Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 6 cups just cooked, hot rice
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion (like Maui, Vidalia or Walla Walla)
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

While rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients as
follows: remove stems from cilantro, roughly chop
then put into a food processor with garlic and onion.
Process until everything is finely chopped.

When rice is cooked and still very hot, combine
with cilantro mixture, salt and pepper to taste. At
this point you can let sit covered for 5-10 minutes to blend flavors
then serve, or bake at 350 degrees for 20 -25 minutes and then
serve. Either way is good. The rice takes on a greenish hue
that looks pretty. This dish goes well with Mexican
dishes as a substitute for “Spanish Rice”.

Serves: 6-8.

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 jar prepared grape leaves (or other vine leaves)
• 1.5 cups rice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 onions, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon of each: cinnamon, mint,
• 1 teaspoon of each: allspice,
• olive oil

• lemon wedges
• hot water

Directions:

The spices may seem like a strange combination, but this is
a wonderful, delicate traditional Turkish dish with a twist.

Sautee onions in olive oil in pan, add rice and add hot
water to cover. Cover and simmer until rice is half cooked.
Turn off heat, add tomato paste, currants, nuts, and spices.
Let mixture cool. Meanwhile, rinse grape leaves well in warm
water and drain. Cut off the large stem of the leaf as these
are inedible. Prepare a stock pot by placing an inverted
plate on the bottom to protect the dolma from direct heat.
When rice mixture is cool, place 1 teaspoon or less in
center of leaf, fold in right and left sides, then roll the
leaf until you have a tiny ‘cigar’. Place the dolma in the
stock pot. Repeat until all grape leaves and/or stuffing is
finished. Add about 1 inch of warm water to the stock pot
(just reaching the bottom of the first layer of dolma),
cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the rice inside
the dolma is totally cooked. Check water level often. This
dish is traditionally served chilled, but I prefer it warm.
Squeeze lemon over the dolma immediately before serving.

Serves: 6-8

Preparation time: 2 hours

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (save some cooking water with it)
• 1 cup cooked basmati rice (leftover is fine)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh bazil, chopped (a handful)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute onions and garlic in oil; add basil, sage, celery seed, salt and pepper and cook
until onions are soft but not brown. Add quinoa and rice, saute 5 to 10 mins, adding some
of the quinoa water as necessary to keep moist.

Serves 4 side dish or 3 main dish.

Preparation time: 20 mins

Serves:

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 2 cups cooked barley
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon non-hydrogenated vegan margarine

Directions:

Mash barley to a grits-like texture.
Bring broth to a boil, and add barley grits.
Cook on medium heat, stirring contstantly
until broth is absorbed and polenta is hot.
Stir in margarine.

Transfer to a greased baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.
Slice and serve with gravy.

Alternate serving method: Skip the baking step, and serve
barley grits right from the pot, as you would grits or
mashed potatoes.

Serves: 4

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 3 cups of brown short grain rice
• hummus (you can make your own - below)
• 100gr grated vegen cheddar cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 leek
• 2 spring onions or 1 onion
• 1 zucchini
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon vegan white wine vinegar
• ground pepper

Directions:

Start off by boiling the rice
add rice to hummus and grated cheese.
(To make hummus, blend 1 can chick peas with 150ml of Tahini
and the juice of two lemons)

To make the sauce:

Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in pan.
Fry garlic onions and leeks gently and add the Fenugreek.
Add carrot and green pepper and finally the zucchini. Cook
for about 10 mins.
Add tomato puree vinegar and ground black pepper and leave
to simmer for another 10 mins.
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 3.
Butter a medium sized loaf tin.
Pour in half of the rice mixture
then top with the sauce mixture.
Finally finish off with the rest of the rice mixture
and grated cheese on top.
Cook in the oven for around 30 mins.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 1 hour