Healthy and Green Living

The combination of nutty sunflower seeds and baked rice make this dish more of an unusual pilaf rather than just another bowl of rice. It also offers a great place to get creative with variations; try adding golden raisins or dried apricots, other herbs or vegetables, or cooked legumes to make a wholesome and tasty one-dish meal.

2 cups hot vegetable stock
1 cup basmati rice
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced
1 onion, chopped
½ cup of peas
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Handful of chopped fresh herbs (to garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Heat oil and sauté onions for 5 minutes, add cumin seeds and turmeric and sauté for another minute, add rice and cook gently until translucent.

3. Add salt, red pepper and peas and cook for 2 minutes, add stock and sunflower seeds and bring to a boil. Stir once and transfer to ovenproof dish.

4. Cover and bake in oven 20-25 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all liquid.

5. Spring with chopped, fresh herbs before serving (optional)