Vegan Dirty Rice

Dirty rice is a classic dish with roots in the southern United States, particularly in the Creole and Cajun regions of Louisiana. This flavorful dish is believed to have originated in West Africa and was brought to America through the transatlantic slave trade. The name "dirty rice" comes from the appearance of the dish, which is speckled with ground meat, typically chicken liver or ground beef, along with vegetables like bell peppers, onions, and celery. Seasoned with a blend of herbs and spices such as thyme, paprika, and cayenne pepper, dirty rice was traditionally a way to stretch ingredients and make a hearty, satisfying meal. Over time, variations of the dish have emerged, incorporating different proteins and seasonings to suit individual tastes. Today, dirty rice remains a beloved comfort food with a rich history that reflects the diverse culinary influences of the American South.

I love dirty rice and find it to be a great side dish for crispy chicken. Of course I’m talking about vegan ingredients and not actual chickens so don’t @ me. I also love to eat it as a meal by itself because the rice and vegan meat substitute combo is very satiating. I often have leftover dirty rice and of course I’m not going to waste it so I change it up a bit and make dirty rice egg rolls. That recipe will be it’s own blog post.

You will have to decide what kind of vegan meat substitute you want to use. You can use anything but sausage and ground beef are what is usually in dirty rice. It really doesn’t matter whether your meat is the precooked frozen crumbles or the uncooked ground meat substitute. Ideally you want 12 to 16 oz. of product.

The ingredients you will need are:

• 1 cup of uncooked rice

• 1 1/2 cups of imitation chicken bullion or vegetable stock

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 Tablespoon of oil

• vegan meat substitute

• 1 bell pepper diced small

• 1 jalapeno diced small

• 1 celery stalk diced small

• 1/2 of an onion diced

• 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon of thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon of oregano

• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper {optional}

• salt to taste

Cook the rice in the imitation chicken bullion along with the bay leaf. You can use a rice cooker or just cook it in a pot with a lid. Put the rice and bullion in a pot with the bay leaf and bring it to a boil. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and let it lightly simmer for 10 minutes then turn off the heat and let it sit with the lid on until all of the liquid is absorbed. That should take about 10 minutes. When it’s done remove and discard the bay leaf. Set the rice aside for later.

In a very large pan saute the onion, garlic, jalapeno, celery and bell pepper in the oil over medium low heat. You want to cook this mixture low and slow to get it lightly browned but not let anything burn.

Add your choice of vegan meat substitute to the cooked vegetable mixture. If you have chosen to use one that requires cooking you’ll want to fully cook it at this time. If you are using a precooked frozen vegan meat substitute you can just cook it until it’s heated through.

Now add the rice to the pan along with the onion powder, thyme, oregano, black pepper and cayenne pepper if you’re choosing to use it.

Cook everything together, mixing up thoroughly until it has a uniform appearance. You don’t want any clumps of rice that haven’t been integrated into the mixture.

Serve by itself or as a side dish. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator or freezer. This dish freezes well and comes back well reheated in the microwave.