The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook: 125 Delicious Recipes from Amaranth to Quinoa to Wild Rice
In the end, I picked a recipe that while simple, had a lovely layer of flavors, more complex than you might think it would have. I suppose the boys were not excited to see a platter of spinach served on top of creamy rice, but oh, to me? It was heavenly comfort food. I followed the directions, but used vegetable broth. The dusting of cheese can be left off and the rice will be vegan.
Oh, and this meal? Even more divine the day after, mixed together. Umm…it will become a regular. And a new way to use brown sticky rice? Wonderful.
Italian-Style Green Rice, Page 172
Ingredients:
- 1 cup short-grain brown rice (sticky rice)
- 1¼ cups water, divided
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 8 to 16 ounces fresh spinach (see notes)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 2 green onions, white part only, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a small mixing bowl, combine rice and 1 cup of the water. Stir well. Cover and set aside for at least 3 hours. Drain, reserving liquid.
In a heavy medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine broth and reserved soaking water. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for 35 minutes. Remove lid, stir well and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
When rice is almost cooked, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in spinach leaves and the remaining ¼ cup water, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a cutting board and chop finely.
Spread cooked rice over a large plate or platter, arrange spinach on top. Drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle on the cheese and onions.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
Notes:
Fresh spinach isn’t cheap now, at least on the West Coast. There was a huge crop failure a few weeks back. That means even non-organic is selling for $4.50 to 5 a pound. Ouch. And for me, 8 ounces is plenty. I like spinach, but too much can be over powering, so I went with 8 ounces. That was perfect, to me. Creamy rice, with the bite of greens.
~Sarah
FTC Disclaimer: We received a review copy.
have you tried collard or kale or chard? we’re trying to mix up our greens.
love the buzz cut on the earlier post! my youngest, as a toddler, had nearly white, slight hint of yellow, blonde hair with curl (sigh). he wanted a buzz cut like his pre-school friend, which was easier, but it was so dense and soft and white on his pink scalp that complete strangers would come rub his head because it looked so much like a puppy tummy. he really disliked that (who wouldn’t), so his pre-school teacher jokingly told him to charge people a quarter a rub.
he took her seriously, so it made the next park outing rather interesting.
thanks for the memory!
he still likes a buzz cut, but it’s gone darker and his head is further up (22yo).
skubitwo
I’d bet it would work great with all of them. I love chard!
Yum. Love spinach and brown rice. Super simple too!
I needed simple this week. Heck, I could eat it tonight and be happy!
Sounds perfect to me, although I think I’d get an equally unenthusiastic response from the cashew gallery. I don’t buy spinach very often (I tend toward chard for delicate and kale for hearty), but sure sounds like I should nurture the little seedlings I’ve got going. Thanks for the review. Sounds like a winner.
Looks great Sarah! Now I can’t remember where I heard of Job’s tears….!
Beads! Did you ever play with them when little? I didn’t know that was what they were till I read the book 😀