Cooking single-serving meals can present its own challenges, but try living off-grid in a bell tent without a real kitchen…now that can be a challenge!
I’ve been living in my bell tent full-time for a year and a half now. And while I’ve figured a lot of stuff out, I do still face some challenges and one of them is cooking.
Staple Off-Grid Meals
I really don’t have a kitchen setup. I also don’t have a refrigerator. So I need to make myself meals that don’t require much counter space and also don’t require refrigeration. This creamy rice recipe is made completely in a mini rice cooker and since it’s just a single serving there’s no need for refrigeration!
Needless to say, this meal is (and has been) one of my go-to’s. It’s simple, easy, hands-off and satisfying.
Off-Grid Cooking
While this recipe can be made in a small pan on my wood stove, I prefer to ‘set it and forget it’. Thanks to my Jackery power station I can just plug in my rice cooker and let it do it’s thing. In 20 minutes, my meal is ready!
If you don’t have a rice cooker OR if prefer to cook this on your stovetop, don’t worry – I have instructions for that too 🙂 Just keep scrolling to the bottom of the recipe.
Plant-Based Cooking
While this recipe is plant-based, feel free to switch up the ingredients to your liking. You can use dairy milk and chicken broth if you prefer. You can also substitute shredded cheddar cheese for the nutritional yeast. If you do that though, I would suggest that you add it at the end so that it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the ingredients and why I use them:
Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base
This is the best-tasting vegetable bouillon base I’ve found. Since this is so high in sodium, I like that I scoop out as much or as little as I want. Many times, I use this in place of salt because it’s so much more flavorful.
Nutritional Yeast:
If you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast, it’s basically a vegan’s cheese substitute LOL. Does it taste like cheese? No. But, it does have that tangy, umami flavor that cheese has. So many times, it’s used in recipes to give it that ‘cheesy-like’ flavor. But I wouldn’t call it a perfect cheese substitute.
In this creamy broccoli rice recipe, it does give a ‘cheddar broccoli’ taste – again, don’t expect it to taste like cheddar – but it will have that tanginess to it.
Soymilk:
When it comes to plant-based milks, this one if my favorite. To be honest, I really dislike the taste of so many of these milk alternatives. They are thick, gluey and have a ‘flavor’ to them.
This soy milk has a very neutral flavor and NO thickeners! The only ingredients are soybeans and water. It’s neutral flavor makes it a great addition to anything from smoothies to soups.
Tahini:
Tahini is sesame seed butter. So basically like, a peanut butter – but made from sesame seeds instead. However, it tastes nothing like peanut butter! And there is no salt or sugar added so it literally tastes like….sesame seed butter LOL.
I like adding this to dishes because it adds a rich creamy texture – especially when paired with soy milk as I did in this recipe.
The rest of the ingredients are pretty basic so let’s just get into the recipe now! 🙂
How to make Creamy Tomato Broccoli Rice
Ingredients needed:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 T tahini
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup plain soy milk
Instructions:
Add all ingredients except soymilk and tahini to your mini rice cooker.
Turn on your rice cooker and wait for about 20-25 until the rice cooker signals that it’s done.
Carefully remove the lid and stir everything to thoroughly combine it.
Whisk together the tahini and soymilk and stir this mixture into the rice mixture.
Your creamy tomato broccoli rice is ready to enjoy 🙂
Creamy Tomato Broccoli Rice
This is an easy, one-serving meal that is also plant-based. Add some chicken breast (if you're not vegan/vegetarian) or chickpeas for extra protein.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup broccoli florets
- 1/4 diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp dried sage
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup plain soy milk
- 1 T tahini
Instructions
1. Add all ingredients except soymilk and tahini to your mini rice cooker.
2. Turn your rice cooker on and wait for about 20-25 until the rice cooker signals that it's done. Carefully remove the lid and stir everything to thoroughly combine it.
3. Whisk together the tahini and soymilk and stir this mixture into the rice mixture.
Your creamy tomato broccoli rice is now ready to enjoy 🙂
**Don't have a rice cooker?
Simply add all the ingredients (except the soymilk and tahini) to a small pan, cover it, and let it simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Now, you can continue with Step 3 and finish as directed.
Don’t have a rice cooker?
No problem! I understand that not everyone has a rice cooker or maybe you just prefer to make this on the stovetop.
Simply add all the ingredients (except the soymilk and tahini) to a small pan, cover it, and let it simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Now, you can finish as directed.
I hope you enjoyed this simple meal. Whether you’re looking for a simple single-serve dinner, something easy to take to work or you’re off the grid just as I am – I hope that you found this easy off-grid meal helpful and I hope it becomes a staple for you too!
These photos are the property of Spotted Horse Design Co. This recipe is for your personal use only. Please do not copy/paste, distribute, or alter and claim as your own.