Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking (45 page)

I
F YOU’VE EVER
seen red rice in your grocery store and wondered how to use it, here’s a recipe to get you started. When cooked the rice is quite chewy, with an earthy flavor that combines really well with the beans and paprika. And yes, the beans are red, the rice is red, the spices are red, the peppers are red, and the tomatoes, which accent everything at the end, are red, so that is where the name came from. Inspired, right? If you don’t have access to red rice, use a long-grain brown rice without soaking and reduce the cooking time to 3 to 3½ hours. Check that everything is cooked toward the end of the cooking time and extend if required.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes

1 cup red rice, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

One 15-ounce can red kidney beans (see warning on
page 24
), or 1½ cups cooked

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

½ red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 roasted red pepper (
page 20
), finely chopped

1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)
 

2 Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the rice through the stock in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 4 to 4½ hours, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

3.
Stir in the tomato and cilantro just prior to serving. Taste and season with the salt and black pepper as required.

Rice and (Pigeon) Peas

T
HE FIRST TIME
I tasted pigeon peas I fell in love. These legumes are creamy, earthy, and very satisfying. Here I have paired them with rice, though my pairing is certainly less authentic than traditional Jamaican rice and peas (usually baked). I like this as a lunch with nothing added, but I have also used leftovers as a side dish for chili or Latin-inspired baked tofu. Look for dried pigeon peas in Indian spice stores or wherever you buy Latin foods. If you are concerned about crunchy rice, stir the dish after 2 hours so the rice is moved around the slow cooker. At this stage you can add up to ¼ cup more stock if you feel your rice is absorbing it too quickly. There are whole and ground versions of the same spices in this recipe; it is not a mistake!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 minutes, divided

½ cup dry pigeon peas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed (see Note)

2½ cups water

1 bay leaf
 

1 tablespoon Garlic Infused Oil (
page 54
) or canola oil

1 cup long-grain brown rice

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
 

½ medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves Poached Garlic (
page 54
), minced

2 tablespoons cilantro stalk and leaves, finely chopped
 

1½ cups plus
¹
/
₃
cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon salt
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the peas through the bay leaf in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until just tender. Drain, discarding the bay leaf and cooking water. Keep the peas in the slow cooker.

3.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; toast the rice and seeds until aromatic, the seeds start popping, and rice is lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes.

4.
Add the onion through the cilantro to the skillet and sauté to combine and soften the onion, 3 minutes.

5.
Transfer to the slow cooker with the stock through the ½ teaspoon salt.

6.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook 2½ to 3 hours, until the rice is tender, stirring after 2 hours, if desired

7.
Taste and season with the salt and pepper as required, fluff with a fork, and let stand 10 minutes prior to serving.

NOTE
: If you have trouble finding pigeon peas, use either chickpeas or black-eyed peas.

VARIATION

Use canned pigeon peas, drained and rinsed; add with the rice to the slow cooker, skipping the first slow-cooking step.

Thai-Inspired Green Quinoa

I
LOVE THIS COMBINATION
of flavors, and it is for me one of the perfect ways to serve quinoa. It’s easy and looks pretty to mold it into a cup, ramekin, or small bowl and turn out onto a serving plate, especially if using as a side. If allowed to cool it makes a great quinoa salad. If you’re not a super quinoa fan, skip it and just cook the chickpeas as written, and use them as a snack or side dish on their own; they are so flavorful. This is a great dish to make while at work—start the chickpeas before you leave, then when you come home you can add the remaining ingredients and still have some time to do other things before dinner is ready. The chickpeas can handle a longer cooking time if need be.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes, divided

½ cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed

2¾ cups vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade (
page 43
)

½ medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 stalks lemongrass, minced, plus 1 stalk, trimmed and crushed

One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and scored or crushed
 

1 cup quinoa

2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste

1 cup chopped green beans cut into ¼-inch pieces, or 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

½ teaspoon salt
 

2 spring onions, finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
 

Salt and black pepper

*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on
page 39
.

1.
Combine the chickpeas through the ginger in the slow cooker.

2.
Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 8 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender. Remove the crushed lemongrass stalk and ginger.

3.
Add the quinoa through the salt; stir to combine.

4.
Cover and cook 1¼ hours, or until the quinoa and beans are tender and the liquid is absorbed. Stir after ¾ hour, if desired.

5.
Stir in the spring onions and cilantro.

6.
Just prior to serving, taste and season with the salt and pepper as required.

Winter Vegetables and Quinoa