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Wild & Brown Rice with Mushrooms

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I am obsessed with side dishes lately.  There are so many of them out there!  To be honest, the sides really can make a meal very interesting.  And, they can also make something like a grilled piece of chicken taste almost like a different meal on the second night – depending on which side you serve it with.  Same goes with a piece of steak.  Or a piece of fish.  I like trying to figure out which side would go best with which protein.

My favorite side dishes are the ones that are chock full of ingredients and can actually be eaten as a meal themselves.  It’s a side dish one night, the next day it’s a light lunch or a snack.  This wild and brown rice with mushrooms (and peas and chick peas and pecans!) is one of those perfect side dishes.  And, it’s healthy for you!  Wild and brown rice are much better for you than all that bad white stuff, they have low glycemic indexes and are more filling.

This dish is chewy from the rice, crunchy from the pecans and earthy from the mushrooms and herbs…extremely satisfying.  Pair it with your favorite protein and enjoy.

Here’s what you will need to serve 4 sides…

Recipe

1 cup uncooked brown & wild rice blend

5-6 medium sage leaves, minced

1 tsp thyme

2 tbsp parsley

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup frozen peas

1 package baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thick (stems removed)

1/3 cup pecans

15 oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained

salt & pepper, to taste

Method

Prepare wild rice blend according to package directions (takes about 40 minutes to cook).

Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet for approximately 5 minutes, tossing often.  Remove from pan.

In a large skillet heat the butter and olive oil.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add the thyme, sage and frozen peas.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add pecans to the skillet, mix and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Add the cooked wild rice blend and some salt & pepper to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine well.  Finally, add the chick peas to the pan and fold in gently.  Just before serving sprinkle with parsley.

 

Wild & Brown Rice with Mushrooms
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup uncooked brown & wild rice blend
  • 5-6 medium sage leaves, minced
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 2 tbsp parsley
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 package baby portobello mushrooms, sliced thick (stems removed)
  • ⅓ cup pecans
  • 15 oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
  • salt & pepper, to taste
Method
  1. Prepare wild rice blend according to package directions (takes about 40 minutes to cook).
  2. Meanwhile, toast the pecans in a dry skillet for approximately 5 minutes, tossing often.  Remove from pan.
  3. In a large skillet heat the butter and olive oil.  Add the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Add the thyme, sage and frozen peas.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add pecans to the skillet, mix and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes more.
  4. Add the cooked wild rice blend and some salt & pepper to the mushroom mixture and stir to combine well.  Finally, add the chick peas to the pan and fold in gently.  Just before serving sprinkle with parsley.

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers

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DoublePeppersFinalR

I had no idea how nutritious red peppers are!  They are an excellent source of vitamins C and A and they contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals (bad things) that cause some types of cancers and heart disease.  Surprisingly, red peppers contain almost three times the amount of vitamin C as green peppers.   Poor green peppers, they just aren’t up to snuff.

Traditionally, stuffed peppers are made with chop meat.  I do make the meat version at times, however, I like to keep things on the healthy side over here, so I try to make it with mostly veggies now, or sometimes I will add some ground turkey.  All versions are delicious.  I like to bring a stuffed pepper with me to work for lunch, and since I make 4 or 5 of them I eat one a day, everyday for lunch that week.  And NO, I don’t get sick of it!  They are so delicious, healthy and filling.  A complete meal stuffed inside a nutritionally packed red pepper.  What more could I ask for?

Here’s what you will need to make approximately 6 peppers…

Recipe

4 large red peppers

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 large zucchini, small dice

1 large yellow squash, small dice

1 large onion

1 small container crimini mushrooms, small dice

1 can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed up

1/2 cup chopped baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

pinch dried oregano

pinch pepperoncino

olive oil

Method

In a skillet over medium heat coat pan with some olive oil.  Saute the zucchini, squash, onion and mushrooms until slightly softened, roughly 5 minutes.  Add grated garlic, spinach, oregano and pepperoncino and some salt & pepper.  Cook for additional 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.

While the filling is simmering away, carefully cut out the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper.  It helps to have small hands!  I usually discard the tops, but once or twice I did keep them and put them back on top of the peppers for decoration, like little hats.  Up to you.

Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well.  Turn off the heat and add the cheese.  Mix well again.  I’ll tell you, this sauce (minus the rice) would be perfect over some pasta!  Here’s how things should be looking at this point.

PepperRiceMixtureFinalR

Now for the fun part…stuffing!  I love stuffing these guys.  I use a teaspoon for this.  Basically just stuff the filling mixture into each pepper, pressing the filling down into the bottom of the pepper.  Fill them way up to the top.  Just like this…

DoublePeppersFinalR

In the bottom of a baking dish, I put some water and oil (and some tomato sauce if I have some left over) to keep things moist.  Arrange the now stuffed peppers in the baking dish and sprinkle the tops of the peppers with some olive oil.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 – 60 minutes, or until the peppers have become slightly wrinkly and soft.  I prefer my peppers to still have a slight bite to them.  Some people like to cook them alot until they are very mushy, again – up to you.  As I said, I like mine with a bite, not too mushy.

Get stuffing people!

 

Vegetable Stuffed Peppers
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 large red peppers
  • 1 cup brown rice, cooked
  • 1 large zucchini, small dice
  • 1 large yellow squash, small dice
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 small container crimini mushrooms, small dice
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed up
  • ½ cup chopped baby spinach
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • pinch dried oregano
  • pinch pepperoncino
  • olive oil
Method
  1. In a skillet over medium heat coat pan with some olive oil. Saute the zucchini, squash, onion and mushrooms until slightly softened, roughly 5 minutes. Add grated garlic, spinach, oregano and pepperoncino and some salt & pepper. Cook for additional 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
  3. While the filling is simmering away, carefully cut out the tops of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs from the inside of the pepper. It helps to have small hands! I usually discard the tops, but once or twice I did keep them and put them back on top of the peppers for decoration, like little hats. Up to you.
  4. Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well again.
  5. Once the filling mixture has cooked for awhile, add all the brown rice and parsley and stir well. Turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well again.
  6. Now for the fun part...stuffing! I use a teaspoon for this. Basically just stuff the filling mixture into each pepper, pressing the filling down into the bottom of the pepper. Fill them way up to the top.
  7. In the bottom of a baking dish, I put some water and oil (and some tomato sauce if I have some left over) to keep things moist. Arrange the now stuffed peppers in the baking dish and sprinkle the tops of the peppers with some olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 - 60 minutes, or until the peppers have become slightly wrinkly and soft.