Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole

[Guest guest]

Vegetarian Brown Rice Casserole

 

This was one of the most popular dishes at Greens Restaurant

in San Francisco.It looks large but is fast to make.

 

4 C cooked brown rice

(1 1/3 C raw) Half block of tofu (8-to-9 oz)

1 lge onion

2 med carrots

2 stalks celery

1 green pepper

2 med zucchini or other summer squash

6 oz mushrooms, wiped clean

1 T olive oil

1 T butter

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 t nutritional yeast (optional)

1 t ground cumin seeds

1 t salt

1 C mushroom broth, vegetable stock, or water

6 oz grated cheese (Jack, muenster, Cheddar or Gouda)

Pepper

Fresh herbs: parsley or cilantro, thyme, marjoram, for garnish

 

Cook rice, set the tofu on a slanted board or pan to drain,

and prepare the vegetables. Chop the onion, carrots, celery,

pepper, and zucchini into pieces about 1/2-inch square.

Quarter mushrooms if they are small, and cut them into

sixths or eighths if they are large. Cut the tofu into

1/2-inch cubes. Heat the olive oil and the butter and fry

the onion over medium heat until it is lightly browned,

about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, nutritional yeast, if

using, cumin and salt. Stir until blended and cook for 1

minute. Add the carrots, celery, green pepper and 1/2 cup

of the liquid, cover pan, and braise the vegetables until

they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and

mushrooms and cook 7 to 10 minutes. The vegetables should

be nearly, but not completely, cooked. If the pan gets dry

while they cook, add a little more liquid.

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the vegetables with rice and

cheese. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black

pepper. Gently mix in the tofu, and put mixture into lightly

oiled casserole. Add a little more liquid to moisten. Cover

with foil and bake 1/2 hour. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes.

Garnish with fresh herbs.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.