I rarely splurge and buy fancy mushrooms. By fancy I mean anything other than plain, white button mushrooms. But this recipe was completely worth it.
I used a wonderful hodgepodge of oyster, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms for this savory Mushroom Rice Pilaf. Coupled with nutty brown rice and a little bit of thyme it is delectable. And since brown rice takes a while to cook, you can enjoy the aroma, get something done in the meantime, and devour this delicious mushroom fest 40 minutes later.
I was so excited to find this Pacific Natural Foods Unsalted Vegetable Stock in a total dorky-food-blogger way, which is really the only way someone can get super excited about vegetable stock. Most vegetable stocks or broths have sodium levels that are through the mushroom cap (assuming that I’m a small, mystical fairy standing under the mushroom cap like an umbrella).
The only ingredients in this stock are veggies and water! If you read the label, the sodium level is still 65mg per cup. I’m wasn’t sure why, so I emailed the company, and they promptly replied that it is due to the natural sodium found in the vegetables. Yay for zero additives!
If you can’t find this brand, then go for an organic, low-sodium variety without MSG or other nasty additives. Another option is to use half water and half stock or broth to reduce the salt level.
Mushroom Rice Pilaf
6 oz. assorted mushrooms (I used portobello, oyster, and shiitake)
2 cups lowest sodium vegetable stock (or broth or water)
1 cup long grain brown rice
Leaves from 3-4 sprigs of thyme (about 1-2 tbsps)
- Add the mushrooms to a non-stick saucepan, and cook them for 3-4 minutes by themselves.
- Add the vegetable stock and rice. Stir to combine.
- Bring the vegetable stock to a boil.
- Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 35 minutes (or 5 minutes less than the instructions indicate for your rice).
- Stir in the thyme. Cook for the another 5 minutes until the rice is done.
And if you still don’t know how to make it…
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