Meg Wolff: Vegan For The Super Bowl? Do It With Dirty Rice

Who said Super Bowl food can't be vegan?

I had a plant-based potluck and my friend " Crazy Dick" Rich Curole and his wife Lori, made a to-die-for dirty rice entree. Rich says he's been working to perfect it for some time and I think that he's got it just right because both my 13 year-old nephew and my 21 year-old daughter proclaimed it "the best dish!"

So when I made it one Sunday and watched my husband chow it down while watching football on television, I knew it would be the perfect Super Bowl food!

See how this super easy dish is prepared in The Good Day Cafe.

Sweet Potato Dirty Rice
1 sweet potato, chopped in small 1/4 inch square pieces (approx. 2 cups)
2-3 level teaspoons of Crazy Dick's Cajun Spice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 onion, chopped (approx 1 1/2 cups)
2-4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1-2 Tablespoons pre-chopped garlic from jar)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 16-ounce package of tempeh, broken up into small pieces
(Optional) 2 teaspoons olive oil (This can be water sauteed with 1/4 cup water for NO OIL diets)
2 cups (uncooked) brown basmati rice (use 4 cups of cooked brown rice, if you are using leftovers, or frozen rice)

To cook brown rice:
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add 2 cups of brown basmati rice (or short grain is OK, too), bring to a boil on high, turn to low and simmer for 1 hour.

While your rice is cooking chop the sweet potato, onion, garlic and green pepper.

In a dutch oven or cast iron skillet, add olive oil (or 1/4 cup of water) and saute the sweet potato for about 5 minutes. Add the other vegetables, spice, tempeh and continue to saute for about 5-10 more minutes.

Rich's note: Many traditional Dirty Rice dishes call for celery seed. If you include it, go lightly as celery seed is potent and can easily over take the dish. I once added a teaspoon to an earlier attempt at dirty rice and it was far too much.

Do you have any plant-based Super Bowl recipes? Have any ideas about side dishes to accompany this entree? Please share your ideas and comments right here in my Huffington Post comments section! I love all of your great ideas.

For another vegan Super Bowl favorite check this out!

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meg-wolff/sweet-potato-dirty-rice-vegan_b_1198010.html

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