AMAZING Lebanese Style Dish with Sundried Tomatoes and Fresh Mint
Maybe I am just imagining that what I just made is Lebanese because I am still mourning the loss of my favorite San Diego Lebanese joint, which has turned into another taco stand :( I had something that was SO good there and I can't remember the name (or if it had chicken even, since I used to eat meat when I went there) but I tried my best.
At any rate, it was mmm-mmm-good. I just threw in whatever I had on hand - you definitely do not even need half the ingredients I used, but I put all of the ideas out there so you can be as creative as you want.
Middle Eastern Garbanzo Seitan Rice Pilaf with Sundried Tomatoes and Fresh Mint
The recipe I wrote up is too long to include here, but here's the main gist of it:
Ingredients
Rice and Garbanzos (Chickpeas):
* 1/2 c. brown rice, basmati rice, or brown basmati rice
* 1 c. dried chickpeas (or 1 can)
Seitan (optional):
* 8 oz. seitan
* 1 tsp. cumin, ground
* 1 tsp. paprika
* Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Sundried Tomato & Fresh Mint Paste:
* 1 c. parsley
* 1/2 c. fresh mint
* 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2. sundried tomatoes (if you use ones preserved in oil, decrease olive oil)
* 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 c. pine nuts (optional)
* Salt, to taste
Optional:
* Kalamata olives
* Goat cheese or feta cheese
* Capers
* Lemon juice
Rice and garbanzos:
If you want to use dried garbanzos, soak them overnight. Discard the soak water. If you use canned garbanzos, rinse them and drain them.
Using a pressure cooker, cook rice and chickpeas with water for 20 minutes. If you cook them in a saucepan instead, you'll need to cook them longer (around 40 minutes).
Seitan:
Cut seitan into small pieces (1/2 in. cubes) and saute in a cast iron pan with paprika, cumin, and pepper until cooked through. (If you aren't cooking the rice & chickpeas in a pressure cooker, you can just toss this in with the rice & chickpeas and cook it in there.)
Sundried Tomato & Fresh Mint Paste:
If sundried tomatoes are not preserved in oil, reconstitute them for a minute in warm water. Then mix all seasonings in a food processor or blender and grind them until they form a thick paste. Transfer to a cast iron pan and saute until it smells delicious. (If you don't cook the rice and chickpeas in a pressure cooker, you can just toss this stuff in with the rice and chickpeas to cook it instead of cooking it in a separate pan)
The Big Finish:
Combine rice, chickpeas, seitan, and sundried tomato and fresh mint paste together and mix well. If you wish to add capers, kalamata olives, lemon juice, or cheese, mix that in too. Enjoy!
Makes about 6 cups.
Use this to flavor the rice/chickpea/seitan dish I made here, or as a sandwich spread, pizza sauce, or even a pasta sauce. I would make a lot to have with brown rice and then freeze the rest to use later.
At any rate, it was mmm-mmm-good. I just threw in whatever I had on hand - you definitely do not even need half the ingredients I used, but I put all of the ideas out there so you can be as creative as you want.
Middle Eastern Garbanzo Seitan Rice Pilaf with Sundried Tomatoes and Fresh Mint
The recipe I wrote up is too long to include here, but here's the main gist of it:
Ingredients
Rice and Garbanzos (Chickpeas):
* 1/2 c. brown rice, basmati rice, or brown basmati rice
* 1 c. dried chickpeas (or 1 can)
Seitan (optional):
* 8 oz. seitan
* 1 tsp. cumin, ground
* 1 tsp. paprika
* Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Sundried Tomato & Fresh Mint Paste:
* 1 c. parsley
* 1/2 c. fresh mint
* 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
* 1/2. sundried tomatoes (if you use ones preserved in oil, decrease olive oil)
* 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/4 c. pine nuts (optional)
* Salt, to taste
Optional:
* Kalamata olives
* Goat cheese or feta cheese
* Capers
* Lemon juice
Rice and garbanzos:
If you want to use dried garbanzos, soak them overnight. Discard the soak water. If you use canned garbanzos, rinse them and drain them.
Using a pressure cooker, cook rice and chickpeas with water for 20 minutes. If you cook them in a saucepan instead, you'll need to cook them longer (around 40 minutes).
Seitan:
Cut seitan into small pieces (1/2 in. cubes) and saute in a cast iron pan with paprika, cumin, and pepper until cooked through. (If you aren't cooking the rice & chickpeas in a pressure cooker, you can just toss this in with the rice & chickpeas and cook it in there.)
Sundried Tomato & Fresh Mint Paste:
If sundried tomatoes are not preserved in oil, reconstitute them for a minute in warm water. Then mix all seasonings in a food processor or blender and grind them until they form a thick paste. Transfer to a cast iron pan and saute until it smells delicious. (If you don't cook the rice and chickpeas in a pressure cooker, you can just toss this stuff in with the rice and chickpeas to cook it instead of cooking it in a separate pan)
The Big Finish:
Combine rice, chickpeas, seitan, and sundried tomato and fresh mint paste together and mix well. If you wish to add capers, kalamata olives, lemon juice, or cheese, mix that in too. Enjoy!
Makes about 6 cups.
Use this to flavor the rice/chickpea/seitan dish I made here, or as a sandwich spread, pizza sauce, or even a pasta sauce. I would make a lot to have with brown rice and then freeze the rest to use later.