Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

For Christmas I gave Sandy the most beautiful paella pan. It is huge. So huge in fact we could both sit in it and use it for sledding if we really wanted to.  My not entirely subtle hope was that she would venture into making this Spanish sensation into a vegan dish one day soon.  Originally served as a Sunday brunch type of dish in Spain, Paella is more Sandy’s style than mine as all things rice typically come from her side of the kitchen.  I’m happy to report that only 5 months and change later, she decided  to fire up the new pan and give it a try.

Sandy researched Paella recipes to get a feel for ingredients and measurements.  One of the things that she read in more than one place by reviewers was that the veg paella dishes they were trying were bland….which has no place in our house.   So, seasonings, prepare yourselves, here comes a kicked up, fresh approach to a veg paella.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Veg Paella

By S. Boulton

Ingredients:

½ tsp saffron threads

1/3 C dry white wine

2 C basmati rice

4 C vegetable broth

½ C + water  (added later if needed)

2 bell peppers of your choice, seeded and chopped (I used 1 yellow and 1 orange)

1 tomato chopped

½ C parsley chopped

2 C asparagus, chopped in large pieces

1 C artichoke hearts, rough chopped

1 C peas

½ C kalamata olives chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp oregano

5 Tbsp liquid aminos

4 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp crushed red pepper

Make it Happen:

Soak the saffron threads in the dry wine in a glass and set aside.  Put veggie broth in pot and heat.  Lightly coat paella pan or over-sized skillet with spray oil, heat on low.  Saute chopped peppers and 1 tsp of garlic powder for 3-4 minutes in paella pan.  Remove from pan and set aside, lightly spray pan again and add dry rice to pan, stirring gently on low heat until the rice slightly yellows in color.  Add the hot veggie broth to rice and bring to low boil.  Add peppers back in, tomato, parsley, 4 tbsp of liquid aminos, 3 tsp of garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, crushed red pepper and the wine and saffron.

Photo By: S. Duquet

Mix all together thoroughly and simmer on low heat until liquid evaporates and rice is cooked, about 25 minutes.   I needed to add another ½ C of water, stirred and continued to heat because the rice needed some more time to cook through.  I’m told by some enthusiasts that stirring the rice is a “no-no”, but I had no other choice, it was not cooking evenly in our large paella pan.   Meanwhile, with about 10 minutes remaining, simmer asparagus, artichoke, peas, olives, oregano and 1 tbsp of liquid aminos in lemon juice (I used the same pot the broth was in earlier).

Photo By: S. Duquet

When the rice is done, top with the asparagus mixture or blend into rice.  Serve and enjoy.

Note: You could easily add  veggie meat substitutes to this dish, like italian sausage, soy-rizo or any host of other tasty morsels. The goal for this dish was to design it using only veggies to create the perfect base recipe to add on to.

Kale Trail Update

We went to a real running store and were fitted for new running shoes. The entire experience felt more anxiety producing than purchasing the KIA. The new shoes and wicking socks were nearly as much as the KIA. I believe in having the right tools for the job but the experience felt intimidating. On Sunday we ran our first 5K of the season. The sun was warm and the crowd was generous with support. We rocked it and I felt really proud.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, going veg, plant based diet, plant strong, Spanish rice dish, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan brunch, vegan challenge, vegan entree, vegan experience, vegan paella, vegan recipe, vegan wannabe, veggie paella