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This vegan cheesy broccoli rice does something that I’ve never had in other vegan cheese imitations. It actually feels cheesy. I’ve found plenty of vegan cheese recipes that taste kind of cheesy, look kind of cheesy, or feel kind of creamy but this is the first that actually has the mouth-feel of cheese.

I discovered the strategy on accident. I was attempting to make vegan rice cakes using flaxseed instead of egg. It didn’t work very well. The cakes didn’t hold together so I basically just ended up making a different kind of fried rice. Not one to throw out food, me and my bf ate it with dinner anyway. He said that it was interesting because you could feel the attempted binder in the rice. He said it kind of felt like cheese. Oh! I can use this!

So I combined the ground flax with the nutritional yeast commonly used to make vegan cheese substitutes and here we are! Delicious, super healthy, completely vegan cheesy broccoli rice. Such a great side dish to serve with any meal. The meal doesn’t have to be vegan by the way, this rice is yummy and suitable for any diet. Even phase one of your elimination diet!

Tips for using flax seed

Buy ground flax seed. Flax cannot be digested in its whole seed form, it needs to be ground in order to gain the health benefits as well as to act as a texture agent in recipes. Buying pre ground is the best way to ensure it’s the right form and will save you tons of time and energy from grinding it yourself.
Activate it with water. Combine the ground flax seed with a small amount of cool water before using it as a binder. Letting it sit with the water creates an egg like texture that can provide structure to vegan recipes. The powder alone wont do this.
Season your flax seed. There is nothing stopping you from seaasoning your ground flax seed before adding it to elimination diet recipes. Even just a little salt goes a long way in making something like this vegan cheesy broccoli rice flavorful.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 small head of broccoli, small florets
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 tbsp ground flax seed
6 tbsp cool water
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup coconut milk (or plain milk of choice)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

combine the flax seed and cool water, stir well and let sit for 5 minutes
stir the broccoli and shredded carrot into the rice
add the remaining ingredients minus the olive oil to the flax seed
stir the mixture into the rice
heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat
pan fry cheesy rice mixture in the oil for 5-7 minutes to heat and incorporate
serve warm