

With college looming on the horizon I am desperately trying to extend my summer starting with eating all my favorite summer foods. Few things remind me of summer holidays more than paella. My perfect summer day involves sun, sea and paella all in large doses. While I may be missing the sea and sun I am more than making up for it with lots of paella! This paella is so simple to make and I usually make lots of this as it keeps really well and makes for a wonderfully nutritious and satisfying lunch. My favorite thing about paella is that you can use a great variety of vegetables. Aubergines, courgettes, green beans, peas, butternut squash, artichokes and mushrooms are all wonderful in paella. Think of this recipe a rough outline to which you can add whatever vegetables you have at hand. Paella is also a great dish to have in your repertoire for having friends over for a casual dinner. It is a wonderful crowd pleaser, just serve it in a large dish and everyone can help themselves. Simply top it with a large handful of olives and some wedges of zesty lemon for a wonderfully delicious simple supper.

Traditionally Spanish paella uses Bomba rice a type of white rice but brown rice offers many more nutrients than white. White rice is derived from brown rice by removing the bran and germ and therefore it loses much of the nutrients that rice offers. Brown rice is a rich source of insoluble fibre which leads to an increased sense of satiety as well as lowering cholesterol levels. It may even help slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Brown rice also offers omega fatty acids, potassium, iron and calcium. A diet rich in fibre also contributes to digestive health.



Print Paella Serves: Serves 4 Ingredients 2 cups brown rice

1 onion diced

2 cloves of garlic

2 tsp paprika + ½ tsp

1 tsp turmeric

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Juice of a lemon

Salt

pepper

5-6 cups vegetable stock

200g chopped tomatoes

2 cups peas

4 cups sliced mushrooms Instructions In a large frying pan sauté the onion and garlic for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. Reduce the heat and add the paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add in the rice, half the vegetable stock and the chopped tomatoes. Reduce the heat to allow the rice to gently simmer and cover with a lid. Keep an eye on the rice adding more stock as required. After roughly 35 minutes add in the peppers as well as more stock as needed. Once the peppers have started to soften roughly after about 10 minutes add in the peas and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with a generous handful of olives and lemon wedges. Enjoy! 3.3.3077