In the kitchen I have big ideas that are rarely matched with ambitions of the same size. Because I am a lazy cook. I overcame my short comings in the culinary section of the house when I discovered the joy of bulk cooking. I subsequently fell in love with preparing meals in my rice cooker – it’s not just for rice anymore!

Seriously, did you know that you can make beans, grains, soup, and more in your rice cooker?

When I went vegan, I added a rice cooker (and a pressure cooker) to my kitchen to make sure I had numerous ways to prepare beans and grains, two of what I call the “fabulous five” vegan food groups: vegetables, fruit, beans/legumes, grains, and nuts/seeds. For the lazy cook, the pressure cooker is a game-changer because beans and grains are done in minutes. The rice cooker also rates high because, though not speedy, it does make cooking easy. Toss everything into one pot and walk away – a technique that is perfect for make ahead meals.

On a recent Monday morning I tossed quinoa and black beans into the rice cooker, with a few other goodies, and 40 minute later I had one dish that I was able to serve in multiple ways throughout the week.