Vegan Lemon Parsley Rice from our local Whole Foods, Colorado

I focus on feeding my family fresh plant-based meals.I have always valued health. I hope to instill this lifestyle in my own children. Maintaining a healthy diet is even more important to me now that I have a family of 5. Health is really the center of who we are. We love finding fresh + health-giving foods from our local Whole Foods in Colorado.

Whole Foods carefully regulates which foods + companies they place on their shelves in order to maintain the focus on health-giving products for customers. Some "ingredients" that are not found in the store are high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and artificial flavors + sweeteners + preservatives + colors. I love the selection of nutritious foods at our local Whole Foods. I also love to create fresh meals with the produce I find in the store as well.

Lemon Parsely Rice + Fresh Sautéed Vegetables

Ingredients:

Rice:

2 Cups Rice

4 Cups Water

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Rice Seasoning:

1 Bunch Fresh Parsley

3 Tablespoons Jarred Minced Garlic

1 Fresh Lemon

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt + Pepper to taste

Sautéed Vegetables:

1 Bunch Easter Raddishes

2 Large Portobello Mushrooms

2 Cups Sliced Button Mushrooms

1 Green Pepper

1 Red Pepper

1 Zucchini

1/2 Red Onion

Olive Oil for Sautéing

Directions:

Prepare rice according to package directions. Many rice varieties are 1:2 ratio of rice to water. Add olive oil instead of butter for a vegan option. Prepare your pot of water for your rice as you begin to work on the next steps of your meal.

Wash the lemon. Next, grate your lemon rind over a medium sized bowl for your rice seasoning. Grate 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon rind. Then, slice your lemon + squeeze two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into your mixing bowl. Reserve remaining lemon juice to add to vegetables or rice to taste. Then, add 3 tablespoons jarred minced garlic to the mixing bowl. Then, add 1 tsp of pink Himalayan salt + 1 tsp of fresh cracked pepper to your mixing bowl (adjust to taste). Wash the bunch of fresh parsley. Next, mince the parsley on a cutting board. Add one cup of fresh parsley to your mixing bowl. Mince the remaining parsley + reserve as a garnish toping for the rice.

Next, place a large colander in your clean sink. Wash your vegetables. Begin to slice your vegetables to sauté in the frying pan. Chop the vegetables lengthwise on a large cutting board + place on a large clean plate. Fill your large frying pan with 1 tsp of olive oil + place a thin layer of vegetables in the pan. Turn heat to medium high. Turn vegetables with a spatula + continue to watch the rice. As the first batch of vegetables are cooking, slice the Easter radishes + arrange on plates. Watch vegetables in the pan + continue to turn. As the vegetables become sautéed, transfer to plates + add additional vegetables to sauté.

Once rice has cooked + you've allowed it to stand covered according to package directions, add the prepared mixing bowl of rice seasoning to the pot of rice. Stir + cover until vegetables are finished sautéing.

When the vegetables are all sautéed, scoop rice onto individual plates. Sprinkle the reserved minced parsley on the top of the rice. Drizzle a small amount of reserved lemon juice on top of the rice as well. Add sautéed vegetables around your rice. Set your table with salt + pepper to add to taste.

For kids, try placing some sautéed vegetables in a corn tortilla with rice added on top + roll up. Kids generally love food rolled in a tortilla.

For a garlic allergy, omit garlic and substitute 1 bunch minced chives (if chives are tolerated, they are in the same botanical family as garlic). My son, Bowan, once had a garlic allergy. He has since outgrown it + now often eats all forms of garlic with no reactions. As, hives on the face were his previous reaction as a toddler.

Enjoy your fresh, family-friendly meal! This batch of rice should be enough to allow you to save 1-2 servings of rice for lunch for the following day. Try adding it to corn tortillas with fresh vegetables + a sliced avocado, for a quick grab-and-go lunch option. Do you modify the presentation of your dinner for your kids? Like, adding your meal to a tortilla for them? I'd love to know in the comments.

Photography by: // Lindsey Lee & Co.