Lemon Garlic Wild Rice and Veggies (Dairy & Oil Free) - Ready in 10 minutes!

I don't know if it's the weather, life with a toddler, or the seemingly endless responsibilities that pile up daily, but I have been very lazy in the kitchen lately. I want to make the quickest, easiest, and healthiest meal possible with very little effort.

Enter in this Lemon Garlic Wild Rice and Veggies meal. It's super easy (ready in 10 minutes), can be made with any veggies you happen to have on hand (fresh or frozen), and just about any grain (pasta, quinoa, millet, and any kind of rice) work; this is the recipe that keeps on giving because you can make it many different ways!

I've made this numerous times, with many variations, as noted above, and it is always filling, delicious, easy, and healthy. If you tend to be short on time during the week, batch cook rice, quinoa, or millet, and store in the freezer. Take out the night before, or even as you prepare the meal, to save on time. Freezing these foods will not effect the consistency, but I would avoid freezing pasta.

What you need:

3 cups cooked wild rice  (quinoa, millet, pasta, rice)

3 cups fresh or frozen veggies of choice (I've used asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, squash, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, onions, peppers, green beans, kale, spinach - all are great but the tomatoes are a must for me!)

1/3 c pine nuts (I buy in bulk and store in freezer to keep fresh)

1/4 c water

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

5 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1. Water saute veggies and garlic until tender (If using frozen rice, add it now).

2. Add Italian Seasoning, pine nuts, and salt and pepper. Continue to cook over low heat.

3. Add the cooked wild rice and lemon juice. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve and enjoy!

Why pine nuts??

You may or may not be avoiding oil in your diet. We try to limit oil or avoid it altogether. There is a lot of misinformation out about oils; healthy oils vs unhealthy oils. In my opinion, no oil is a good oil to ingest. Oils, are highly processed and nearly all the nutrients are removed, leaving behind a highly caloric fatty food devoid of any nutritional value.

Pine nuts solve this problem. By cooking pine nuts, the natural oils are slowly released into the food, keeping the nutrients, while providing that "lightly oiled" flavor/feel. I absolutely love using them for meals like this because it seems to pull everything together like oil would, while providing calorically dense nutrients, without the unwanted empty calories and fat. If you've never tried this, it is a must!

Click here for more information on the health benefits of pine nuts.

Below are a couple links to get you started on the journey of researching oils; I always encourage you to learn and find what works for you!

Dr. Esselstyn on oil

Engine 2 on Oil

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