Brown Rice

This brown rice breakfast bowl is about as simple as mornings get. Cook the rice, stir in chopped figs and nutmeg, pour some milk or yogurt over the top, and eat. No added sugar needed because the figs bring all the natural sweetness this needs.

Brown rice takes longer than oatmeal, sure, but the payoff is a chewier, nuttier base that keeps you full well past mid-morning. The 30-minute simmer is completely hands-off once you bring it to a boil and drop the heat.

Figs stirred in after cooking soften in the residual heat and become jammy without turning to mush. The nutmeg adds warmth that makes the whole bowl smell like something from a bakery, not a health food store.

This is a single serving, which makes it ideal for meal prep. Cook a bigger batch of rice on Sunday and just reheat with figs and nutmeg each morning.

Chef Tips

• Keep the lid on during the full 30 minutes. Lifting it lets steam escape and throws off the water-to-rice ratio.
• Chop the figs small so they distribute evenly through the rice.
• Freshly grated nutmeg is noticeably more fragrant than pre-ground. A few swipes on a microplane is all you need.

Variations

• Date and cinnamon: Swap figs for chopped dates and nutmeg for cinnamon.
• Tropical: Use chopped dried mango and a sprinkle of coconut flakes for a warmer-weather spin.