Mixed Vegetable Rice is a perfect “all in one” meal. If you’re feeling a bit peckish, serve it alongside Cauliflower Bhaji or Split Moong Dal soup. The recipe is quick, nutritious in every bite, and the Indian spices are cleansing for your body. Can’t seem to get your kids to eat their veggies? Cooking the veggies with the rice softens, seasons, and let’s be honest, camouflages the green stuff, as opposed to those green guys sitting there on the side of a plate, glaring at your kiddos. Saying that, Jake and I had to most amazing day this Sunday, picking fruit and vegetables from our friend Kira and Dave’s garden. Lettuce, cucumber, green onions, basil, sage, rosemary, lemons, plums. We made tacos in the evening, and Jake sat there eating the lettuce leaves from the garden with nothing on it, oohing and ahhing, “umm Mommy, lettuce from the garden!” Never say never. With thanks and praise, our children are constantly full of surprises.

Picking plums

The Butch Bunch.

The Princess of Posies

Mixed Vegetable Rice

2 cups basmati rice
1 cup green beans, topped, tailed, and spilt in half
1 cup cauliflower buds
1 cups diced carrots
1 tomato diced
2 tbs ghee or butter
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 bay leaves
4 cups filtered water, salted with 1 tsp of sea salt

1. Rinse the rice in a fine sieve and soak for 20 minutes. Set aside.
2. Wash and trim the vegetables. Steam them in batches, adding them to a medium sized bowl: carrots for 2 minutes, cauliflower for 1 minute,  green beans for 1 minute. Set the the bowl of steamed vegetables aside.
3. Heat the ghee or butter and saute the ginger for one minute then add the spices, cooking for another 2 minutes. Add the vegetables, except the tomatoes, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the rice and add to the pan of vegetables, stirring once or twice. Gently pour in the salted water. Stir again and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed.

Serves 6

Related posts:

• Steamed Kale, Carrots, and Shiitake Mushrooms with Toasted Tamari Pumpkin Seeds A day in the life: breakfast, dress and drop the kids to school, work hard all day, sit through bumper to bumper traffic each way,  pick up the kids, then arrive home by 6 pm exhausted. Ring any bells? I bet the first thing on your mind when you wa...
• Vegetarian Kebabs with Smoky Tempeh One thing came to mind with all the hooplah surrounding the Supreme Court's decision to allow the Affordable Care Act to stand this week: rather than debate over the variables of the law, shouldn't Washington (and every American for that matter) ...
• Sweet Potato Pudding I grew up with a sugary-sweet, marshmallow-topped version of sweet potato pudding, which was partnered up with cooked meats and overcooked green beans or heavily spiced collard greens. I can already hear some of you saying "Umm Umm," but ...