Thanksgiving Archive: Raisin Walnut Spiced Rice

November is here!

I'm holed up, hard at work on my new novel. And my husband is off to NYC for work, so I'll have no excuses not to get a serious amount of work done. 

It's also NaNoWriMo this month (National Novel Writing Month), and many people will be trying to crank out first drafts (50,000 words) in four short weeks. Now, I'm not one of those crazies, but I do feel some solidarity in that I am hard at work on my first draft (and already have about 25,000 words and a very solid outline/sense of where this bad boy is going).

I'm also launching a new writing-focused website soon, where I'll be blogging about my writing (and more personal stuff). There will also be information my novel, which is currently 'on submission' to publishers, and other fun things (for a sneak peak go to www.jenniferdawnbrody.com).

And with November comes that great American feast we call Thanksgiving. This month, I'll be digging into my vaults to bring you my favorite T-Day recipes. 

To start us off, I'm posting my recipe for Raisin Walnut Spiced Rice. This is sort of like a fried rice, but with different flavor profiles. I love making it in place of a traditional bread stuffing. It's far healthier, using whole grains and incorporating greens, and more flavorful, too. Fresh ginger, shallots, and raisins add nice sweet and spicy flavor. This recipe has also been featured my Meatless Monday.

And stay tuned all month long—lots of great T-Day recipes are coming your way!

Raisin Walnut Spiced Rice

Serves 4-6 people people

Cooking time: about 20 minutes

Vegan; gluten-free

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups long grain brown rice, cooked
• 1 shallot, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 cups Swiss chard, chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
2. Add the shallots and saute for a few minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the ginger and cook for another minute until fragrant.
3. Next add the raisins and walnuts and cook for a few minutes. 
4. Add the Swiss chard and stir into the mixture. Continue cooking the chard until it's tender.
5. Finally, add the rice to the mixture and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another ten minutes, stirring occasionally. The rice should take on a nice, nutty flavor. Stir in the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients

• organic Swiss chard from Studio City Farmers Market
• organic shallot and ginger from Hollywood Farmers Market
• organic long grain brown rice from Whole Foods
• jumbo raisins and organic walnuts from Trader Joe's