Coconut Rice Curry Soup

This soup is spicy and satisfying, not to mention very easy to make!

Start by dicing up one large onion and sauteing it in olive oil.  Add one diced bell pepper and one heaping tablespoon of thai red curry paste (more if you want it really spicy).  Stir occasionally for four minutes.

Add one cup of rice (I prefer a mix of brown and wild rice, but use what you have) and four cups of water.  You can use veggie stock instead for extra flavor.  I add the water and then two veggie bouillon cubes.  Bring to a simmer and keep it on medium-low heat for 40 minutes.  Stir occasionally so rice doesn't stick to the bottom.

While soup is simmering, chop up one large sweet potato into 1/4" cubes... and decide how you want to cook it.  You have options here:  either roast at 500 degrees until the cubes are soft and browned (about 20 minutes, give or take), or just throw them into the simmering soup after the 40 minutes are up, and let it simmer another 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.  If you roast the potatoes, coat them in a little olive oil and curry powder.

After the rice is fully cooked, add 1 can of coconut milk plus another cup of water.  Then add 1 tsp tamari (or soy sauce), salt and pepper to taste, and 2 tsp tumeric for color.  Stir the soup and heat it for another 5 minutes until the coconut milk is warmed up and mixed in well with the rest of the soup.  Then pour in your roasted potatoes.

Garnish with cilantro/lime/cashews.  Serve very hot.

Herbed Rice & Bean Pilaf

The most delicious and filling rice-and-beans I've ever had... if I do say so myself!

You will need:

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup dried bean mix (I love Tru Roots Sprouted Bean Trio)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups whole baby spinach leaves
1 tomato, diced
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Optional:  6 halved bell peppers

Start by cooking the rice and the beans - in separate pots - following the package cooking instructions for each.  Brown rice generally cooks for 45-55 minutes, and Tru Roots Sprouted Bean Trio needs only 5 minutes on the heat, and 10 minutes off the heat.

In a separate frying pan, combine onion, carrot, and bell pepper.  Saute until golden, then add spinach and mix until wilted.  Add tomato, remove mixture from the heat, and stir in all spices.

When rice and beans have cooked, add them to the pan, mix, and season as required.

Optional:  stuff rice pilaf into bell peppers and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.