New Orleans Style Bean and Rice Casserole - a recipe for when it's cold outside

As part of the Veetee Rice Blogger Community, I have created a vegetarian recipe for a tasty, wholesome family meal for when it's cold outside. Using a pack of Veetee microwave New Orleans Style Rice, it is quick and easy to make a warming pot of Bean and Rice Casserole. It is a one pot meal, perfect for the winter, flavoured with the tastes of the deep South - chilli, smoked paprika and earthy kidney beans. The recipe makes a big pan full, perfect for feeding your hungry hordes!

New Orleans Style Bean and Rice Casserole

Ingredients 

2 red onions chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

2 carrots chopped

2 potatoes chopped

1 sweet potato chopped

1 tin of chopped tomatoes with garlic and chilli

1 tablespoon tomato puree

300ml vegetable stock

3 cans of beans (kidney, aduki, chickpeas, butter, black etc)

1 teaspoon coriander leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprkia

ground black pepper
(1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a spicier dish)

1 pack Veetee New Orleans Style Rice

150ml coconut milk

oil for frying

Method

Put onions into a large saucepan and gently fry for 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Add chopped vegetables and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Pour in tomatoes, tomato puree and stock and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to simmer.

Add drained beans and corander and ground black pepper and simmer for 25 -30 minutes until vegetables are tender. (Add boiling water if it starts to boil dry.)

Microwave the rice for 2 minutes and add to the pan, stirring through.

Continue to simmer for a further 10 minutes until thickened.

Stir through coconut milk and heat through.

This dish is also great for the slow cooker. This is how I made it. Add everything except for the rice and coconut milk to the slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour then on medium for 3 hours. Add heated rice and coconut milk and cook for a further hour until rich and thickened.

A Mexican Fiesta with Veetee Rice

Veetee have sent me a hamper of products and challenged me to make something delicious using their microwaveable rice with a world cuisine theme. As a big fan of Mexican food, I decided to use the Spicy Mexican Style Rice as a base for two vegetarian dishes that are quick and easy to make and are totally family friendly, bringing a taste of Mexicana to my home for everyone to enjoy.

Mexican food is colourful, vibrant and deliciously tasty, with a smoky warmth and a kick of chilli heat. Eating it conjures up images of Latin American fiestas, plazas selling street food, Mariachi bands playing and the chilled vibe of the 'manana' lifestyle. Mexico seems to embody a passion for life that is reflected in the cuisine itself.

I really enjoyed creating Smoky Bean Burritos and a One Pot Mexican Spicy Rice and Quorn Chicken dish using the Veetee rice, which were both very much enjoyed by the family. Having the Veetee rice pre-cooked and seasoned makes it an excellent ingredient for adding to dishes, saving time and adding flavour. Here are the recipes.

Smoky Bean Burritos

8 large tortilla wraps

1 onion chopped

1 carton of chopped tomato with garlic and chilli

1 tablespoon smoky chipotle sauce

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of chickpeas

1 pack of Veetee Spicy Mexican Style Rice

grated mature Cheddar cheese

Fry the onion in a deep frying pan.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and add beans, tomato puree and smoky chipotle sauce.

Cook for about 10 minutes until slightly reduced and combined.

Microwave the Veetee Spicy Mexican Style Rice for 2 minutes on high.

Add to the pan and stir through.

Take each tortilla wrap and put a big spoonful of the bean and rice mix into the centre.

Top with grated cheese.

Fold into parcels to make the burritos.

Put in an ovenproof dish.

Top with a little more grated cheese and pop into a pre-heated oven at GM 6 for 15 minutes.

Serve with salad, guacamole, salsa and sour cream. They are also delicious cold!

One Pot Mexican Spicy Quorn and Rice

1 pack of Quorn fillets defrosted

1 tablespoon of smoky chipotle sauce

oil for frying

1 handful of frozen peppers

1 pack of Veetee Spicy Mexican Style Rice

Chop a packet of defrosted Quorn fillets into chunks.

Fry in a little oil and add a tablespoon of smoky chipotle sauce to coat and season.

Add a handful of frozen mixed peppers and cook through for about 3 minutes.

Add one packet of Veetee Spicy Mexican Style Rice and stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes until piping hot and combined.

Serve with freshly boiled corn on the cob.

Veetee Heat and Eat microwave rice is available from most major supermarkets with an RRP of £1.49. Available in Spicy Mexican, Thai Jasmine, Peri Peri and Pilau flavours, which are suitable for vegetarians. Each pack serves  1 as a meal or 2 as a side, or it can be used as an ingredient in recipes.

www.veetee.com

Quorn & Vegetable Satay Recipe - served with Veetee Egg Fried Rice

Veetee sent me some of their microwaveable steamed rice in a hamper and challenged me to come up with a recipe.  I made a vegetarian Quorn and Vegetable Satay, which is the perfect partner to the Veetee Egg Fried Rice.  The recipe is so quick and easy and you can be enjoying a yummy Chinese meal from scratch in about 20 minutes.  The Veetee rice is really time saving and convenient, cooking in its tray in a microwave in just 2 minutes, and is a great accompaniment to a home cooked Chinese style meal. The eggs used in the Egg Fried Rice are free-range, which is good to know, and the quality rice gives a great, light and fluffy result.

The ingredients I used were enough for a family of four, served with two trays of the Veetee Egg Fried Rice as an accompaniment.

Here is my recipe video:

                                 


Look out for the new wholegrain rice from Veetee too.  Another great cupboard staple for quick meals.