This morning I went to the hospital for my GI series tests. I have been having stomach issues lately and hopefully this will figure out what the heck is wrong with me. However, the test included a barium swallow which was probably the most vile thing I have ever injested in my life. After this ordeal and the stomache ache that followed, I found myself craving some real down home healthy food. This is what transpired!

The recipe is loosly based on this one but I was able to reduce nearly 150 calories, almost half the fat and nearly 400mg of sodium. I think the fiber calulation on the nutrition chart is a little off, I would estimate it to be about 5-6g per serving.

It may seem daunting because of all the ingredients, but it’s actually very simple once all the prep work is finished. You can add or subtract veggies and spices as you please, I tend to make up my recipes based on what I have on hand, hence the addition of eggplant and spinach. If you want less spice simply omit the chopped red chili.

Ingredients

• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp unsalted organic (or not) butter
• 3 cups broth (I used homemade chicken broth)
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain brown rice
• 2 cloves or garlic, chopped or pressed
• 1 small handfull of fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tbsp dried)
• 1 small red chili chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup of diced meat of your choice. (chicken would be very good, i used leftover roasted pork tenderloin)
• 1 - 2 cups raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh chopped spinach

In a large pot or saucepan, sautee onions, eggplant and red pepper in butter (or olive oil if you prefer) until onions are soft.

Add garlic, chili, worchestershire, oregano and salt&pepper then stir in the broth water and the rice. (if your broth is high in sodium you might not need at add salt at all)

Add meat and tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low-medium and let simmer for 35 minutes.*

Add uncooked shrimp and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.

Stir in peas and spinach and heat through.

*Timing may vary, since brown rice is finicky and you may need too add a little more water here and there.

*Calculated using Livestrong.com