Super foods recipe: seafood and vegetable rice

Vegetables and seafood pair perfectly with savoury rice for a quick alternative to paella. With a healthy variety of ingredients, this dish also provides a real nutrition boost.

Full of goodness, seafood contributes many nutrients to a balanced diet. It contains immune-boosting zinc and the antioxidant selenium, which helps to protect against heart disease. It's also a rich source of iodine, needed for a healthy metabolism.

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 35 minutes

Serves 4

• 2 onions
• 2 large peppers (1 yellow, 1 red)
• 15 g (1 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 225 g (1 c) brown rice
• 600 ml (2 1/2 c) hot vegetable stock
• 225 g (1 c) frozen peas
• 225 g (1 c) frozen green beans
• 340 g (3/4 lb) frozen cooked mixed seafood
• Lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

1.  Thinly slice the onions and peppers. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onions, garlic and bay leaves. Add the peppers and cook, stirring over high heat for two minutes, or until the vegetables soften.
2. Stir in the rice and add the stock. Return to a boil and stir the ingredients. Reduce heat to low so the liquid simmers. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the liquid has almost evaporated.
3. Use a fork to gently add the frozen peas and beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat and cover the pan. Simmer gently for another five minutes.4. Add the frozen cooked seafood to the rice. Cover the pan and cook for a final five minutes until the rice is tender, the seafood is hot and most of the liquid has evaporated. Garnish with lemon wedges and chopped parsley. Season with ground black pepper before serving.

• Frozen diced peppers are a good ingredient to have on hand. Add them with the rice at step 2 instead of cooking them with the onions.
• Frozen mixed vegetables can also be used instead of the peas and beans.
• For a tomato-based version, reduce the stock to 300 milliliters (1 1/4 cups) in step two, and add a 400 gram (14 1/2 ounce) can of chopped tomatoes.
• If you don't like mixed seafood, use 450 grams (one pound) cooked large shrimp.

• Garnish with mussels in their shells. Rinse and scrub the shells clean, and steam the mussels with 60 grams (four tablespoons) white wine in a covered pan for five to seven minutes, or until the shells open. Discard any mussels that do not open.
• Serve with a salad of lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

Nutritional information: 397 calories • 9 grams fat • 2 grams saturated fat • 59 grams carbohydrates • 24 grams protein • 11 grams fibre.