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Posts from the ‘Rice’ Category

Jan 25

red rice beet salad
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Wild Organic Red Rice and Beet Salad by Tarryn Maynard

I live in New Bedford, Massachusetts—a place synonymous with factories and fishing, Melville and Moby Dick and…Sid Wainer & Sons.  Sid’s gourmet outlet of Jansal Valley products, and most importantly its test kitchen, is a little jewel tucked among old textile mills. I sampled a red rice and beet salad there and darted home to recreate. It’s packed with texture and taste and it’s the rice that gives this dish an amazing nutty, chewy flavor and the color that melds so beautifully with the beets.  Topped with crunch and craisins, this is a bowl of deep purple and fuchsia deliciousness. Plus, the rice has 7 grams of protein and beets are super healthy (and yummy).  Served over mixed greens (sometimes with left-over chicken or a couple of hardboiled eggs) and/or topped with some crumbled goat cheese, this is my lunch bag favorite.

WILD ORGANIC RED RICE AND BEET SALAD

1 cup Jansal Valley’s wild organic red rice, cooked and cooled*

3-4 medium beets, roasted, peeled and cut into small ½-inch cubes

Handful of Italian parsley, finely chopped

½ cup of craisins

½ cup of cashews, toasted and chopped

½ red onion, finely diced

Lemon juice from half of a lemon

Vinaigrette:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, blanched and finely minced**

Salt and pepper to taste

Red Rice

Fire up the oven to 350F and set your pasta pot with water to boil.

Combine cashews, craisins, red onion and lemon juice in a large bowl and set aside for beets and rice.

Make the vinaigrette.  Combine oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a covered jar, shake well. I prefer white balsamic over red balsamic in this dish. If you have a favorite, go for it.

Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off, and dice into ½ inch cubes and add to the large bowl.  Add the rice and vinaigrette to the bowl, mix well. Enjoy!

Serves 6

*The rice needs a lot of water to cook so fill the pot like you would cook a pound of pasta. Add rice to boiling water. It is done when there is still a bite to it but not crunchy. Rinse the rice in cold water to stop the cooking. Cooking time is approximately 40-45 minutes.

** I blanch the garlic clove by popping it in the rice water right before draining, I find this takes a bit of the raw garlic bite out.  Skip this step if you love the garlic bite!

Feb 26

Black Bean Rice Salad

Black Bean and Rice Salad

This is a salad that can serve as a base for anything you’ve got left in the crisper. The combination of rice and beans enhanced by an assortment of colorful vegetables creates a complete meal – perfect for your lunchbox, for bringing to a potluck, or for the beach basket during the summer (oh, I can’t wait for those days!). The catalyst for this salad was a pint of cherry tomatoes I had on the counter that we had dipped into but that were beginning to age ever-so-slightly. I headed to one of my latest sources for inspiration, Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day. Heidi’s recipes are simple, inventive and delicious. I made her “Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes” and those make this dish extra yummy. I used black, “Forbidden” rice here because I love how the colorful vegetables play of the dark backdrop but, of course, any rice can be used. TGB also loves Lundberg brand’s “Jubilee” mix.

HEIDI’S OVEN ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

(you can make these in advance and keep them in frig for up to a week)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, stemmed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon natural cane sugar or maple syrup

a scant 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice each tomato in half and place in a large baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sugar and salt. Pour over the tomatoes and toss until evenly coated. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up and roast for 45 to 60 minutes. Again, if you aren’t going to use immediately allow to cool and keep them in a glass jar along with any olive oil that was left in the baking dish. You can top with an extra splash of olive oil, if needed.

BLACK BEAN AND RICE SALAD

1 cup cooked “Forbidden” Rice

1 x 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 seedless cucumber, unpeeled, cut into a small dice

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

1/2 cup Heidi’s Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes plus olive oil “sludge,” roughly chopped

zest and juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

avocado slices (optional)

hot sauce (optional)

Combine the rice, beans, chopped vegetables and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with avocado slices and your favorite hot sauce, if desired.

Serves 4.

Jan 23

bibim bap

Bibimbap by Heather Davenport

At my first job out-of-college, my best friend in the office was a Korean woman who introduced me to the amazing flavors and textures of her native country’s cuisine.  From her mother’s homemade dumplings to kimchi – the exotic spices and ingredients lured me in and I’ve been a fan ever since.  One of the first dishes she recommended I attempt was a simple rice, meat and vegetable bowl called Bibimbap.

Traditionally made in a hot stone bowl called a dolsot, this basic dish can be adapted to use a variety of proteins or vegetables and it is incredibly comforting and satisfying. I don’t have a dolsot but I do have a cast-iron skillet that serves the same purpose—to crisp up the rice so it has a crusty exterior as well as to fry the egg at the end.  If you don’t like any of these ingredients, or you don’t have them on hand, it’s fine.  Just substitute what you do have or leave them out altogether.  Sometimes I don’t even bother with the egg if I’m pressed for time.  Whether you’ve never tried Korean food, or it’s one of your favorites, this recipe satisfies the craving for something humble yet absolutely delicious.

BIBIMBAP

4 center-cut boneless pork chops, fat removed and thinly sliced

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup thai fish sauce

2 tablespoons grated ginger

1 clove garlic, grated

Juice of 1 lime

1-2 cups cooked white rice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1 zucchini, cut into rounds and halved

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped or torn

One egg (optional)

1 cup carrots, cut into match sticks or grated

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

sesame seeds (optional)

hot sauce (optional)—Lan Chi Chili Paste with Garlic preferred

Combine sliced pork with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, ginger and garlic in a zip top plastic bag and marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up to all day – the longer the better.

Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté pork until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Remove the meat and set aside.  Drain out the remaining liquid from the pan and discard.  Allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes, then slice into smaller lengths.

Meanwhile, add the zucchini and the mushrooms and sauté until browned.

Once the zucchini and mushrooms are cooked, toss in the spinach to wilt.  Remove the vegetables from the pan and add remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Once the oil is very hot, add the rice in as thin of a layer as possible.  Use the sides of the pan, if necessary.  The idea is to brown the rice and get it crispy on the bottom.

Add back in the cooked vegetables and pork and create a small well in the middle of the rice with the back of a spoon.

Crack the egg into the well and let it cook sunny-side up.

Once the egg white is nearly cooked, break the yolk and mix the egg into the rice mixture.  You don’t want scrambled eggs but you want pieces of egg throughout the dish.  Again, this part is optional.

Transfer the rice, pork and vegetables into a bowl and add in the sliced cucumber and carrots.  Top with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.  I also add in a teaspoon or two of the hot chili sauce for extra flavor.

Serves 4 as a main.

Dec 31

Risotto
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Winter Squash, Carrot and Kale Risotto

Alrighty then – one last creamy offering before the healthy resolutions. This one has its merits though featuring a trio of delicious and nutritious veggies alongside the Parmesean cheese and butter. This soul-soothing dish is wonderful on its own, paired with roast chicken or, better yet, seared scallops as our family prepared on Christmas Eve.

The Good Bowl’s resolutions include both new contributors and new dishes. Be sure to contact us if you have something to add to our collective health and consciousness. To you and yours in 2012…

Happy New Year!

WINTER SQUASH, CARROT AND KALE RISOTTO

1 cup peeled acorn or butternut squash, roughly chopped

1 cup peeled carrots, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon minced giner

5 cups warmed vegetable (or chicken) stock, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup kale, tough stems removed, finely chopped

1/2 cup Parmesean cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Place squash, carrots, ginger and 1 cup of stock in a large saucepan. Add enough water to cover and cook until tender. Using a slotted spoon, remove the veg from the pan and transfer to a food processor. Pulse into a puree.

Repurpose the boiling liquid, if desired, and heat the olive oil in the same (now dry) saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, but not golden, about 4 minutes. Add the rice, stir again and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the white wine and then the finely chopped kale leaves. Give it a nice stir then begin to add the remaining 4 cups of stock, one ladle at a time, until the rice is al dente. This process takes attention – cook each ladle of stock until the majority of it has cooked through the rice, then add an additional ladle-full until finished.

Mix in the squash puree, Parmesean, and salt and pepper to taste. (If you desire extra creaminess, a pad of butter could be added as a finish. Talk about decadence!)

Serves 5-6 as a side.

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