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Oven-Baked Rice Medley

Preheat oven to 350°F

Try this oven-baked rice recipe. It bakes in 30 minutes at 350°F, so it is ready in the time it takes to rest and carve a roast. 

Pour two cups of good quality chicken broth into an ovenproof casserole and heat on high in the microwave for two minutes per cup.

Sauté finely chopped fresh mushrooms with onions or shallots. I sometimes use the last third of an onion and the end of a package of mushrooms. This rice is also delicious made with only broth. 

Add the veggies to the hot chicken broth. Add one cup of raw white rice (not processed) to the liquid, along with a rounded teaspoon of butter. Stir the mixture until the butter melts. Place a lid on the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check to be sure that the broth is fully absorbed. If the rice looks cooked, remove the casserole from the oven. Fluff the rice, replace the lid, and let the rice stand for up to 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

The rice can be refrigerated for up to three days or frozen in individual portions. Brown rice can be prepared this way but will require 50 minutes or more to cook.

Tips:

I often toss half a cup of grated carrots or beets into the dish for the sitting period at the end. The steam from the hot rice cooks the grated vegetables, and the extra colour is lovely. 

Once you are comfortable making rice in the oven, try using other liquids and different vegetables in your medley. I have made oven-baked rice with pineapple juice instead of broth, adding chopped apples, celery, and onions to the mix. I've also tried mixing coconut milk, kidney beans, and a bit of chilli powder. Have fun! 

Beet and Carrot Cake

I love October! The colours in my home reflect the colours outside. Whenever I look at our Saskatchewan riverbank in autumn, I am reminded of my late aunt’s delicious beet-carrot cake.

There are many ways to enjoy beets and carrots, but they are most versatile when grated. If you are going to grate vegetables, grate extra. They will keep in the fridge for a day or two until you put them to good use. Always wear a dark colour when grating beets, because, inevitably, a bit will land on your clothing. If you just can’t find an hour for processing vegetables, pre-grated carrots and beets are now available at grocery stores.

I suggest you start using your stash of grated veggies by making several beet-carrot cakes. This recipe has been in my file since the early sixties. The recipe came to me from my aunt who had enjoyed it for decades.

I remember, as a young mother, freezing nine or ten of these cakes, double wrapped for perfect preservation. You can bake them in your preferred shape – layers or loaves. I sometimes freeze them iced and store them in appropriate cake or pie savers. If you pre-cut the cakes and store the slices separately, you can share a piece, with a friend, at a moments notice.

Beet and Carrot Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large bowl, mix

3 egg yolks (Set the whites aside, to add later)

1½ cups of white sugar

1 cup of your favourite salad oil (In the 60s, we used corn oil)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 tablespoons of hot water

Add the following ingredients to the bowl, mixing until just moistened. 

1 cup of grated raw beets

1 cup of grated raw carrots

½ cup of chopped nuts (Pecans or walnuts)

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

In a medium glass bowl, beat the three reserved egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Fold the stiffly beaten egg whites into the mixed cake batter. Spread batter into two well-greased loaf pans, or two eight-inch rounds.

Bake the loaves at 350°F for 45 minutes, or until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans. 

Ice with your favourite cream cheese icing or try my Mind Blowing Caramel Coconut Icing.

These cakes freeze well.

Other Ideas For Enjoying Your Grated Vegetables 

1.Mix beets and carrots together with salad dressing for a beautiful slaw.

2. Add half a cup of each vegetable to hot rice when it is cooked. Replace the lid. In about ten minutes stir the cooked veggies into the rice. I freeze this mixture in small containers for a quick lunch. 

3. Add grated vegetables to chicken broth and microwave for a minute or two. 

4. Mix 1 cup of grated vegetables with a tablespoon of olive oil or butter and microwave-cook on high power for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring at two-minute intervals. 

5. Make Madame Benoit's famous Carrot Oatmeal Cookies. 

6. Add eggs and grated onions to beets and carrots and make vegetable fritters. 

Madame Benoit's Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

I refer to these delicious, nutritious cookies as breakfast cookies. They don't crumble when eaten, so they make perfect treats to enjoy in the car. They keep, for a few days, in a tin, and they freeze well. This Carrot Oatmeal Cookie recipe was the first one I tested from Madame Benoit Cooks at Home back in 1982. Madame Benoit wrote me letters after I reviewed her book. You can read about my connection to Madame Benoit here. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup soft shortening

2 eggs

⅓ cup of milk

1 cup grated raw carrots

1½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon of cinnamon

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

2 cups of oatmeal

1 cup of seedless raisins

Step One:

In a medium bowl, cream the sugar, shortening, and eggs until light and creamy. Add milk and carrots, and stir until well mixed.

Step Two:

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add salt, oatmeal, and raisins. Stir together, coating the raisins with the flour mixture.

Step Three:

Blend the dry raisin mixture with the creamed mixture. The batter will be quite stiff. Drop by spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies at 350° F for 15 minutes or until brown all over.