Spanish Rice

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One of the plants growing in my garden this year is zucchini. I know there are a lot of humorous stories out there about being swamped in zucchini and dropping the excess off on neighbors doorsteps, ringing the bell and running for cover and many others stories like that but I can never get enough zucchini so feel free to drop some off on my doorstep. Zucchini is right at the top of my versatile vegetable list right along side pumpkin. I think I put could put pumpkin or zucchini in just about any recipe and love it. Spanish Rice is a perfect dish to use some of my beloved zucchini. Spanish rice traditionally includes chicken, sausage, seafood or all three but I’ve cheated a bit and mimicked the flavor of chicken and seafood with some spices and used a Chili Dog Sausage as a chorizo substitute. This dish makes a big pan-full so it’s great for a big family meal or a casual dinner for company.

Kristy

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, sliced or diced
• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, sliced or diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, more or less to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp kelp granules (optional for seafood flavor)
• 1/4 tsp each of sage, marjoram and rosemary
• 1 can (14 ounces) no salt diced tomatoes with the juice
• 1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
• pinch of saffron *see notes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 Chili Dog Sausages, sliced (if you don’t have the sausage or you want a GF version you can sub with 1 cup garbanzo beans or omit altogether)

Preparation:

1. Warm the broth in the microwave for a few seconds. Add the saffron and set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large flat bottomed skillet. Add the garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the onions, carrots, zucchini and pepper and continue to cook until the vegetables are just tender but still crisp. Add the peas, salt, black and cayenne pepper, paprika, kelp granules, sage, marjoram and rosemary. Stir to combine.
4. Add the tomatoes, broth, rice, sausages and bay leaves and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 7-10 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaves and serve topped with chopped parsley.

Nutritional Info:

Makes approximately 8 cups.

Serving Size 1 cup

Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 184, Cal. from Fat: 45, Total Fat: 5g, Sat. Fat: 1g, Carbs: 28g, Fiber: 4g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 5g, Sodium: 304mg, Chol: 0mg