My "health nut" meal: steamed sauteed mushrooms and steamed broccoli on brown rice

I've been home in California for about a week now, and as much of a hermit as I am when I'm home, I ventured out to the mall with a couple of friends yesterday. I had a $20 with me and no wallet--insurance to keep me from spending too much. You'd be surprised what you could buy with a $20 and the Gap Company's Give and Get 30% off sale: one nautical-inspired t-shirt from Banana Republic with about $7 left over! For those of you who don't know about the Give and Get (I only found out about it yesterday), it lasts through the 15th. The Gap Company (Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic) will donate 5% of your sales to one of 6 non-profits. Now that's fashion the way I like it.

As for food...my shopping trip exposed my bitterly cold New England butter-mind. I was no longer in Connecticut. These tan and toothpick-like Californians don't understand using real buttermilk in biscuits! Now I know how Dorothy felt.

So in my efforts to re-immerse myself in this land of sun and sand, I came up with this recipe on the ride home. It's incredibly tasty and easy to make. I can't believe I'd forgotten how gloriously flavorful food could be without butter!


The beech mushrooms are deliciously perfumed, the soy sauce broccoli is tender and savory, and the flavors match really well with the nutty brown rice. The best part about this meal is it leaves you with two options: you can eat it and take your lean self to the sunny beach OR you can treat yourself to a cookie because you didn't just eat a bread bowl full of cream of broccoli!


Ingredients:

2 bags of beech mushrooms (about 10 oz)
3 tbsp Lee Kum Kee Oyster sauce
one head of broccoli
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp canola oil
2 cups brown rice
4 cups of water + 4 cups for steamer (depending on the size of your steamer)

Makes 4-6 servings

1. put brown rice and 4 cups of water in a pot, turn burners on to boil. watch the pot to make sure it doesn't foam over. should take about 20 minutes.
2. place the broccoli and mushrooms in separate pans and arrange in the steamer.
3. steam broccoli for about 4-7 minutes and mushrooms for 5-10 minutes. they're basically done at the same time.
4. in a hot wok or pan, combine oil and soy sauce. when broccoli is done, pour the soy sauce and oil on the broccoli and mix, coating it.
5. when the mushrooms are done, add about two pinches of salt and the 3 tbsp of oyster sauce (which is salty itself) and mix. add salt to taste.
6. when the rice is done, your meal is done. yay!!