I only recently began experimenting in the kitchen with clean recipes. In the beginning I followed other people’s recipes, until I could get the hang of it and felt comfortable throwing clean ingredients together for a clean meal. My biggest disappointment in the recipes that I have followed is their lack of flavor. My husband has commented multiple times that something was just kind of bland or perhaps needed something added to make it just right. Now that I am more comfortable navigating the kitchen in the pursuit of delicious clean meals, I refuse to forfeit flavor.
So I present to you, my first clean recipe for this blog. Recipes may be few and far between as I am still learning, but I hope you bear with me and enjoy the things I share.
Brown Rice and Veggie Soup
This recipe makes a large pot of soup that can be divided into as many or few servings as needed.
Nutrition information for the entire pot using the exact ingredients I used:
Calories: 2013 Carbs: 350 Fat: 36 Protein: 67 Fiber: 27
Ingredients
2 cups dry brown rice
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
0.5 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Juice of one lime
1 cup low fat milk
Approx 1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 cup frozen corn
1.5 cups frozen peas and carrots
Seasonings/Spices — I used salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, onion powder, ground thyme and chili powder — feel free to mix it up however you prefer
Cook the rice according to the package
While the rice is cooking, place a frying pan on the stove with the burner on med-low heat
Once the pan is hot, add the diced onion and sprinkle salt all over (this will help reduce the moisture of the onion)
Occasionally stir the onion to allow all of the moisture to dry up
Once the onion begins to turn golden, add the garlic, butter and olive oil
Continue stirring until golden brown or caramelized, whichever you prefer
Once the rice and onion are finished cooking, remove both from the heat and place a large pot on the burner at medium heat
Add chicken broth and onions
In a 2 cup measuring cup, pour 1 cup of milk. Spoon yogurt into the cup until the measurement is 2 cups
Pour that in with the chicken broth and mix well
Add corn, peas and carrots and bring to a simmer with the lid on
Once simmering, add your seasonings
Seasonings are tricky. What I like isn’t always what you like, so grab a soup spoon, taste and adjust to your liking. I used a small amount of cinnamon, thyme and pepper — a medium amount of chili powder and salt — a large amount of onion powder and cumin. I tasted several times until it was just right.
Add the rice, stir well
Replace lid and bring back to a simmer
Eat! (We served ours with grilled chicken breast and avocado, although it is tasty just on it’s own as well)
The whole process took me approximately 45 minutes. Had I cooked the rice ahead of time, it would have taken more like 30 minutes — making it an easy, weeknight meal. It served great as leftovers — the rice had absorbed most of the liquid the next day and it could easily be served in tortillas for lunch at the office.
