This is a super easy and delicious one-pot meal. I found it when going through old recipes the other day. Another plus is that you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand. It’d be a great postpartum meal for a friend home with a new baby, or for anyone on a chilly night. Enjoy!

Vegan “Chicken” Biryani

adapted from Cooking Light, January 2009

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 package vegetarian “chicken” pieces for cooking (like Beyond Meat, Tofurkey, Quorn, or Gardein). Tofu (drained, pressed, cubed) would work well, too.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala or curry powder of your choice
• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• one 15 oz can chopped tomato, or 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice (or whatever white rice)
• 1/3 cup golden raisins (or whatever raisins)
• 1 (14-ounce) can low sodium veggie or “no chicken” broth
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (if you have and like)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• one lime, cut into 4 wedges

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add “chicken” to pan; sauté 3 minutes.
3. Add onion and jalapeño; sauté 3 minutes.
4. Add ginger, garam masala, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 30 seconds.
5. Add tomato, rice, raisins, and broth; bring to a boil.
6. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. Stir in cilantro. Plate, and sprinkle with almond slices; serve with lime wedges

(I’m sure you could use brown rice, but you’d probably have to simmer the rice for 40 minutes.)