Dirty RIce
Piping hot, fluffy rice that was bursting with savoriness and spice with a deep flavor of green bell peppers, onion, and celery.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil i.e. sunflower or avocado
- 1 16 oz block extra-firm, high-protein tofu
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 cup green bell pepper + ½ cup to add later, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped (about half an onion)
- 1 cup celery + ½ cup to add later, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh jalapeño chopped (deseeded for less spicy)
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups long-grain white rice rinsed thoroughly
- 2 cups filtered water
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- ¾ cup Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes diced or crushed variety
- 1 stalk green onion chopped + ½ cup sliced to garnish
- 3 fresh bay leaves dried is ok but fresh is best!
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Using your hands in a colander, drain and crumble the tofu into small crumbly bits. Add to the hot vegetable oil. Sprinkle the salt and nutritional yeast over the tofu. Stir until incorporated. Every so often, scrape the bottom of the pan. The tofu will start to turn a crispy brown after about 10 minutes.
- Add the bell pepper, yellow onion, jalapeño, and celery to the browned tofu. Cook the vegetables down for a good 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Add in the tamari and the Worcestershire. Stir and combine. Cook down for 5 minutes, stirring often. Lower heat to medium-low. Add in your sage, oregano, thyme, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, and liquid smoke. Stir and toast your spices until fragrant, stirring often. Add in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the bottom tidbits from the bottom of the pot.
- Rinse rice under warm water until water runs clear. Add to the pot. Stir to combine and toast the rice for 5 minutes. In a high-speed blender, add water, garlic, green onion, bay leaves, salt and tomatoes. Blend until smooth. (Yes, the bay leaves will blend up!) and add the second round of bell pepper and celery mixture to the rice.
- Pour in blended liquid. Place in the center rack of the oven and cook for 40 minutes, with the lid tightly on. Remove from oven, remove lid, fluff with a fork, place lid back on and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the vegan butter and mix. Season with more salt if desired. Serve and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced green onions.
Notes
If you don’t have a high speed blender and you are concerned that the bay leaves will not blend effectively, you can simply add them separately before cooking in the oven and remove them when ready to serve.
If you want to be fancy and serve this rice in a more sophisticated way than straight out of the pot, try pressing a good amount into a medium sized bowl using a spoon. Then, using the back of the spoon, press the rice into the bowl firmly. Place the plate on top of the bowl, press everything together securely, and flip. Remove the bowl and there you go! A beautiful mound of dirty rice.
To make this a more complete meal, I suggest serving it with any of these suggestions: BBQ tempeh or slow roasted mushrooms, sautéed collard greens or kale, cornbread muffins, grilled asparagus, coleslaw, roasted cauliflower, a simple side salad with a light dressing.