Vegetarian Lemon Rice With Artichokes and Chickpeas

This recipe was inspired by RecipeZaar Lemon Chicken and Rice With Artichokes and RecipeZaar Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf. I think that it’s a nice vegetarian hybrid between the two.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1  medium onions or 1  large onion
• 1  medium red bell peppers or 1  large red bell pepper
• 6  garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  cups brown basmati rice (not instant) or 2  cups rice, of your choice (not instant)
• 1  lemons, juice of or 2  lemons, juice of
• 3  cups vegetable broth or 3  cups chicken broth, if you prefer
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained (cut into quarters if they don't come that way)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
• 6  tablespoons parmesan cheese (if you prefer)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in very large pan with a lid.
2. Add rice and sauté until golden brown.
3. Add onions and red bell pepper and sauté until soft and onions are translucent.
4. A couple of minutes before onions and red pepper are soft, add the garlic (I don’t know about you, but I do this to prevent the garlic from burning).
5. Stir in broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.
6. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is tender.
7. Remove from heat; stir in artichokes and chickpeas.
8. Cover for about 5 minutes to make sure they get warm.
9. When serving, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.