Cooking Lessons for Dad

Cooking Lessons for Beginners

Spiced Winter Squash Pilaf with Raisins

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Spiced Winter Squash Pilaf with Raisins is a warm, comforting dish that highlights the natural sweetness of winter squash paired with gentle spices and tender raisins. Cooked together with brown rice, this pilaf has a cozy, well-balanced flavor that works beautifully as a side dish or a light main.

Everything is prepared in the rice cooker, making it an easy, mostly hands-off recipe. It’s a flexible dish that can be adapted to the squash or vegetables you have on hand, and it pairs especially well with lentils or hearty bean dishes.

Below you’ll find the full recipe and a step-by-step video showing how to make it.

Spiced Winter Squash Pilaf with Raisins (Rice Cooker)

Spiced Winter Squash Pilaf with Raisins (Rice Cooker)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 2½ cups water
  • 3 cups diced winter squash (1/2 inch cubes)
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1–2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼–½ cup raisins

Instructions

    1. Add all ingredients to the rice cooker and stir gently to mix.
    2. Cover and cook on the Brown Rice setting until the rice cooker completes its cycle.
    3. When the cooker switches to Warm, let it rest for about 20 minutes with the lid closed to finish steaming.
    4. Fluff the pilaf gently with a fork, taste, and add more salt, pepper, or spices if desired.
    5. Serve warm as a side dish.

Notes

  • Trombocino, butternut, acorn, delicata, and kabocha squashes all work well in this recipe.
  • Trombocino and delicata have tender, edible skins and do not need to be peeled. Butternut, acorn, and kabocha should be peeled before dicing.
  • For extra color and flavor, you may add up to 1 cup diced vegetables such as carrots, peas, or bell peppers.
  • Serve with lentil patties or a hearty bean dish for a complete meal.

© Karen Breyer

Spanish Rice in a Rice Cooker

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Learn how to make Spanish Rice in a Rice Cooker! In this video Karen Breyer will show you step-by-step how to make delicious Spanish Rice in a Rice Cooker. This is the easiest way to make delicious, healthy Spanish Rice!

If you have been looking for easy, healthy rice recipes you will want to add this Easy Spanish Rice recipe to your recipe collection. It is so easy to make in a rice cooker! You just add the ingredients, stir and turn on your rice cooker! Before you know it you will have delicious, healthy Spanish Rice for dinner. I am always looking for healthy dinner ideas and I think this rice recipe is a winner!

If you are trying to eat more healthy food, this is a perfect side dish with plenty of flavor. This Spanish Rice recipe uses brown rice and other healthy ingredients that are easy to find. Try cooking this delicious Spanish Rice in a Rice Cooker and find that this is your best Spanish Rice recipe and rice cooker recipe! Watch this video and try this Easy Spanish Rice recipe today!

Yield: 6 servings

Spanish Rice in a Rice Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (2 rice cooker cups) brown rice
  • 3 cups (or up to the water line) water
  • 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies (including juice)
  • 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 3 - 4 teaspoons chicken style broth/seasoning, instant
  • 2 tablespoons onion, minced (dried)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Add rice and water to the rice cooker.
  2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
  3. Cook according to your rice cookers instructions for brown rice.
  4. Fluff and serve.

Notes

I usually use long grain brown rice for this recipe.

I often use a popular brand of diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chilies but you can use any similar variation of these tomatoes.

I use a vegetarian instant chicken broth/seasoning that has no MSG or preservatives. It has a great flavor.

You can use regular liquid chicken broth in place of the chicken seasoning and water.

Just pour the chicken broth up to the appropriate water line in the rice cooker.

© Karen Breyer

 

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