Gadgets: Rice/Vegetable Steamer

I use a Black & Decker 7-Quart Vegetable steamer with rice basket. It was $29.99 at Target.

The most important thing about cooking in a steamer is that you can make fool-proof, great-every-time long grain brown rice. It is great for experimenting with millet, quinoa and other whole grains, too. The steamer also assures that the entire mineral and vitamin content of the food you are cooking is maintained in the final product. For instance, when you boil vegetables in a pot of water, much of the mineral value is left in the water when you drain the cooked vegetable.

Long Grain Brown Rice w/Bragg's

2 cups long grain brown rice

2 cups distilled water

Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Place rice and water in rice basket. Fill steamer tank with enough water to hit "fill line". Turn timer to 60 minutes, press On, walk away until rice is done and perfect!
Find organic long grain brown rice in the "bin aisle" at Whole Foods. For those of you with great fear over entering the "bin aisle", here are your directions: get a plastic bag, place under the bin of long grain brown rice #6678, fill bag, put that plastic bag into another plastic bag to prevent breakage and spillage, get one of those white twisty tabs, place around twisted bag, write bin #6678 so the checker knows the cash register number (SKU) for the product. Congrats! You are a Tier 2 Whole Foods Shopper; wear hemp next time you come to the store! Buy Bragg's Liquid Aminos at Whole Foods or Central Market. Look for it with the Asian food. It should be in the same aisle as the Mexican and Italian pasta. It is on the bottom shelf at Lemon avenue Whole Foods and is available in spray pump or regular. Buy either one. Bragg's Liquid Aminos tastes like soy sauce but is a whole food protein providing the 11 proteins that your body cannot make. It is extremely nutritious with no preservatives.

Corn/Red Potatoes

5 small ears of corn on the cob

10 medium red potatoes

Wash and shuck ears of corn. Break corn cobs in half. Place in lower steamer basket. Wash and slice red potatoes. Do not remove skin - all the vitamins are in the skin and the red potato turns into a starch if removed. Place sliced red potatoes in upper steamer basket. Remember to fill steamer tank to fill line. Cook for 50 minutes. I love being able to cook a whole meal in one pot.

Fish and Rice

4 pieces of wild Tilapia

2 cups long grain brown rice

2 cups distilled water

Place rice and water in rice basket in lower steamer. Place Tilapia in upper steamer basket. Season Tilapia with garlic salt and lemon pepper. Start rice without the Tilapia basket in place. Let rice steam for 40 minutes. Then place Tilapia basket in place for 20 minutes. This gives rice the full hour to steam and doesn't overdo the Tilapia. The Tilapia will drip into the rice but, hey, you're going to serve them together anyway! Meal in a Pot.