Slow Cooker Spanish Rice (Vegan)

Slow Cooker Spanish Rice

adapted from The Simple Little Vegan Slow Cooker by Michelle A. Rivera

This deliciously colourful dish pairs well with black beans to shut up anybody who asks, “where do vegans get their protein?”)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups water or vegetable broth

1 can (15 oz or 444 mL) diced tomatoes with liquid

1 cup white rice

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

1 cup frozen corn

½ cup green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

¼ cup onion, diced

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped. If you dislike cilantro, substitute with parsley.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

 

Method:

Put all ingredients in a slow cooker, and mix well to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with black beans and raw red pepper sticks, with half an orange for dessert. The black beans combined with rice make a complete protein, and the red pepper sticks and orange provide Vitamin C to help you absorb the non-heme iron in the beans.

 

Notes: Whereas we know that brown rice is more nutritious than white, for this particular dish, white rice will work better. Brown rice doesn’t always cook well in a slow cooker, and for presentation purposes, the white rice works better because it soaks up the juices in the tomato, making it the colourful dish it’s meant to be. Enjoy!

 

Remember that I always double most recipes because I can’t keep up with the voracious appetite of my 5-person family otherwise.

 

This recipe is part of Meal Plan #1.