my closest friends over this meal, one I knew I wanted to recreate. She cooked, it was such a simple gesture, yet such a treat to have a meal cooked for me. We spent hours chatting and eating! It reminded me of those summers when we were teenagers and could talk the night away! However, we are much better cooks now and our parents didn’t have to call the cops to go looking for us 
Thank you, Emily xoxo
She just threw this meal together with food she cooked ahead of time. You can roast whatever veggies you have on hand or growing in your garden! For a little flavor boost I added a pinch of black sea salt and chopped macadamia nuts!
- For the Rice:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, minced
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2½ cups water
- 1 can coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- For the Roasted Vegetables:
- ½ red onion, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 summer squash, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- drizzle of olive oil
- pinch of thyme
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup macadamia nuts, chopped (optional)
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until fragrant. Add brown rice and stir until rice is coated with oil. Add water and coconut milk, bring to a boil. Turn down heat, stir in salt and basil. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, add onion, squash and zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil, add thyme, sea salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes. Finish under the broiler for a few minutes or until crispy.
- Serve veggies over rice, top with macadamia nuts.
The coconut milk adds a sweet and mild flavor to the nutty brown rice. You could also pair this rice with a spicy curry! To me, coconut rice is a comfort food, but it can be used to heal inflammatory digestive disorders. Coconut milk contains lauric acid, which contains antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It also helps aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.
Hope you enjoy
