Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Vegetarian Paella

Just like *that*, I am back in the meal rut. I experience this lull often and it seriously gets me down. Sticking to the same ingredients, same styles, same recipes. It's monotonous and tiresome. On the flip side, those spare couple of hours required to produce the perfect, healthy, tasty meal, don't exist around here. Organisation and planning are the keys I am thinking, but until such time as I can properly do either of these, I'll have to settle for some simple options like the one I cooked this evening.

I have always loved paella, but never attempted to make it. So the only time I get to enjoy it, is when I have Spanish, which isn't often. When I saw a recipe for vegetarian paella in none other than my new copy of the Women's Weekly 100 Family Meals cookbook (surely I should have shares in these publications by now), it was just begging me to give it a try. I mainly lean towards vegetarian meals, with the exception of chicken and fish and occasionally some mince meat. Therefore I'm forever on the lookout for vego inspiration. However, I am married to one of the biggest carnivores on the planet, so there is generally some tweaking. For this dish, I cooked up a couple of chorizo sausages, chopped them up and threw them into Scott's portion. Everyone satisfied.


The only thing I would add to this recipe to give it a little more oomph would be a sprinkle of fresh chilli or even a pinch of chilli flakes. I was very impressed by the rich colours in this dish. So pretty. Low fat too, with only 6g total fat (1g saturated) per serving. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Paella

2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
3 cups (750ml) water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium red onion (170g), chopped finely
2 medium tomatoes (300g), seeded, chopped finely
1 medium red capsicum (bell pepper) (200g), chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
1 3/4 cups (350g) arborio rice
1 cup (120g)  frozen peas
100g frozen baby beans
1/4 cup (30g) seeded black olives, sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine stock and water in medium saucepan; bring to the boil. Remove from heat
Heat oil in large frying pan; cook garlic, onion, tomato, capsicum, turmeric and paprika, stirring, until vegetables soften
Add rice; stir to coat in mixture
Stir in stock mixture; bring to the boil
Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until rice is almost tender
Sprinkle peas and beans evenly over surface of paella; simmer, covered, about 5 minutes or until rice is tender
Add olives and parsley; stand, covered, 5 minutes


11 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh that looks YUM! I was just looking at a seafood paella recipe the other day thinking I would love to try a paella dish myself sometime. This one's going on my list!

    Thanks for sharing Jules. xo

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  2. Mmmm.
    Love that you can cater for individuals with it too.
    Lots-a olives for Magoo, none-a olives for me.
    Lots-a chilli for Hubby...
    :-)

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  3. That looks fab! I have only made chicken paella (with chorizo of course!) but this veggie version looks scrumptious (and much lower in fat). Thanks for the recipe. I will give it a try sometime and let you know how it goes :-)

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  4. Drooling! My Dad's a vegetarian, so I am always on the look out for vegie dishes to serve when Mum and Dad come for dinner.

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  5. Oh my gosh that looks good! Especially since my dinner this evening consisted of a glass of wine and a few water crackers!!! When's my invite to dinner coming???!!!

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  6. that looks sooo good, and healthy too! will have to give it a try! xx

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  7. That looks absolutely delicious. Love me my veggie food! X ashley

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  8. That sounds delicious - I am going to have to give that a go!
    x
    Melissah from Coastal Style

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  9. Mmm, that DOES look good! We're veggie here, and so I'm ALWAYS making paella and risotto. I often find it needs more flavour, but chilli is something I've never tried! Thanks for the suggestion - and yes, having to feed a carnivore would be hard for you if you're trying to keep meat out of your diet!

    Thanks for sharing! xx

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  10. That looks scrummy, I'll have to give it a try! thanks x

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  11. Just printed off your recipe. Looks so amazing. I have often popped over to your blog and read a post or two. Seems you are on most sights I visit so today decided to follow. Thanks for having me, hope to see you over my place soon. Cheers SpecialK XoXo

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