Rice-A-Roni is delicious. It had always been a quick meal idea that everyone liked. So, maybe everyone liked it because a package has 3100 mg of salt. Sometimes you make sacrifices for convenience. The real problem is that I've only found one that's even vegetarian and I haven't found a single one that's vegan.
A few months ago, I found this recipe. And it sent me down a path that ended with a post today. First off, if I have a cooking albatross, it might be rice, so I always use jasmine or basmati. It took a few tries to get the right amount of broth and to get a consistent outcome. During that time, i decided that it took very little seasoning; just a little pepper and thyme and far less than a tablespoon of salt (yikes, Rice-a-roni folks). I added a sauteed onion and a little celery for crunch and I was done.
We have a new quick & tasty weeknight treat and it has less fat, way less salt and its 100% vegan. This time it's a 500 miles north of San Francisco treat!
Fried Rice and Vermicelli
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1/2 cup angel hair pasta, broken into pieces
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I use chicken flavored)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and saute until the onion is soft. Stir in the rice, pasta and garlic. Saute until the pasta begins to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice is done.
Note: for the angel hair pasta, it's easiest to take a small amount of pasta at a time and break it apart with your hands. You can also chop it with knife, which is more uniform, but it's messier. You'll be finding little pasta pieces in your kitchen for months.
5 Servings: 312 cal (6g fat, 57g carbs, 6g protein)
Bun Cha
3 days ago
I believe the Spanish and Pilaf Rice-A-Roni flavors are vegan... Use vegan butter of course... Your version looks great!
It looks like you might be right. According to their website, the pilaf has chicken broth and fat, but Spanish Rice looked all right. Thanks.
As an interesting side note, three of the ingredients had MSDS sheets and one of them included the following, in case of ingestion:
"Do not induce vomiting. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband. If the victim is not breathing, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Seek immediate medical attention."
Ah, processed food, how we love/hate thee!
P.S. I've always had a hard time with rice, too. I think my problem is that because I buy from the bulk bins at the co-op, my rice is much more fresh than I assume, thus it takes MUCH less water. I've learned to adjust, and don't always end up with mushy messes any more!
Crap sorry not the Pilaf but the Long Grain & Wild Rice flavor! It's bad for you anyway but for lazy's it's an option... Love your blog BTW
MSDS sheets. Wow, scary.