Tuesday, November 20, 2012

This Week in Food: Thanksgiving Dirty Rice

I was hoping to capture the feeling of one of my most favorite foods.  My Mom's Thanksgiving stuffing is one of, if not my most favorite of dishes. Mom is a great cook at this sits up there with her lasagna at the top on my death row foods.  No worries, though.  My homicidal tendencies have been absent for what seems like weeks.

What I wanted to achieve was the flavor of the cooked celery and onions, combined with chicken stock, sausage, sage and bread, all baked into a moist dense flavor explosion.  I realized after several attempts that the bread was essential to that dish and that I wasn't going to recreate something with the same feel as that 250 calorie comfort food side dish.  I had to settle, which is sometimes the case in my new lifestyle.  What I came up with resembled a cross between Mom's stuffing and a Cajun dirty rice, with rice and meat accented with spices and herbs.  I call it Thanksgiving Dirty Rice and, while I will mourn the loss of the traditional stuffing this Thanksgiving, I have a new fallback to rely on with 45% less calories (134 per serving) and half the fat (5g) per serving.

Thanksgiving Dirty Rice
serves 6 (scales easily)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Royal Select brand Royal Blend Rice with brown and red rices
  • 1.5 cups no salt added or low sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup diced celery, 1/4" dice
  • 1/4 cup diced onion, 1/4" dice
  • 1 cup Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage Crumbles (a chicken apple sausage diced up would be great too)
  • 3/4 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbs Earth Balance Original Whipped Buttery Blend
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped


Method
I use a rice cooker, but you can just combine all ingredients and cook to the manufacturer's instructions: Bring to a boil.  Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.  Fluff with a fork, while adding in parsley.

Enjoy!

Cya Wednesday,
M

What I ate today and how I exercised:
Breakfast ~ Kashi Go Crisp Cinnamon Cereal w/almond milk
Lunch ~ German Style Pork Stew
Snack ~ Wasabi peas
Dinner ~ Sushi, out with The Wife
Exercise ~ None

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