Veggie Brown Rice Pilaf
Great as a side or as a main dish served with other yummy vegetables!
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 C cooked: sprouted short grain brown rice OR a wild or ancient rice blend, kasha/buckwheat, brown rice couscous, quinoa or millet.
1 onion diced
1/2-1 C diced carrot
1 C broccoli florets and stems diced and blanched
1 C English or frozen peas, par cooked and drained FAVA beans are great too!
1-2 small zucchini’s diced
2-4 small garlic cloves minced
1 C mushrooms diced (shiitake, portabella, crimini, oyster, or a blend)
1 tsp Celtic Sea salt
1 tsp Italian Seasoning or fresh minced oregano, parsley and or thyme
Fresh ground pepper
4 C Imagine’s No-chicken or vegetable broth or a homemade vegetable stock.
Grated Italian Cheeses ( IF NOT on Clean)
Nuts, Seeds, dried fruit: Toasted pine nuts, sunflower seeds, or chopped pecans are a nice addition, as are currants, raisins or cranberries. Add about 1/4 C.
Other optional additions: Add 1-2 Tbl Pesto to cooked rice.
Here’s a CLEAN pesto version. https://currygirlskitchen.com/pesto-spaghetti-squash-casserole/
NOTE: For a CLEAN “cheesy” flavor add up to 1-2 Tbl Nutritional Yeast.
Curry’s House Pesto UNCLEAN: https://currygirlskitchen.com/homemade-pesto/
Method:
- In a 6 quart pot, sauté onions, garlic, carrot, and mushrooms until soft & slightly browned
- Stir in rinsed short grain sprouted brown rice or mixture of other grains.
- Add Italian seasoning, salt, and fresh ground pepper. Heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, stir, cover and bring to a boil
- Once boiling, turn to low and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes. Turn off and let rest for 10 minutes before you take off the lid.
- Cut up squash and broccoli florets.
- While rice is cooking, blanch squash, broccoli and peas for 3 minutes. Let drain and set aside until rice is done.
- Veggies should stay vibrant green, soft, but not mushy.
- Add blanched vegetables to the rice.
- Add nutritional yeast OR Pesto, toasted nuts or seeds, and any optional additions you may choose.
- Stir gently to blend and set aside until ready to eat or fill your pre-cooked acorn squash or yam.
- Sprinkle with grated Italian cheeses if not cleansing.
- Return to oven and bake until warm and cheese has melted, about 10-15 minutes.
Stuffing Your Squash:
Par Roasting Acorn or Delicata Squash:
- Wash and pat dry squash.
- Carefully cut in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out seeds.
- Baste the inside of squash with a little olive oil.
- Place open side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. NOT FULLY DONE.
- Remove when a fork pierces through. Set aside
- Carefully spoon enough rice blend mixture into your par cooked squash shell OR baked Yam .
- Top with fresh minced herbs, or sprinkle with a little more Italian seasonings, and cheese.
- Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven on a parchment lined baking sheet or in a Pyrex 9 x 13 baking dish for approximately 30 minutes, until nicely browned.
Other dishes you might like:
https://currygirlskitchen.com/pesto-risotto/
Meatless Mon braised fennel beets and veggie rice pilaf