Brown Rice with Creamed Peas and Carrots

This month for the Improv Challenge, Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged us to use peas and carrots.  Initially, I thought that this challenge would be simple.  I mean, it's peas and carrots.  But then I realized... it was peas and carrots! The only thing that kept popping into my mind was shepherd's pie, but I have already posted my shepherd's pie and I wanted to do something different.

Since I like to eat as clean and as healthy as I possibly can (minus my dessert and pasta cravings that occur every week), I decided to make a healthy side dish - enter brown rice with creamed peas and carrots! This dish is really simple to make and it really dresses up the brown rice since it can be quite plain on its own.

Brown Rice with Creamed Peas and Carrots

Ingredients:

-1 cup brown rice (or rice of your choosing)
-2 1/2 cups of water
-1 cup frozen peas
-3 carrots, sliced (approx. 1 cup of carrots, can use frozen too)
-1 cup milk
-2 tablespoons butter
-1 tablespoon flour
-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the rice with the water, and bring to a boil.  Once it boils, reduce the heat and allow the rice to simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until it has been cooked and absorbed the water.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet or pan, melt the butter.  Add the carrots and saute for a few minutes until the carrots begin to soften.  Stir in the peas and flour.  Season with a little salt and pepper and then add the milk.  Let the mixture simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until the milk starts to thicken.  Then, take your brown rice and add it into the creamy pea and carrot mixture.  Stir all ingredients together until the rice is nice and creamy and the milk is mostly absorbed.  Season with a little more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish to any meal and enjoy!

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