Crispy Fried Mushrooms, A Dipping Sauce & Vegan Dirty Rice ~ Take 2.5

I have tried to make dirty rice and even dirty rice & beans, but so far I have yet to perfect it. Let’s just say that it is a work in progress and some days, it feels as if it might always be a work in progress.

The good news is that I’ve been practicing rinsing and soaking rice grains. Using different grain lengths, colors and shapes. It turns out, the issue isn’t the rice. It’s me. Or maybe it was me, because I think this one came out pretty good.

If you’ve never had dirty rice, it is a southern staple that’s filled with vegetables, herbs, spices and delicious meat alternatives. The first few times I tried to make vegan dirty rice, there was too much liquid. The next time, the rice was too sticky. There may (or may not) have been an instance of burned rice too, but we’re not here to talk about that.

Making vegan dirty rice is pretty simple, as long as you follow directions and do your prep work!!!

Here’s what you’ll need:

To start with, rehydrate the TVP in water or broth. Drain it for as long as you can before seasoning it.

Next, let’s get those veggies in the skillet. Grab the celery, bell pepper and onion and put it in a skillet over medium-high heat. Use oil or if you’re oil free, add a water-soy sauce blend. Cook about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften.

Add in garlic and stir until fragrant. Add in TVP and vegan mince, and cook until the edges start to get brown.

Add rice, tomato paste and water, using a 2 to 1 ratio, two parts water to one part rice.

Cook until rice is slightly soft and cooked through. Keep an eye on it but also set the timer for however long the package instructions tell you.

Add additional herbs (oregano, basil & thyme) as desired, and don’t be stingy with the spices either!

Garnish with sliced scallions and serve.

We also enjoyed crispy fried oyster mushrooms with a Cajun style dipping sauce.

Use cornmeal and season it well with salt, black pepper, cumin, garlic & onion powder, smoky paprika. Shallow or deep fry it, or if you’re feeling bold, pop it in the air fryer until crispy, about 10 to 13 minutes.

The dipping sauce is a blend of veggiegurt, mustard, Sriracha, herbs & spices, ketchup and other hot sauces.

And that’s you you get a quick and easy vegan meal. These two things might not go together but they tasted delicious and complimented each other well. It was a nice mish-mash of flavors.

What goes in your Dirty Rice?