Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté onion in butter or oil in a large skillet.  (If your onion becomes a little dry, add a tablespoon or so of water.) Remove half the onion and set aside – you’ll use it for the vegetable topping.

Add brown rice and stir until the color just begins to change – you’re not looking to brown it, just coat all the grains with the butter.

Add the three cups of broth, soy, and thyme, stir together, and place in a large casserole. Cover tightly and put in the oven. Set your timer for 60 minutes and check the rice – it may take more time, up to about 70 minutes, depending on the brand of rice, the shape of your casserole, and your oven. You will want it to be still firm but tender.

When your rice has been in the oven for about 40 minutes, prepare your vegetables. Add the olive oil to your skillet, break and cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets, and add them to the skillet (they take the longest time to become tender), stirring now and then. Once they have just a little browning, do the same with the broccoli and saute for a minute or two longer. Cut the peppers into a bite-sized dice and add them, along with the onion.

Add the 1/2 cup of water and put a lid on the skillet, and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the lid – the vegetables should still be slightly crisp, but almost tender, and the water almost gone.  (They are going to cook for a few minutes longer, so err on the crisp side.) Add in the garlic and salt and cook for about 2 minutes more. Taste and reseason if you’d like.

When the rice is done, spoon the vegetables and any remaining liquid over the top.  Sprinkle with cashews and cheese and return to the oven just until the cheese is melted, about three to five minutes. Watch it carefully at this point – you want it in the oven for the minimum time it takes to just melt the cheese, and you don’t want to dry out your vegetables.

Nutrition:

Cal 254, Cal fr fat 39%, 98; tot fat 11g; sat fat 5g; chol 19.56g; sod 874mg; tot carb 30g; fib 4.23g; sug 4g; prot 11g