Vegetables, Wild Rice and Sausage
1 Cup Wild Rice (I used Lundbergs)
2 Cups and 2 oz. Water
1+¾ tsp chicken stock concentrate (bouillon), (low sodium, no MSG), OR substitute the water above with chicken stock.
1-2 Cups Butternut squash in ½" squares, (seeded and skin cut off)
½ Cup Frozen Petite Peas
½ Cup Frozen Corn Niblets
½ tsp butter
½ tsp garam masala
1 zucchini, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 Tomato, (Vine Ripe), diced small
1 Red Onion, diced small
1 Small head of broccoli, cut into small Florentines
½ tsp Olive Oil
3 hot link sausages, cut into small squares
Spice Blend: Makes enough for a few recipes
3 peppercorns, ground fresh
1 clove, ground fresh
1 green cardamom seed, (insides only)
1 black cardamom seed, (insides only)
¼ tsp whole cumin, ground fresh
1/8 tsp whole black cumin, ground fresh
¼ tsp ginger powder, (or fresh minced)
¼ tsp garlic powder, (or fresh minced)
¼ tsp coriander
¼ tsp cinnamon
chili powder
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp mace
1/8 tsp turmeric
pinch saffron (about 3 or 4 strands)
Once the spices are ground mix them all together and set aside, lets call it: Biryani Spice Blend
NOTES: Instead of the sausage, you can substitute chicken, shrimp, beef or pork. (Bacon is great in this dish!) Just keep the meat portions down to equal a deck of cards in size for each serving in order to keep this a very healthy meal. My go to chicken stock is "Better then Bouillon" brand.
Instructions
In a saucepan with a tight fitting lid, add the water and wild rice and 1½ tsp chicken concentrate. Bring to a boil, over heat to lowest setting and let simmer 55 minutes. When done remove from heat and let sit with cover on for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, get a small saucepan and fill with 2-3" of water, depending on how much butternut squash you are using. Salt the water (1 tsp salt). Add the cubed and seeded butternut squash and boil until tender. Strain and give a small sprinkle of ground pepper and salt (¼ tsp each), set aside when done.
Using the same technique, boil the corn and peas until warmed through, drain and set aside. Add 1/2 tsp butter to the corn/peas mix along with a sprinkle of garam masala (about ¼ tsp).
For the broccoli and zucchini, I use a technique called dry frying, similar to stir frying in a wok. High heat, relatively little or no oil and some spices. So get a heavy duty frying pan and turn up the heat to high. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil, just to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the zucchini and broccoli pieces, sprinkle with the spice blend (try a small amount at first ½ tsp) and taste after a few minutes. Toss them around every 45 seconds, until they all start getting a small char on (Charring occurs usually on a BBQ Grill, its that blackened look). Taste and add another sprinkle of the spice blend if needed. After about 5 minutes add about 2 oz. of water mixed with ¼ tsp chicken concentrate, pour over broccoli and zucchini, stir once, wait until the stock boils out, mix the broccoli and zucchini into the peas and corn blend, set aside.
Now warm up those sausage pieces, if you use a precooked sausage, that is all you need to do, warm them up, if, however, you are using a raw sausage, you need to cook it thorougly. Drain any grease from the sausages. Now mix all the vegetables together with the sausage in the large fry pan, add the rice, sprinkle with some of the spice blend, add salt to taste (1/2 tsp??). Finish with another sprinkle of garam masala (about ¼ tsp). Enjoy!
