Elvis has left the building! I mean the tools are leaving the house. This week Tony is removing tools and bringing them to our current house. We’re only leaving a few to finish the flooring and other little things. My IT guy brother is finishing the network infrastructure. We are spending most of the week cleaning before we finish the final room. Move in day is very close.

This week I’m doing something simple, since I will be starting the Thanksgiving baking on Sunday. This recipe from Delish for Chicken & Coconut Rice Casserole is really a one pan meal. No fuss. I am going to make this vegetarian, of course, as well as replace the white rice with brown. The biggest issue I have with this recipe is what they don’t include. I learned the hard way if you have raw rice in a casserole, you need to make sure the liquid is hot before it goes into the oven. If you don’t, it takes WAY longer to cook. I will convert this to an instant pot recipe so I don’t need to account for that. It also needs some veggies too to make this a full meal.

Here are the original stats:\

Here’s what I changed:

• I swapped out the white rice with brown rice to increase the fiber and nutrients and lower the calories.
• I swapped the chicken with tofu to make this vegetarian.
• I swapped the full fat coconut milk with a light coconut milk to reduce the saturated fat and calories.
• I increased the servings from 4 to 8 to lower the calories.
• I deleted the added salt to reduce the sodium.
• I added red bell pepper to increase the vitamin C.
• I added spinach to increase the vitamin A.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Tofu & Coconut Rice Casserole

Serves 8

• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 14 ounce packages extra firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 11 ounces baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

1. Add in the coconut oil into an Instant Pot and set it to saute.
2. When the oil is melted add in the onion and bell pepper. Saute until the veggie are soft.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cover. Set the Instant Pot to low for 20 minutes. Allow for a natural release.
4. Add in the spinach and parsley. Allow the spinach to wilt.
5. Serve.