eclaire (what’s in a) name?

as a 40 hour per week working stiff, i absolutely love finding quick and easy recipes to make on week nights so mike and i can squeeze in a run or swim and still sit down to eat dinner at a reasonable time. these edamame rice bowls fit right into that category – the prep work involves a little chopping, some nuking of pre-made frozen rice, and the boiling of water for edamame beans – and voila, in 15 minutes or so, you’re enjoying a great one bowl dish. (while we’re on the topic of frozen pre-made rice, have you ever tried the stuff from trader joe’s? it takes only three minutes in the microwave before you have brown rice that tastes like it’s been cooked over a stove slowly for over an hour! you have to try it if you haven’t already – it’s a fantastic way to cut corners and save time on recipes.)

although it feels like we’ve been making these rice bowls from vegetarian times for years (like the honey glazed tofu), they were published in may 08, so i guess that makes them a newish recipe, albeit very much loved. when i eat a meal, i enjoy experiencing the gamut of flavor, from salty to sweet to spicy to sour, and the edamame rice bowls cover all those bases, plus include a creaminess from the feta (goat’s milk seems to agree with my tummy way better than cow milk) and a bit of a crunch from the edamame. i also love that the ingredients will last for awhile, which makes it a perfect end of the week meal – you can buy all the ingredients on sunday and not worry about them perishing in the fridge by thursday. this recipe only serves two people, so double or triple the recipe if you want to serve more people or create leftovers. so go out, buy the ingredients and serve this two-step recipe at your leisure – cause hey, nothing will spoil in the next week or so!

edamame rice bowls

adapted from vegetarian times, may 2008
yields 2 servings

• 1/2c brown rice (we use the pre-made Trader Joe’s brand, as i noted above – it only takes 3 minutes to cook!)
• 8oz frozen shelled edamame
• 1/4c dried cranberries
• 2oz crumbed feta
• 10 pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 3T chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
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1. boil 2c salted water, add edamame, and cook 2 minutes until tender, then drain
2. toss together rice, edamame, cranberries, feta, olives, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in large bowl and season with salt and pepper