Plant-Based Louisiana Rice Dressing

RECIPE BELOW!! I’ve been wanting to try using walnuts for a meat substitute, and I decided this was the perfect dish to do it with! I’ve done this recipe with tofu before and loved it, but the walnuts make it a pretty quick and easy dish!

Rice Dressing is traditionally made with meats and sometimes livers of chicken, pork, and/or beef. You would brown all the meat, cook your Cajun trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper in the grease, then mix everything together.

To make this plant-based, I went with a nut (walnuts) because of their fat content and ability to mimic ground meat really well. I also added some extra virgin olive oil to add to the fat content since a rice dressing is always a pretty moist dish. The olive oil was fantastic at mimicking the grease from a traditional rice dressing, yet olive oil is a plant-based/healthier fat :) You CAN make this oil-free as well! Just use water to cook the veggies or use some vegetable broth.

You could also cook your rice in some vegetable broth for a little more flavor as well. Feel free to add whichever cajun spice blend you like. I did not because many of them are spicy, and I always loved the savory rice dressings, not so much the spicy ones.

I'll check back in with the 30 minute walnut soak results!

WATCH THE VIDEO for a step-by-step guide to making this dish!

I can't wait for y'all to make this for the next potluck or get together you have. ENJOY!!

Plant-Based Louisiana Rice Dressinghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgucTuHH22MLouisiana Rice Dressing in Plant-Based form!
Plant-Based Louisiana Rice Dressing

Plant-Based Louisiana Rice Dressing

Yield: 8
Author:
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinInactive time: 8 HourTotal time: 8 H & 45 M
Simple & Delish! To make rice dressing plant-based, I went with a nut (walnuts) because of their fat content and ability to mimic ground meat really well. I also added some extra virgin olive oil to add to the overall fat content since rice dressing is always a pretty moist dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups whole walnuts, SOAKED OVERNIGHT or at least 8 hours
  • 2 cups dry brown rice
  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded & diced (green or red)
  • 1/2 - 1 whole head of garlic, minced (taste preference)
  • 3 Tbsps low sodium soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsps vegan Worcestershire (Lord Sandy's)
  • 2 Tbsps olive oil for sautéing
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Green onions for garnish *optional
  • Parley for garnish *optional

Instructions

  1. COOK RICE: Bring 4 1/2 c of water to a boil in a medium stock pot. Stir in rice, REDUCE HEAT to low, cover, and cook for 35 minutes, or until there is no more steam releasing from the pot. Remove from heat & set aside when done.
  2. While the rice cooks, in a medium-large stock pot SAUTÉ ONION, CELERY, and BELL PEPPER in olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until soft (you should be able to cut through a piece of celery easily with the end of your spoon).
  3. While veggies are softening, in a food processor or blender DRAIN & PULSE THE WALNUTS until small bits form, scraping the sides of the food processor or blender and repeating until evenly chopped. If you won't have a blender/food processor, you can try chopping into small bits with your knife. You want it to look like ground meat.
  4. ADD SALT, PEPPER, GARLIC, GROUND WALNUTS, SOY SAUCE, AND WORCESTERSHIRE to the pot, evenly mix, and cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
  5. ADD RICE to the pot and evenly mix. Taste & adjust seasonings. Garnish with green onions & parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

- You can use white rice if you wish, just reduce the water to only 4 cups. I like brown because it's more whole food plant based than the white rice.

- If using gluten-free soy sauce, this recipe is gluten-free!

- Try using coconut aminos or another type of amino if you have a soy allergy. You can omit it if you wish and add more salt to make up for the umami/savory flavor.

- Top the dressing with walnuts or pecans for extra presentation points and health! Pecans are very common in the south, and it's not uncommon to use them as a garnish on various dishes.

- I would imagine you could sub in another nut for walnut, however I have not tried it yet and cannot attest to the final result. Let me know how it turns out in the comments if you do a substitution!

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