Low Country Beef & Rice

Have I ever told you how much I love one dish meals?  Seriously.  They just find me and I love to make them.  I found this one in a great cookbook that I have already shared.  It's called Saving Dinner.  So Sunday was a good day to throw this one together since I had been on church assignment 1 1/2 hours away for half the day.  And just a little note, I left out the fresh, chopped tomatoes when I first made this.  They were right there in the dish drain but we were in such a hurry to eat, I forgot about them.  I added them in the next day and reheated the dish for my supper and believe me it was even better!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. extra-lean ground beef (I used a whole pound and it was fine.)

1 stalk celery, chopped fine (used my re-hydrated Thrive celery, already chopped.)

1 large onion, chopped (or re-hydrate some Thrive chopped onion, no tears.)

1 small green pepper, chopped (what do you think?  Yep, freeze-dried green peppers)

1 t. Cajun seasoning

1 cup oats (recipe did not specify, so I used quick oats)

3 cups brown rice (I had some Sushi rice to use up)

3 medium tomatoes, chopped--don't forget!!

2 11.5-oz. cans V-8 juice

1.  In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook beef, celery, onion, bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning about 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown and vegetables are tender.

2.  Blot any excess grease with a paper towel.  I didn't have any grease.

3.  Stir in oats and mix well.  Add remaining ingredients.

4.  Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

Source:  Leanne Ely, "Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table," p. 148.