Thank you Village Harvest for sponsoring this post. Every day Village Harvest is planting seeds of change and growing possibilities, one bag of goodness at a time.
Serve up Village Harvest Lemon Rice with Turmeric along with spicy fish skewers and grilled eggplant steaks for a quick and filling meal.
Click on the image to shop the Village Harvest’s Origins Collection Ready-to-Serve Rice
If you have been following me on social media, you would have noticed that I took a brief break from posting the past week. Sure, I love to plan, shoot, post and interact with my social buddies. But every once in a while, I need a break. I need a break from the scheduling, shooting, blogging, and sometimes even cooking.
Believe me when I say that a food blogger can be too lazy to cook on some days. I am all for made-from-scratch homemade meals, but I am always on the lookout for brands that make my job easier. When I can safely serve home-style, wholesome food from a bag, it gives me more time to spend with my family. Sometimes sides like rice can actually take more time to prepare than the actual main meal. And that’s why I was excited to try the ready-to-serve rice from the Village Harvest Origins Collection. This collection features authentic recipes from India and Thailand, uncovered in the kitchens of home cooks like moi, giving me the perfect meal solution for busy/lazy days.
The Village Harvest Origins Collection includes the following varieties:
India: Basmati & Lentil, Lemon Rice, Tikka Masala
Thailand: Coconut Turmeric, Thai Green Curry
They are organic, non-GMO, 100% whole grain, and gluten -free, providing you with the perfect healthy meal solution.
If you know me, it would not be a surprise that my favorite out of those is the Lemon Rice with Turmeric from India. I was super excited to see that the rice even had bits of tadka ingredients for authenticity. In just 90 seconds (stove top or microwave), I can have a bowl of perfectly cooked lemon rice on the table that goes perfectly with some grilled fish skewers and eggplant steaks to make a complete meal.
Oven-grilled spicy fish kebabs are a great dinner option when you do not have time to marinate and cook meat. Fish does not need to be marinated for long, in fact fish left swimming in a citrus marinade is not exactly ideal. Just dip the fish slices in a spicy rub made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder, then thread them on skewers and bake in a super hot oven for juicy, succulent fish kebabs.
And while the fish is in the oven, slather the same spice rub on thick eggplant steaks and cook them on a stove-top grill pan. Just 3-4 minutes per side is all it takes to grill the eggplant to perfection. Smoky and spicy on the outside, creamy and soft on the inside, these grilled eggplant steaks are a great meal unto themselves. I like to serve them with a quick salsa and of course, a bowl of Village Harvest Origins Collection lemon rice on the side.
Delicious lemon rice with spicy fish skewers and smoky eggplant steaks may sound super fancy, but it is ready in no time at all, leaving you free to do the things that you really love. It may be blowing bubbles in the backyard with the kid or working on a new home project or just hanging out on the couch with a movie on TV. Just do your thing, dinner is all sorted!
Here’s how you throw together a delicious, wholesome meal in under 30 minutes
- Spicy fish skewers baked to juicy perfection in the oven,
- Smoky eggplant steaks cooked on a grill pan, and
- Village Harvest Origins Collection lemon rice with turmeric ready in just 90 seconds
- Olive oil - ½ cup
- Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
- Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Garlic powder - ½ tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Firm white fish - 1 lb (cod, tilapia, bass, halibut, etc)
- Green bell pepper - 1
- Red onion - 1, small
- Eggplant - 1, large
- Onion - ½ cup, chopped
- Tomato - 1, chopped
- Saranno pepper - 1, sliced
- Cilantro leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped
- Village Harvest Origins Collection lemon rice with turmeric - 2 pouches
- Spice Marinade: Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside. If you are using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 10 minutes.
- Spicy Fish Skewers: Pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice the fish, peppers and onion into thick cubes and add them to a mixing bowl. Tip in half of the prepared spice marinade and mix to coat the fish and vegetables well. Rest for 10 minutes.
- Thread the fish and vegetables alternately on to the skewers (4-6), then place them on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning the skewers over once midway through the baking time. If you like, you can turn on the broiler for the last 2 minutes of cooking to get a char on the fish. Do not overcook or the fish will get tough.
- Grilled Eggplant Steaks: While the fish is in the oven, slice the eggplant into thick steaks and coat them liberally on all sides with the leftover spice marinade.
- Heat a large grill pan on the stovetop till almost smoking. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side. Gently flip with a spatula and cook the other side.
- Remove eggplant to a serving platter and top with chopped onions, tomatoes, peppers and cilantro.
- Serving: Prepare Village Harvest lemon rice with turmeric as per package instructions. Remove to a bowl and serve immediately along with fish skewers and eggplant steaks.
2. You can also cook the fish and eggplant on an outdoor grill, if you have one.
3. With a little bit of multi-taking, you can have the fish in the oven and the eggplant on the stovetop at the same time, letting you serve them both fresh and hot.
Can you believe that such a delicious weeknight dinner can be made with very little effort and time? Village Harvest Origins Collection makes it possible!
Don’t forget to PIN & SAVE this recipe for later.
Do you have any shortcuts for busy nights? Ditch the takeout and out together this delicious meal in no time at all. Let me know if you try it!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday.
I need to try these. They look so delicious!!
Your photos are awesome, and I want to jump through the screen to sample these!! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Thank you so much, happy FF!