forbidden colours

i couldn’t think of a clever name for this dish, so i just made that silly title because i’m featuring forbidden rice and it’s full of colour.  so there.

i’m not sure how available forbidden rice is, but of course you can find it at whole foods market. what i love about it is the flavour.  it’s unique in that it is kind of sweet and of course i think it’s super cool that it’s purple!!  {almost black – it cooks up purple!}

this week has been all about cleaning out what’s left in the pantry and fridge and preparing for a big grocery shop next week to re-stock {that was inspired by this blog}… so i found the rice and stock around the house, then bought a couple produce items on sale {zucchini and garlic} and whipped this up real quick.

ingredients :

– about 1 or 1 1/2 cups of forbidden rice

– 3 small zucchini

– about 5 small tomatoes {san marzano is my pick – any organic roma will be good, too} diced

– onion {your choice, really}

– 3 or 4 cloves garlic

– 1 juicy lemon

– bit of veggie stock

to begin, rinse your rice in a colander or in the pot – just rinse it a few times until the water runs more clear.  add enough water to the pot to cover rice by about a half inch.  cook on medium to medium-low while you prepare your veggies.  should cook in about 20 minutes.

i sliced my zucchini in half and then trimmed into spears – mostly for aesthetic value.  dice up your tomatoes as well and set them aside.

slice or grate your garlic and onions (i decided to use yellow instead, but i think a sweet onion would be great with this!) into a pan with a little bit of stock.  saute them until just golden brown, then add in a little more stock and your tomatoes.  simmer on low until tomato juices begin to glaze, then add a little more stock to thin out.  make the sauce as thick or thin as you’d like.  add more tomatoes if you wish {i didn’t have enough, personally} and then squeeze in the juice of one lemon.  continue to simmer gently.

while rice and sauce are cooking slowly {remember to check on them} – get a pan going on medium heat with just a touch of olive oil.  add in zucchini and a little S&P.  cook until just barely tender – we want to keep them a little crisp for some texture!

once the sauce and rice are complete, turn off all your burners and let’s put it on a plate!  apparently i like to pile things on top of each other…

this one is packed with tons of flavours that dance on your palate! 🙂

Tags: colourful, flavour, rice, vegan