Harvest Rice

When my husband was diagnosed with celiac, we turned to rice to get through the transition.  At that time, there was very little available to the gluten-free consumer, unlike today where there is an abundance, in every store, in every aisle and probably on every shelf.

Now, when looking for a filling dish, I turn to kasha, quinoa and rice and also pasta.  Now, there are many pastas available for this special diet.  When I first started cooking without gluten, there was one that I knew of and it was made of corn and was not very good, at least, compared to what is now in the market.

Rice, while still a major part of our eating has taken a backseat to other choices such as vegetables.  Vegetables are not only safe for hubby to eat, they are good for us and delicious in many dishes.  You can see with the addition of more grains and vegetables, cooking became much more interesting.

Of course, there are also different flour(s) available and baking mixes.  No longer, do I have to say, "no" to requests for fun foods such as pancakes or tortillas.  Bagels, English muffins, pies, cakes and cookies are all easily available.  It is good, I like to bake, but if I didn't, there are kosher gluten-free brands and they are easy to find.  

This leads us back to rice.  Friday, hubby asked for rice and it made me realize that we hadn't had a rice dish in weeks.  Rice is versatile and I didn't know where to start in selecting a dish.  Hubby likes them all.  There is no favorite.  I decided to browse and came across this Harvest Rice recipe, not so different from other dishes, I have made in the past.  It turned out to be better than many of them though.

The orange zest may have been the secret ingredient or perhaps the cranberries.  All I know is that we liked this dish very much.

Harvest Rice (adapted from Allrecipes)

Ingredients :

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 cups vegetable) broth

1 cup uncooked brown rice

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, sliced into 1/8 inch wedges

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Toast at 350 degrees F ) for 5 to 8 minutes.

Place broth and  brown rice in a medium saucepan, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.

In medium skillet, heat oil. Add onions and brown sugar. 

Saute until butter is absorbed and onions are translucent and soft. 

Reduce heat, and cook onions for another 20 minutes, until they are caramelized.

Stir cranberries in the skillet. 

Cover, and cook 10 minutes or until berries start to swell. 

Stir in almonds and orange zest, then fold the mixture into the cooked rice. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

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