Portuguese Arroz

This is a herb filled and tomatoey rice dish that has just a bit of a spicy kick to it. It is super simple to make and has become one of my favourite ways to eat brown rice. I found it via the recipes page on the Dr. McDougall site. There is a plethora of low fat, easy to make recipes on that site, so do check it out. And yes, they are all vegan!


What you will need:

1 ½ cups yellow onion, finely chopped (optional)
4 teaspoons garlic, minced (optional)
½ - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 ½ cups tomatoes, chopped 
2-¼ cups water
1-cup vegetable broth ( I use either bouillon powder or cubes by Marigold or Massel )
3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 ½ cups long grain brown rice, uncooked ( I used a mix of short and long grain and it worked out fine.)

Method:

In a large non-stick pan, sauté the onions with ¼ cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, crushed red pepper chili flakes and bay leaf and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. 

Add the tomatoes, mix well, and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.  

Add the remaining water, vegetable broth, parsley and cilantro and stir.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Add rice and stir well.  

When the liquid returns to a boil, stir again and cover the pot with a lid and reduce heat to low.  Cook the rice undisturbed for 35 minutes.  

Mix the rice well and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, or until the rice is tender.  Let the rice stand for 5 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve with fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste, if desired.

Wild Basmati Pilaf

This is a very plain and simple recipe. I find that if I have days of eating rich foods, I crave a simple (but still tasty!) meal. I found it in “Food that Cause you to Lose Weight : the negative calorie effect” by Dr Neal Barnard.

What you will need:

¼ cup wild rice ( Available in supermarkets. A bit pricey, but you don’t need to buy much.)

2 cups vegetable stock (You can get Massel vegan stock at supermarkets.)

¾ cup basmati rice

1 onion, finely chopped (Optional.)

3 garlic cloves, minced (Optional.)

2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp marjoram

1/3 cup chopped parsley

¼ tsp salt (Optional.)

¼ tsp black pepper (Optional.)

Method:

Rinse the wild rice and place it in a saucepan with the vegetable stock and ½ cup of water. Stir to mix and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the basmati rice and cover and cook for about 50 minutes. Both varieties should be tender.

Heat ½ cup of water in a large pot and add onion and garlic (if using) and cook until all the water has evaporated. Add another ¼ cup of water, scrap the pot and cook until onions begin to stick. Repeat the process of adding water and cooking until the onions are browned. This will take about 15 minutes.

Stir in the mushrooms, celery and seasonings. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes and then add the cooked rice and parsley. Cook over low heat, turning gently until mixture is heated through.

Recipe: Italian rice and beans

I found this recipe in the cookbook “Vegan Yum Yum” by Lauren Ulm .It is very flavour rich and easy to make. I find that the proportions given makes enough for 2 large servings. If you are cooking for more people or want leftovers for later, double everything.

What you will need:

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tsp Italian herbs of tour choice. (I used basil, marjoram and oregano)

½ cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips

¼ cup pine nuts

1 can cannellini beans

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 to 3 large handfuls of baby spinach

Dash or two of sea salt

Method:

Cook the rice either in a rice cooker or via the instructions on the pack.

When rice is done, heat up oil in a large pan, over medium heat. Add herbs, tomatoes, and pine nuts. When the pine nuts start to brown, add the beans and stir gently.

Add salt and vinegar and stir gently. Turn heat down to low.

Place spinach on top of the beans. Place hot, steaming rice over the spinach and leave for about 30 seconds or until the spinach starts to wilt. Mix gently and then serve.