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Add the garlic and sauté for about a minute. Add the carrots, rice, garam masala, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt, and stir constantly for about a minute. Add the water and tomato paste. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat as low as it will go and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes the water should be mostly absorbed. Stir in the cranberries, cashews, and peas. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the water is completely absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve topped with the cilantro, ifusing.

NUTRITION TIP

Cashews and other nuts get a bad rap ’cause of the fat content, but much of it is healthy monounsaturated fat. And they are naturally high in trace minerals, such as zinc. Zinc is required for growth and development and a healthy immune system. If you are mindful of portion sizes, nuts can fit into a healthydiet.

Searlet Barley

SERVES 6 • ACTIVE TIME: 20 MINUTES • TOTALTIME: 50 MINUTES

PER SERVING

(⅙ RECIPE):

Calories: 160

Calories from fat: 10

Total fat: 1.5 g

Saturated fat: 0 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Fiber: 7 g

Protein: 5 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 370 mg

Vitamin A: 0%

Vitamin C: 15%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 8%

A fun and beautiful way to get those beets in. If you’re going through the rice and quinoa humdrums, then barley is a great change of pace. With its satisfying, chewy texture and earthy flavor, it might be just what the doctor (or nutritionist) ordered. Serve with something that’s also super earthy and flavorful, such as Mushroom & Cannellini Paprikas (page 127).

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

2½ cups vegetable broth

¼ teaspoon salt

1 beet (about ¾ pound), grated

Juice of ½ lemon

Fresh dill, for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 2-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil for about 30 seconds. Add several pinches of pepper and the bay leaf. Add the barley, broth, and salt; cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir and lower the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When most of the water has absorbed, mix in the grated beet. Cook for about 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, mix in the lemon juice, and taste for salt. Cover and let sit for about 10 more minutes. Remove the bay leafand serve topped with fresh dill.

Unfried Fried Rice

4 SERVINGS • ACTIVE TIME: 15 MINUTES • TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES

(CAN BE MADE GLUTEN FREE IF USING GF TAMARI IN PLACE OF SOY SAUCE)

PER SERVING

(¼ RECIPE):

Calories: 260

Calories from fat: 25

Total fat: 3 g

Saturated fat: 0.5 g

Trans fat: 0 g

Fiber: 6 g

Protein: 8 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 420 mg

Vitamin A: 130%

Vitamin C: 80%

Calcium: 6%

Iron: 15%

Fried rice is, well, really fried! This version tastes lighter, fresher, and delicious in its own right. Shallot, ginger, garlic, and green onion are all simple flavors that go a long way. Serve with Hoison-Mustard Tofu (page 153) or any Chinese-inspired feast. The reason it takes so long is because the rice needs to cool a bit before you saute it, but it’s really an easy recipe. To make it ridiculously easy, make the rice a day ahead. In fact, refrigerated rice gives fried rice the perfect texture, so it’s even preferable to do it that way.

1 cup brown basmati or jasmine rice

2 cups water

1 teaspoon sesame oil

⅓ cup minced shallot

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce

½ cup finely chopped green onion

First, cook the rice as you normally would. I use a small enameled cast-iron pot with a cover, bring the rice and water to a boil, then lower the heat to as low as it will go and cook for about 35 minutes. Once most of the water has been absorbed, turn off the heat and keep the rice covered for 15 more minutes.

Transfer the rice to a baking pan and spread it out to make it cool faster. Ifit’s still steaming when