One Perfect Bite: long grain rice

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tricolor Pepper and Wild Rice Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It was a busy weekend, packed with food and fun and the company of neighbors and good friends. At the moment, I don't think I'll ever be hungry again. The upside to all the good food we had these past few days, is the wonderful recipes I'll have to share with you this week. Today's salad is an end of summer wonder that goes especially well with grilled lamb or beef. It's packed with color and flavor, and, despite some chopping, it's remarkably easy to make. If you skim through the ingredient list, you'll also see that it is also good for you and your waistline. This is a straight forward recipe and there are no tricks to its assembly, so I leave you to your own devices. I want to thank all of you who have expressed concern for my daughter and her family. They were among yesterday's evacuees from Steiner Ranch in Texas and while they still cannot return home, their house is, thus far, unscathed by the wildfires. My prayers tonight are for those who were not as fortunate.

Tricolor Pepper and Wild Rice Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Sherryl Ludlow

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided use
1-1/4 cups water, divided use
3/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet yellow pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Combine wild rice, 1 cup broth and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 50-60 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2) Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine long grain rice and remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender.
3) In a large nonstick skillet, saute peppers and zucchini in 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes. Add onions and saute for 1-2 minutes longer, or until vegetables are tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
4) Drain wild rice and stir into vegetable mixture. Stir in white rice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining oil and toss to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yield: 8 servings.

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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Wild Rice, Cranberry and Almond Salad - The Streaming Gourmet
Brown Rice Salad with Beets and Herbs - Angie's Recipes
Curried Rice Salad - Sydney's Kitchen
Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad - Perry's Plate
Insalata di Riso - Chaos in the Kitchen

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Wild Rice and Vegetable Pilaf

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is an ugly duckling that I had the good fortune to stumble on. It is delicious and I highly recommend this casserole to you. It's wonderful with pork and duck or turkey. From my perspective, the best thing it has going for it, save for its great flavor, is that it can be made ahead of time and rewarmed in the microwave when it's needed. It obviously is a busy cooks delight. I suspect that many of you will question the amount of butter that's used in this recipe. Now, while I hate to say this, you can use half that amount without seriously damaging the taste of this dish, but please don't cut back any further than that. Butter is important to the over-all flavor of this casserole. I hope you'll give this dish a try. It's a wonderful accompaniment for holiday or company meals and I know you like it. Here's the recipe.

Wild Rice and Vegetable Pilaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup butter, cubed
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a shallow 2-quart casserole.
2) Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add wild rice and reduce heat. Cover pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add long grain rice and cook, covered, for another 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
3) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion, carrots and thyme in butter until vegetables are tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the rice, broccoli and pepper.
4) Transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is heated through and broccoli is crisp tender. Fluff with fork before serving. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.