Brown Rice and Cranberry Stuffing

Adapted from the e-health compete newsletter
Brown Rice and Cranberry Stuffing
A healthy alternative to buttery soggy old bread.... as tasty as it can be. :)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 medium fennel bulbs, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
 (I had problems finding fresh fennel at the store, so I added a little extra celery and used about 1 1/2 tbs fennel seed)
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cups long-grain brown rice (I used short grain)

1 3/4 cup chicken broth (veggie broth for our vegan/veg friends)
1 cup dried cranberries

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon dried ground thyme

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper



 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots, fennel, celery, and onion, and cook 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring frequently. 


Stir in rice, chicken broth, cranberries, salt, thyme, pepper, and 4 1/4 cups water. (I added 2 cups of water in the skillet and then the remaining 2 1/4 cups to the baking dish.) Cover and heat to boiling. Pour rice mixture into 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish; cover with foil and bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until liquid evaporates and rice is tender.

Enjoy!

Veggie Coconut Korma and Naan

A marvelous Naan recipe inspired some Indian creativity and it turned out lick-the-plate divine!

Veggie Coconut Korma

10 medium red potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2-2 cups chopped carrots
3-4 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1/2 small white or yellow onion, diced
2-3tbsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp curry powder
1-2 tbsp cumin
2 14 0z cans coconut milk
1 small-medium head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
approx 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas.
generous amount of sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steam potatoes and carrots in steamer or rice cooker steam basket until tender.
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add cinnamon, curry and cumin and stir well for 1 minute. Add coconut milk. Stir well, bring to a simmer reduce heat to medium low. Add cauliflower and peas, cover pot and let simmer until cauliflower is tender but not too soft- stir occasionally. Add steamed potatoes and carrots. Combine well and add salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer uncovered for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine and permeate veggies. Adjust seasoning amounts if needed.
Serve over cooked brown rice and with fresh naan and enjoy!

Fresh Pillowy Naan
(based on the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a day book)
For this recipe I clarified my own butter in place of ghee. To do this, place a stick of butter (1/2 cup) in a skillet on low heat until it melts and separates. Pour through strainer into glass container or scoop solids off top. The clear liquid is what you will use to cook the naan in.

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sea salt
3 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half unbleached all purpose)

Combine ingredients in large bowl until incorporated-no need to knead. Cover with kitchen towel and place in a warm place for at least 30-40 minutes (up to 3 hours). In cast iron skillet, heat clarified butter over medium heat. With floured hands and working with a floured surface, pull off a tennis-ball sized piece of dough. Flatten and work into a thin circle (1/16 to 1/4 inch thick), sprinkle with sea salt and place in hot ghee. Cover with lid and let cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Turn over with tongs and cook for 2 1/2 more minutes.
Repeat for as many naan as needed. Add ghee to skillet as needed.
Cover (not air tight) and refrigerate any leftover dough for up to 2 weeks.
Dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated after rising.
3 naan fed our little family of 5 well.

Enjoy!!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

Oh, this one turned out good. I try to listen to my body and it was craving seafood and coconut milk!

Coconut Shrimp Curry

2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp curry powder (depending how spicy you like it)
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp cumin
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can coconut milk
2 tbsp corn starch
approx 4 cups shrimp (I used frozen, pre-cooked, de-veined, tail off)
1 red bell pepper, sliced or coarsely chopped
approx 4-5 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, chopped
approx 1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
Sea Salt or Realsalt

Start brown rice cooking. (I do mine in the rice cooker. 1:3 ratio rice to salted water.)

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat.
Saute onions and garlic until soft.
Add curry, cumin and cinnamon and mix until onions are coated.
Add tomatoes in their juices and coconut milk and mix well.
Whisk in cornstarch.
Add shrimp and red pepper and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium low continuing to simmer.
Add spinach. Mix in until wilted.
Add in corn and continue to simmer until sauce thickens a little (about 10 minutes).
Salt to taste.

Serve over brown rice and enjoy!

Brown Rice

Brown Rice vs White Rice

Simple and straight forward explanation.
(click link for pdf)