Next up in our Thanksgiving series is a post from the very sweet and lovely Janae from bring joy. I found Janae’s blog not too long ago and I can’t even recall right now how I stumbled upon it. I was immediately excited as all of Janae’s recipes are both gluten-free and vegan AND she also has four kids. I find cooking something both my myself and my husband will equally enjoy, to be a challenging feat at times, the fact that Janae creates such beautiful meals and is feeding so many mouths at the same time is so impressive and admirable! Janae’s photos always make me want to reach through the screen and take a quick bite and on top of all of this, her posts are always so real, honest and from the heart, which I very much appreciate. Today Janae is sharing her recipe for Clementine Ginger Almond Rice with us. Enjoy. 

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Growing up, Thanksgiving was a somewhat chaotic affair since I have six brothers & sisters.  As you might imagine, things were loud.  Things were never dull.

Now that I have four kids of my own, loud & chaotic Thanksgivings prevail, only difference is, now my Thanksgivings are meat & dairy-free (& gluten-free).

For many vegans, grain meats, such as tofurky or seitan are an vegetarian-friendly alternative to turkey.  However, as a gluten-free vegan these grain meats aren’t an option.   Which makes it even more important for me to have a variety of dishes to choose from that offer plenty of satisfying texture & flavor.

I’ve been vegan for going on 7 years now (gluten-free for almost a year), & this makes it my 7th meat-free Thanksgiving.  In my pre-vegan days I was always more of a side-dish eater anyway, &  taking out the turkey from the meal just makes room for traditional delicious side dishes, like this one, to take prominence.

This dish is a bit more sweet than savory, but there’s no added sugars, only the sweetness that comes from the cranberries & clementine juice.

[print_this]Clementine Ginger Almond Rice – vegan, gluten-free, soy-free
Serves 8

This rice has a subtle mixture of several flavors.  Infused with ginger, clementine, & a hint of cinnamon, the cranberries add texture & sweetness while the toasted almonds add a nutty crunch.  A relatively easy dish to throw together, this rice compliments other Thanksgiving-themed dishes.  I’m thinking squash would pair especially well.

Toasting the rice & almonds brings out the nutty flavors of both foods, adding another layer of flavor & depth to this humble dish.  When you makes this for Thanksgiving dinner, your relatives may very well take one look at it & think, “oh, rice.”  But once they have a bite, they’ll realize it’s much more flavor-packed than assumed.

{My kids actually ate this for breakfast one morning, topped with soy milk.  My son said it “tastes like cake!”  I suppose the subtle sweetness of the rice combined with the sweet nature of soy milk made for a cake-like experience.}

• 2 c. organic short-grain brown rice
• 3 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• good pinch of salt
• 2 strips of peeled, fresh ginger (about 1 inch)
• juice of 2 clementines
• peel of 1 clementine, grated
• 1/2 c. sliced almonds
• 3/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1.  In a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, toast brown rice.  Stir periodically for 4-5  minutes, or until brown rice becomes aromatic & is visibly toasted (lower heat to avoid burning if your pan gets too hot).
2.   Add water, cinnamon, salt, & ginger.  Turn heat up to high & get water to a boil.  Cover rice & turn heat down to medium-low.  Cook for 50 minutes (& don’t go peeking under that lid–but you already knew that, didn’t you?).
3.  While rice is cooking, boil 2 cups water.  Place dried cranberries in a small bowl.  Once water has reached a boil, pour water over cranberries & cover.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes (or until cranberries are reconstituted).  Drain excess water.
4.  You’ll also want to toast your almonds.  It’s super easy, don’t worry.  Preheat your oven to 300 F.  Spread almonds on baking sheet.  Bake for 3-5 minutes (be careful not to burn).  Remove from oven & let cool.
5.  Grate ginger, &  peel of one clementine (or grate peels of both clementines).
6.  Once rice is cooked, remove from heat, fluff with a fork & let sit for 5 minutes.
7.  Place rice in medium bowl & add cranberries, almonds, grated ginger, clementine peel & juice.  Toss gently.  Garnish with clementine slices. [/print_this]

Janae Wise is an Air Force wife, mother of 4 & is passionate about sharing with others ways in which to bring more joy to living.  She is also a vegan & gluten-free recipe developer, writer, & yoga teacher/fitness instructor.

She is the founder of bring joy, where she shares her love for creating wholesome, fresh & simple food.  Janae also writes about insights into family & home life, as well as occasionally shares fitness tips & videos.  You can read more about Janae, here, & more about her family, here.

You can also find bring joy on facebook, twitter, & pinterest.