Easy Peasy Saffron Yellow Rice

You probably think this is some kind of special occasion dish - nothing could be further from the truth. This is easy and quick, once you have a bit of saffron hanging around your pantry (and actually you can make this without saffron and it will be delicious, but won't have that saffron spice taste or beautiful yellow color.) I also chose to make this with Arborio rice, which is the rice typical of Risotto because of its short grain and creamy taste and al dente bite. It's absolutely fantastic for this dish, but you can use plain white rice.

Vegan Cooking Level: Beginner

Ingredients

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

1 regular tomato, diced

1 garlic clove, shredded

2 cups uncooked arborio rice

1 pinch saffron

1 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cups veggie broth 1 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced fresh spinach

How To

Step 1: Add 2 tbsp. veggie broth to a high-sided skillet on medium heat and add onion, pepper, tomato and garlic to the pan and saute until translucent and softened. Add veggie broth to the pan 1 tbsp. at a time, if veggies stick.

Step 2: Add the rice to the pan, along with the saffron, veggie broth and rest of the seasonings and stir.

Step 3: Cook over medium heat, uncovered for about 20 minutes (if you chose brown rice, you need to double the time and add 1/2 cup bit more liquid. If you chose plain white rice, increase the liquid by 1/2 cup). Half way through, add the peas and spinach and stir gently. When the mixture starts to dry, taste test the rice. If it seems done and all the liquid is absorbed, it's done. If still tough, add some more veggie broth and keep going. The rice is meant to crystallize, or form a crust, at the bottom of the pan (called "soccarat" in Spanish), but if you smell burning, turn down the heat!

Let the rice set and cool a bit (10 mins) before serving which releases the "soccarat" from the bottom of the pan so you can scoop it onto your plate!

Enjoy with my delicious ChickPea Paprikash