While turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie are all featured at the Thanksgiving table, the holiday season is also a wonderful time to reinvent and introduce new dishes to families and friends.
Take some familiar Thanksgiving ingredients, add a bit of spice, and share dishes like Curried Cranberry Walnut Rice.
Curried Cranberry Walnut Rice is a fusion dish of Asian and Western ingredients. Curry seasoning and soy sauce give the rice a punch of flavor and heat, while the olive oil, butter, thyme and parsley balance the dish out.
Then there are the festive touches – crunchy walnuts and speckles of dried cranberries for surprising bites of sweetness and nuttiness. And for the vegetarians out there looking for a hardier dish, you can also toss in cubes of roasted butternut squash.
Celebrate the season with new dishes like Curried Cranberry Walnut Rice, or more familiar ones with a touch of extra spice. And continue the tradition of slowing down by cooking up Thanksgiving dishes with fresh ingredients. It’s the one day of the year when food is the center of attention, and all of us are so thankful when we take that first bite.
Curried Cranberry Walnut Rice
Ingredients
- 5 cups of cooked brown rice*
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 cloves of garlic – minced
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- A dab of butter
- 1 tbsp of Season with Spice’s Sweet Curry Powder or more if you like it spicier
- 2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp of water or vegetable or chicken broth if you have it handy
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup your choice of nuts – coarsely chopped I used walnuts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- To toast the walnuts, spread the chopped nuts over a large skillet or frying pan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until walnuts are toasty and fragrant. It should take about 3-6 minutes depending on the type of nuts you use. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Using the same pan, heat olive oil. Add in minced garlic, dried thyme and butter, and then sauté gently over medium-low heat until fragrant (about half a minute).
- Add in cooked rice, followed by curry powder, soy sauce, water/broth. Stir well to combine – adding more water/broth if necessary to prevent the rice from drying up. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until the rice is warmed through.
- Stir in dried cranberries and walnuts, and then season with salt and black pepper.
- Remove from heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, and serve immediately.