Nutty Vegetable Rice Food

NUT RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Prep notes: Peel and finely slice the onion or shallots. Peel and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the nuts. Measure out the spices into a small bowl so they're ready to add. Measure out the wine and broth. Mince the parsley.
• Heat a large frying or saute pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, swirl the pan to coat it with the oil, and when the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit), add the onion and the salt. Cook, stirring frequently until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
• Increase the heat to high and add the nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until the nuts start to toast. The onions will brown a bit, which is good; if they start to burn or char at all reduce the heat and move to the next steps.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Evenly sprinkle on the coriander , cumin, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the rice and stir to combine--the rice should be well coated with the oil and the onions.
• Pour in the wine and cook, stirring, until the rice can completely absorbed the wine, about 2 minutes.
• Slowly pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the rice is tender to the bite, about 50 minutes.
• Fluff the pilaf with a fork. Add salt to taste, if needed. Stir in the minced parsley and garnish with whole leaves, if you like. Serve the rice pilaf hot or warm (the range of possible temperatures here makes this an excellent option for buffets).

NUTTY VEGETABLE RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Soak rice in water for ten minutes (in the pot you will cook it in).
• While rice soaks, mix almond butter and milk throroughly in a small bowl. Set aside. Begin to chop carrots, onion, garlic and ginger.
• Drain and rinse rice, and add fresh water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium-low for eight minutes.
• While rice cooks, saute carrots, onion, garlic and ginger in a pan with olive oil until they begin to be tender. While these are cooking, stir occasionally and chop beet greens into bite-size pieces.
• When rice is cooked, turn off heat and let stand, covered, for ten minutes.
• While rice stands, add beet greens to vegetable saute and cook until just tender. I prefer not to overcook these so you still have a variety of textures in the casserole and it doesn't turn into a "blob".
• When rice has stood for ten minutes, remove lid, add almond butter and milk mixture, and stir thoroughly. Add vegetable saute mixture and stir thoroughly.
• Pour mixture (should be very thick) into a medium casserole and top with paprika and a bit of salt.
• Cook at 375 for ten minutes, covered. Enjoy!

VEGETABLE RICE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy 3-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, red pepper and onion and cook stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the rice and the salt and stir to coat the rice with oil. When the rice starts to look "chalky," pour enough water into the pan to cover the rice by 1-inch. Raise the heat to high, bring the water to a boil, and boil until the level of the water meets the level of the rice.
• Reduce the heat to very low, give the rice a very thorough stir, and cover the pot. Cook until the rice is tender but with a little bite, about 20 minutes. Do not uncover the pot or stir the rice while it cooks. Fluff with a fork before serving. Stir in the scallions and transfer to a serving bowl.

COCONUT RICE

Steps:

• Saute 2 tablespoons minced ginger in a saucepan with butter. Add 1 cup rinsed basmati rice, 1 cup coconut milk, 1 cup water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat; cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes off the heat; fluff with a fork. Garnish with cilantro and cashews.

VEGETABLE RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Spread the rice into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with zucchini, yellow squash, onion and half of the basil; top with green pepper, celery and tomatoes. Combine the brown sugar, salt and pepper; sprinkle over vegetables. Drizzle with oil. Cover and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until tender. Sprinkle with remaining basil.

CHEESY VEGETABLE RICE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Choose frozen veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, etc.
• Boil veggies until close to tenderness you prefer.
• Prepare minute rice.
• In large baking dish (we used 9x11x4), mix veggies, rice, whipping cream and sour cream. If you're using chicken, mix in the cooked chicken now.
• Arrange cheese pieces in a single layer on top of mixture.
• Place baking dish in oven set to 400 degrees and cook until cheese is melted.
• Remove dish and stir. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and place back in oven until cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and serve.