Recipe: Vegetable Paella from Vegan Without Borders by Robin Robertson

Saffron is traditional in this voluptuous Spanish stew, but if you don’t have any you can leave it out and you’ll still have a delicious dish. If you’re not a fan of eggplant, substitute diced mushrooms. For a heartier dish, add 8 ounces of diced seitan, vegan sausage, or steamed tempeh.

This recipe is from Vegan Without Borders by Robin Robertson © 2014, Andrews McMeel Publishing. Used with permission.

 

Vegetable Paella

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice (or long-grain brown rice, see Note)
• 1½ cups vegetable broth
• 1 pinch of saffron threads
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (15.5-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
• 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• ½ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely minced lemon zest

 

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic, eggplant, and bell pepper and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in the rice, 1 cup of the broth, and the saffron, paprika, bay leaf, oregano, red pepper flakes, and diced tomatoes and their juice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the chickpeas, artichoke hearts, peas, and olives. If the mixture seems dry, add the remaining ½ cup of broth. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest and cook until the rice and vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot.

 

Note: You can use brown rice instead of the traditional white rice, if you prefer, but it will take longer to cook, so allow more time.

 

Serves 4

Gluten-free | Soy-free | Low Oil