Mediterranean Inspired One-dish Meal With A Southern Flair

This Minnesota weather has been quite different than what is normal this time of year. A delayed spring just does something to the body, that junk food seems to alleviate.

I have made three kinds of cookies, a brownie, a breakfast cracker and mini muffins over the past two weeks!  At least, I am working on the cookbook again.

Usually Spring is warm with fresh berries and birds singing.  A week ago, a robin was walking on the lawn when the snow started again.  At the time, all of the snow had melted minus a few small mounds..  The poor bird didn’t even fly away although I was nearby. Wonder what happened to the robin, as it has snowed three times with freezing temperatures since.

Today, I decided to cook rice for dinner and then decide what to go with it.  For me, it is best to just make a one-dish meal and be done with it!

I fell in love with Black Japonica rice a few years ago, because, I was refraining from eating rice at all.  It is a mixture of black, brown and white rice, planted together in the same field. That makes it easier to mix rice without having to buy three kinds of rice.

I saw some really good fresh okra about two weeks ago, so I prepped it and froze it because I knew I would be using it within two weeks. 

Tonight, I cooked rice and pulled together some vegetables and made a meal!

No salt was added, the seasonings were enough

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Mediterranean Inspired One-dish Meal With A Southern Flair

 

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup black Japonica rice, soaked for 4 hours

1/2 cup Long Grain Brown Rice, soaked for 4 hours

2 tbsp olive oil, or less

1 12-oz bag  frozen cut green beans

2 cups okra, trimmed, cut into no larger than 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup carrots, diced

1 cup portabella mushrooms, diced

 

Seasonings

 

1 inch piece ginger, thinly sliced, diced

2 tbsp chopped basil

1 tbsp Italian herb mix (squeeze tube)

1 tbsp Bragg's Organic Sprinkle( or other dried herb seasoning )

4 garlic cloves, roasted in oil

 

Add last

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1/3 cup pine nuts

 

Procedure

 

Soak the rice separately for about 4 hours.

 

Rinse and drain the rice, place it in 2 cups boiling water with 1 tbsp oil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn heat off and test for tenderness.

 

As the rice is cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large iron skillet, add the Seasonings and stir to blend, add the okra and stir, Stir in the portabellas. Place top on skillet to allow okra to steam for 5 minutes.

 

 

 

------If the garlic is raw, dice it finely and add it to the skillet at the same time as the Seasonings, so it will cook.-----

 

Microwave the carrots 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots.

 

 

Microwave the green beans 5 minutes. Drain and add to skillet.   Stir to mix.

 

 

Stir in the drained cooked rice

 

 

Stir in the sesame seeds.  Stir in the pine nuts.

 

 

 

Stir and allow seeds to warm to temperature of skillet.

 

 

Serve.

 

 

 

Servings: 6 (to 8)

 

Nutrition (per serving): 303 calories, 12.8g total fat, 5.4g monounsaturated fat, 4g polyunsaturated fat, 0g trans fatty acids, <1g alpha linolenic acid, 1.4g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 32.4mg sodium, 106.7mg calcium, 1131.7mg potassium, 97.1mcg folate, 364.1mg phosphorus, 50.2mg phytosterols, <1mcg lycopene, 21.4mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mcg vitamin b12, <1mg vitamin b6, 18.5mg vitamin c, 2.4mg zinc, 43.7g carbohydrates, 8.2g fiber, 35.5g net carbohydrates, 5.7g sugar, <1g fructose, <1g galactose, <1g glucose, 0g lactose, 0g maltose, 1.3g sucrose, 10.4g protein.

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