Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Hello dear hearts and gentle people.  This is my very first post!  This blog is going to be quite random, but awesome at the same time.  I am going to post recipes, my thoughts on life, and my experiences living in Italy for a year..and whatever else I feel like!

By the way, I have been corrected on our generation's misuse of the word random, and I am well aware of that.  I think it's kind of funny, actually, so I still use the word at random. Ha! It's all part of that "Gen Y" mentality, right?

Well, I haven't left for Italy yet, but I thought this recipe would be a good way to get ready for the food I will be eating there--I am guessing lots of rice!  For those who don't know me, I have been eating a gluten-free diet for over a year now, and have never felt better.  In a later post I will get into details of the diet and why I eat gluten-free and all that.  Gotta give you some reason to come back and read, right?!

Today's recipe I literally put together in 10 minutes, and it was ready in 20.  It sounded good after a cold cross-country ski.  I got the idea, surprisingly, from an advertisement for chicken broth.  I added a little of my own twists, and think you can too if you so choose. I love it because it really is packed with some good nutrition.

My parents both tried it and really liked it, and the first thing my Mom said was, "It's like Rice-A-Roni, homemade!" Hence the title.

Before I give you the recipe, you need to know that I am not big on measuring exactly, so I am giving you somewhat estimated amounts.  For this recipe and those that follow, please keep that in mind!  And don't get mad at me if it turns out terribly.  I never said you can't blame me though--that I can handle.

Ok, here is the recipe:


I added freshly grated Parmesan and spinach for eye-appeal

 1 3/4 cups broth
1 tsp. Herbes de Provence*
1 tsp. Chef's Shake Blend*
3/4 cup uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the broth and seasonings in a medium saucepan (about 2 qt pan) until it boils.  Stir in rice and spinach, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes (or until rice has soaked up broth).
Stir in cheese, and serve.

*Note: you can substitute Italian seasoning and maybe a pinch of pepper for the seasonings I used. Or throw in whatever you think sounds good!  Here is the site for the spices I used: The Spice Hunter

To adapt for a lactose free diet, you could omit the cheese.  It honestly doesn't need it.  I tried it before adding the cheese and it was still really good.  If you are worried about sodium, you could use low-sodium broth or just use water as your base.

I was also thinking mushrooms would be good in this, but I just really love mushrooms.  Next time I am going to try the wild rice harvested by my cousin Erik.  Any other ideas for add-ins/substitutions?

We had this with the infamous Italian Porketta (though ours was Turkeyetta).  I will get into Porketta at a later date.  I feel like it's special enough for it's own post.
If you want to read ahead, here is the Wikipedia explanation: Porchetta
And also, the local Fraboni Sausage distributer sells it here in Hibbing!  See: Porketta in Hibbing

Enjoy!