Vegan Dirty Rice

Dirty rice is a traditional Creole dish made from white rice that gets a “dirty” color from being cooked with meats, bell pepper, celery, and onion. Well we’ve decided take our dirty rice vegan and to add as many veggies as can possibly fit in our saucepan. Our recipe for Vegan Dirty Rice also includes black beans that are rehydrated overnight, but feel free to swap in canned black beans if you’re short on time. Just make sure to rinse and drain well.

Vegan Dirty Rice

We’ve taken traditional Creole dirty rice and turned it vegan! Our recipe for Vegan Dirty Rice skips the meat and replaces it with black beans and as many veggies as we could fit in the saucepan. Substitute canned black beans – be sure to rinse and drain – and you can have this on the dinner table in about 30 minutes.

Serving size: ½ cup, Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/3 cup Black Beans, Dry

2 tsp Vegetable Oil

2 tsp Garlic, Minced

1/3 cup Yellow Onion, Chopped

1/3 cup Celery, Finely Chopped

1/3 cup Green Bell Peppers, Chopped

2 tsp Thyme, Fresh, Minced

1/3 tsp Cayenne Pepper

½ cup Long Grain White Rice, Dry

1 cup Vegetable Stock

1 oz Okra, Sliced

¼ lb Tomatoes, Fresh, Diced

1/3 tsp Salt

1/3 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Cover black beans with water and soak overnight. Drain beans and place in a saucepan; cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until beans are tender. Drain, and set aside.

2. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes stirring frequently.

3. Add bell pepper, thyme and cayenne pepper. Sauté 2 minutes.

4. Pour the rice into the saucepan and stir to coat. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil over high heat.

5. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Simmer the rice for 25 minutes, or until tender.

6. Stir in okra, tomatoes, and reserved black beans. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Info (per serving): 120 calories, 2 gm fat, 0 gm saturated fat, 135 mg sodium, 20 gm carbs, 1 gm sugar, 3 gm fiber, 4 gm protein

All month long, we’re sharing favorite summer barbecue dishes, lightened up. Fill your plate with lean proteins, whole grains, and plenty of greens to eat well and feel well all summer long. Pair this dish with our recipe for Spicy BBQ Chicken Breast and stay tuned for more summer barbecue recipes.

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