I am always looking for a quick and easy side dish because I get so tired of doing the same old “green beans” or “mashed potatoes” thing. Here are a few rice dishes you might want to try:
Herbed Rice Pilaf
For this recipe, you will need long grain rice, celery, onion, butter, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, dried oregano, and dried thyme.
To prep for this recipe, you will need to chop enough celery to make one cup and enough onion to make 1/2 cup.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a skillet over medium heat, saute 2 cups of uncooked long grain rice, one cup of chopped celery, and 1/2 cup of chopped onion in 1/4 cup of butter. When the rice is brown and the vegetable are tender, transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. In a separate bowl, combine 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme. Mix well then pour over the rice mixture. Cook in the oven for 50 minutes.
Harvest Rice Dish
For this recipe, you will need chicken stock, brown rice, wild rice, butter, three onions, brown sugar, cranberries, mushrooms, slivered almonds, orange zest, salt, and pepper.
To prep for this recipe, you will need to slice the three onions into 1/2 inch wedges. Slice enough mushrooms to make 2/3 cup.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup of wild rice, and 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring that to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the wedged onions and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Saute until the onions are transparent and tender. Lower the heat and cook for another 20 minutes until caramelized. Add 1 cup of dried cranberries and 2/3 cup of sliced mushrooms. Cook until the cranberries start to swell. Add 1/2 cup of slivered almonds and 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest and stir well. Fold this mixture into the rice mixture then salt and pepper to taste.