Vegan
(4 Servings)
2 cups short grain Brown Rice
3 ½ cup Water
1/2 Tbsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 Cardamom pod
1 tsp Caraway Seeds
2 Tbsp Salt
2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
2 medium Sweet Yellow Onions, julienne
2 Apples (Pink Crisp), (skin on) julienne
1 tsp Salt
1 pinch Saffron
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, destemmed, chopped
2 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary, destemmed, chopped fine
Coconut Oil
15 large Shiitake mushrooms
1 medium Eggplant
Salt
Directions:
Crush the cardamom pods with the back of a knife and scrape out the seeds and discard the pod.
In a medium size sauce pot with a lid, add the brown rice, water, spices, seeds, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover it with the lid and reduce it down to a simmer until cooked, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, on high heat, add 2 Tbsp coconut oil, the cut apples and onions. Sauté to evenly coat them in the oil and season with 1 tsp salt. Reduce the heat to low and put a lid on the pan. Occasionally stir the mixture so it evenly caramelizes and prevents it from burning. Cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the thyme, rosemary, and saffron. Put the lid back on and set aside.
Coat another large sauté pan with an even layer of oil and put it on high heat. Once the oil is hot add the mushrooms and season with a good pinch of salt. Sauté until golden brown. Put the cooked mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and then in half lengthwise again, and then once more so you have total 8 sections. Slice the sections about 1 inch across.
In the same large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp of oil on high heat. Once the oil is hot add about half the sliced eggplant, season with a pinch of salt and sauté it until cooked, slightly golden. Transfer cooked eggplant to the bowl of mushrooms. Repeat the process for the second half.
Plate ¼ of the brown rice per plate surrounded with the golden shiitakes and eggplant, topped with the caramelized apples and onions. Enjoy!
