Lemony Kale Rice
By the Gracious Vegan
This recipe started from one of the many recipes for “green rice,” which usually use parsley for the green. They also often call for a lot of butter. I wanted to engineer a solution with kale as the “green” and without butter or oil. It definitely took some experimentation, but I think I’ve hit it. The key is a white sauce made with cashews and tofu. Delish!
Soak cashews in cold water at least 2 hours, or pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak 20 minutes. (I recommend this even if you have a high-speed blender.)
1/4 cup cashews
Prepare 3 cups of cooked brown rice.
1 cup raw brown rice + 2 cups water, cooked according to package instructions (other options include shelf-stable rice or frozen rice, such as Trader Joe’s)
Blend the following ingredients together in a blender until smooth.
The soaked cashews
1 cup water
1/4 cup tofu (any kind)
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (What is Nutritional Yeast?)
1.5 Tablespoons flour (any kind)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Pour the blended mixture into a microwave-safe bowl or large measuring cup and microwave it on high for 1.5 minutes. Then whisk it and microwave it for another 1 minute and whisk. It should be a smooth, thick sauce. If it’s not thick, microwave it for another minute or so.
Microwave onions in a microwave-safe bowl until soft, about 3 minutes.
1 small-medium onion, diced
Finely chop the kale and parsley in the food processor (it may take two batches).
4-5 ounces kale (4-5 large leaves)
1/2 cup parsley (loosely packed)
Mix everything together (rice, white sauce, onion, kale, parsley, and lemon zest) in a big bowl.
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Spoon the mixture into a sprayed medium casserole dish (about 7” x 10”). On the top, sprinkle crumbs and spray with spray-oil.
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
Oil spray (optional)
Bake for 375° for 25-30 minutes till bubbly and golden on top.
Timing: About an hour, including baking
Gluten-free if gluten-free flour used