Parsnip and Celery Pilaf (Ww Core)

justcallmetoni's Note:

A quick and easy side dish to accompany any autumnal meal. It also goes very will with chicken or pork dishes that include fruits or preserves. Quick cooking brown rice makes this not only delicious but fast. If you use water chestnuts, this is WW Core.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1/3 cup celery, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked instant brown rice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (if you use boullion instead of broth, consider omitting)
• 1/2-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 3 cups fat-free chicken broth or 3 cups vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons diced water chestnuts or 3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add parsnip, celery and onions, and cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the vegetables brown.
2. Add rice and the next 5 ingredients (rice through broth), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. (Consult the package of your brown rice for exact cooking time.
3. (Optional) If you are using almonds, you can quickly toast them on the stove in an untreated non-stick skillet.
4. Stir in water chestnuts or almonds.
5. For Vegetarian use vegetable broth option.

Reviews

[smellyvegetarian]

This was yummy, and I'm so excited to find a new and creative recipe for parsnips. I had forgotten how much I like them!! I highly recommend using a very flavorful bouillion or adding at least some of the kosher salt; I omitted it and ended up adding salt at the table. Next time I might leave the water chestnuts whole for crunch, too. I also had some difficulty with the liquid amount, and needed to pour off about a cup of broth after the rice was cooked. That said (and those really aren't complaints, just observations), I really enjoyed this and will definitely make it again! Thanks for posting! Made for Healthy Choices 2008.

[Mirj]

Oh yum! Sweet and savory and healthy as well, how perfect can this side dish be? The sweetness of the parsnips is not so overpowering and the whole dish comes together well. I didn't have any instant brown rice so I just cooked up regular brown rice in the microwave and made the rest of the recipe as it and at the end combined the two parts. Sushiman is allergic to almonds and I didn't have any water chestnuts available, so I used cashews. I served this with Brandied Chicken Breasts (Treasure Trove #3) and an Israeli salad and we had a fantastic Wednesday night family dinner!