This is another one of those "keep the stuff in the fridge from becoming
sentient and carrying off the neighbors" sort of recipe.  You'll note there
isn't much of a "recipe" here, just some ideas on how to proceed.  That's
how we cook these days, for the most part!

Veggie Mess
-----------

2 cups rice (white or brown, your choice)
4 cups water

Assorted fresh, frozen, canned, etc. veggies (see below for ideas)

Oregano, fresh or dried.
Rosemary, fresh or dried.
Basil, fresh or dried.
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)

Cook the rice in the water.  While the rice is cooking, chop the veggies 
into a large cookpot (I use an 8 quart pot and fill it about 1/3 full of 
chopped veggies).  Cook the veggies until they reach the desired level of 
doneness.  If they haven't created much of their own juices, add enough
tomato puree, water, veggie broth or other wet ingredient to make it fairly
juicy (not the consistency of soup, but certainly of a hearty stew).  Add 
the spices (the cayenne is not there to make it hot, but to help bring 
out the flavors of the other spices.  Feel free to leave it out).  When 
the rice is done, mix it into the veggies until things are well-mixed.  
Adjust the spices to taste.

The following veggies go very well in this dish.  Choose enough of them to
fill the cookpot to about the 2 or 3 quart level, raw:

	1 large onion, chopped.
	1-2 bell peppers, any color, chopped.
	Hot peppers of any variety, if you are so inclined, chopped small.
	3 celery stalks, chopped.
	1 bulb fennel, chopped the way you would chop celery.
	1 lb. white mushrooms, cleaned & chopped.
	1-2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned & chopped.
	4-6 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned & sliced thin.
	Any other mushroom variety you like, cleaned & chopped.
	1 zucchini, chunked.
	1 yellow squash, chunked.
	1 small eggplant, chunked.
	1-2 fresh tomatoes, chopped.
	Tomato puree.
	Broccoli.
	Cauliflower.
	Spinach, fresh or frozen.
	Green beans.
	Wax beans.
	Anything else that's about to grow legs in your fridge, actually...

The following veggies also go well in this dish, but should be chopped or
cubed, put in a microwave-safe covered container with a splash of water,
and microwaved for about 5 minutes before mixing in with the rest:

	Potatoes, cubed.  Red potatoes are nice, but any will do.
	Carrots, chopped or sliced.
	Purple-top turnips, cubed.
	Daikon radish, cubed.

One variation we've done over the years involves using either orzo pasta to
replace the rice, or to use wild rice mixed into the regular brown rice,
and use Bell's stuffing spice in place of the listed spices above.  We've
used that as a hearty side dish / main dish at Thanksgiving for two
years now, to rave reviews...