Meatless Monday: Recipe Renovator: Vegetarian Dirty Rice

Stephanie from The Recipe Renovator wrote a wonderful Cornbread Stuffing recipe for us last December and the fun Easter Bunny Cake last month. She kindly offered us this recipe to share with you for Meatless Monday. Starting today, Meatless Monday is going to be a regular feature on this blog and we'll share great ideas for making delicious meatless meals one day a week. We're not saying that you need to stop eating meat, but rather encouraging you to try one day a week without meat. It is good for your health, good for the environment and good for your kitchen skills. If you don't already, you'll eventually meet a vegetarian or vegan and may want to cook something wonderful for them. Consider this organic rice recipe our way of giving you a jumping off point.

Meatless doesn't mean flavorless! This dish is simply brimming with delicious spices that are guaranteed to make you feel like you're in New Orleans.

Dirty Rice is a New Orleans dish loaded with sausage and butter. I tend to make it when I have celery to use up, as its one of the only recipes that calls for celery leaves. You can add one cup of chopped carrots to increase the veggies here. Start the carrots with the onions. This freezes beautifully in single-serving containers for lunch.

Vegetarian Dirty Rice

• 1 cup TVP or TSP
• 2 Red Peppers, chopped
• 4 stalks Celery with leaves, chopped
• 1 Yellow Onion, chopped
• 1 cup Brown Rice or Brown and Wild Rice Blend
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth (low-sodium)
• 1 tsp each Cayenne, Tabasco, Cumin, and Oregano to taste
• 1-2 tsp Sea Salt

Bring one cup of water to boil on the stove or in the microwave. Pour over one cup of TVP/TSP. Set aside.

Rinse the rice. Bring the broth to a boil in a large pan with a lid and add the rice. Turn down the heat to a low simmer and set the timer for 40 minutes.

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive or grapeseed oil in a large nonstick pan. Saute the onions and celery for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, adding the garlic after 5 minutes.

Add the peppers and spices and cook for 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add the TVP and vegetables to the rice pan, stir once to mix thoroughly, and adjust the heat to keep it at a simmer. Put the lid back on.

Cook until the timer goes off. Turn off the heat without taking off the lid, and let sit for at least five minutes. Then fluff with a fork and serve.