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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Quick Meals - Sausage-Mixed Vegetables-Carrots-Sweet Peppers and Rice

Another quick meal and a bit healthy too! There is enough fiber to satisfy your hunger without feeling stuffed. 
This wasn’t really a recipe, but since it appeared on the Facebook Fan page, just thought I would give the ingredients.


This makes a very pretty dish with all of the yellow, red and green color!


I just can not get enough sweet peppers, carrots and those microwave mixed vegetables packets!  The more vegetables you add, the healthier it is!  Watch out for very high sodium sausages too.


Enjoy!

Sausage, Mixed Vegetables, Carrots, Sweet Peppers and Rice

 

Ingredients

Skillet

6 oz. Bistro Sensations Spinach with Mozzarella Cooked Chicken Sausage (or any other cooked sausage)

1 12-ounce pkg. mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, green beans)

2 cups sweet peppers, julienne cut

1 cup baby carrots, julienne cut

1/4 tsp Cumin, Ground

1/2 tsp dried herb mix (thyme, marjoram, basil, pepper, etc.) - used Mrs. Dash

Rice

1 cup Wild and Basmati Rice blend, uncooked - used Trader Joe's ¹

1 tbsp Canola Harvest Margarine

2 cups water (for rice)

Procedure

• Slice sausage into thin slices.
• Julienne cut baby carrots and peppers.
• Add rice to a medium sized pot as the skillet is cooking.  Add water according to package, plus the margarine. Cook at a simmer according to package. This rice takes about 15 minutes, the amount of time to cook the remainder of the meal.
• According to package, let rice rest 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork when done.
• Microwave the frozen vegetables according to package, as you begin to heat skillet.
• Place about a teaspoon olive oil in an iron skillet, heat to medium heat.
• Add carrots and peppers to skillet.  Sauté about 2 minutes on high, reduce heat.
• Add vegetable packet to skillet. Stir to mix.
• Add sausage to skillet, stir to mix and cook until sausage is heated.

• Serve Vegetable/sausage over rice or mix together and serve

Servings: 4 to 6

Nutrition info based on nutrition taken from back of packages entered into Living Cookbook Software.

  

Nutrition (per serving for 4): 296 calories, 7g total fat, 1.5g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 1.4g saturated fat, 27.5mg cholesterol, 44.9g carbohydrates, 5.8g fiber, 39.1g net carbohydrates, 7.3g sugar, 0g starch, 1.2g fructose, 0g galactose, 1g glucose, <1g sucrose, 0g maltose, 307.7mg sodium, 234.2mg potassium, 12.1g protein, 72.6mg calcium, 4455.8IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, 0mcg vitamin b12, 65mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, 3.6mcg vitamin k, 1.5mg iron, <1g lysine, 0mcg lycopene, <1mg phytosterols, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc, 0mg caffeine.

Nutrition (per serving  for 6): 198 calories, 4.7g total fat, 1g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, <1g saturated fat, 18.3mg cholesterol, 29.9g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 26.1g net carbohydrates, 4.9g sugar, 0g starch, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, 0g maltose, 205.1mg sodium, 156.1mg potassium, 8.1g protein, 48.4mg calcium, 2970.6IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, 0mcg vitamin b12, 43.3mg vitamin c, 0IU vitamin d, <1mg vitamin e, 2.4mcg vitamin k, 1mg iron, <1g lysine, 0mcg lycopene, <1mg phytosterols, <1mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc, 0mg caffeine.

¹Ingredients
Trader Joe's  Basmati Medley (back of package) - Indian Basmati rice, wild rice, dehydrated carrots, onions, celery, red bell pepper. mushrooms, parsley, garlic, lemon peel. 
Made in a facility that processes tree nuts and soy

Quick Meals - Sausage, Mixed Vegetables, Sweet Potato - Served with Brown Rice

Sometimes, I really do make a full meal instead of just the baked items.  Yes, I do eat normal food sometimes, not just the gluten-free baked food.

I could easily become a full vegetarian, omitting all meat, but I buy it sometimes, so I eventually eat it.
We all have a tendency to buy something because it’s on sale.

Since I love mixed vegetables, I have a few bags in the freezer.  I use them in soups, risotto and other rice dishes.  They are my staples along with different types of rice; dried beans and lentils; other grains like quinoa, buckwheat and oat groats; canned beans and low-sodium tomatoes. I always look for low-sodium frozen and canned vegetables.

Today, I could not decide what to cook for lunch or dinner.  I bought a few sweet potatoes at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago.  It was about time to use them of let them start rotting. I also had a package of sausage patties left from food bought for my guests last week.
So I thought, sausage and sweet potatoes, hmmm.  Why not throw in some mixed vegetables?  Next came the idea to serve over rice.  So the plan fell into place. 

This is a quick meal.  Only the sausage needs extra care to cook.  Feel free to use cooked Andouille sausage too.  I really liked mixed vegetables with the Andouille sausage!




Sausage, Mixed Vegetable, Sweet Potato and Rice Dish


Ingredients
Skillet
  1  10-ounce package   uncooked pork sausage patties (6)  (used Hormel)
  1   12-ounce package mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas, green beans)
  1 medium sweet potato peeled, cubed (8 ounce peeled)
  1/4 tsp Chinese 5-spice
  1 tsp salt-free mixed herb seasoning (used Mrs. Dash)
  1/4 tsp sea salt
Rice
  1 cup brown rice ( used Uncle Ben's)
  1 tbsp margarine
  2 1/2 cups water (for rice)
Procedures

Cook sausage according to package in a large cast iron skillet.
Peel and cube the sweet potato into small cubes while the sausage cooks, set aside
weighed it to get nutrients
 



When sausage is done and browned, drain all fat from skillet. Cut the sausage into bite sized pieces.



  Add the sweet potatoes and stir to mix, cooking on medium to get skillet sizzling.  Turn to low.



  Microwave frozen package of vegetables for 3 minutes.
  Add the package of vegetables and   1/2 cup of water to the skillet.  Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft, not mushy.

 

Measure the rice, rinse and add to a medium sized pot as the skillet is cooking.  Add water according to package, plus the margarine. Cook at a simmer according to package.  It takes about 15 minutes for Uncle Ben’s.
Serve individually or mix together and serve.





Servings: 4 to 6


Nutrition Facts (6 servings)
Nutrition (per serving): 294 calories, 12.9g total fat, 1g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 3.8g saturated fat, 20mg cholesterol, 37.9g carbohydrates, 3.5g fiber, 34.4g net carbohydrates, 3.7g sugar, 4.8g starch, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, <1g sucrose, 0g maltose, 249.9mg sodium, 268.4mg potassium, 7.3g protein, <1mg iron, 16.5mg calcium, 5408.8IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, 0IU vitamin d, <1mcg vitamin k, 3.8mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.


Nutrition Facts (4 servings)
Nutrition (per serving): 441 calories, 19.3g total fat, 1.5g monounsaturated fat, <1g polyunsaturated fat, 5.6g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 56.9g carbohydrates, 5.3g fiber, 51.6g net carbohydrates, 5.5g sugar, 7.2g starch, <1g fructose, 0g galactose, <1g glucose, 1.4g sucrose, 0g maltose, 374.9mg sodium, 402.6mg potassium, 10.9g protein, <1mg iron, 24.7mg calcium, 8113.2IU vitamin a, <1mg vitamin b6, <1mcg vitamin b12, 0IU vitamin d, 1mcg vitamin k, 5.8mcg selenium, <1mg thiamin, <1mg zinc.