January 2013
Though I have visually feasted my way through the food magazines strewn across my dining room table, all too often my meal choices remain unaffected by their inspiration. However, life is all too short to fill with the same old routines. One of my [loosely defined] goals for the new year is to eat better balanced, more varied meals (don’t let blogging fool you, I too fall victim to last minute scraping and convenience), so I started simply. I dogeared one recipe to try; I shopped appropriately, and voila…
A healthy bowl full of colors emerged!
I adapted this recipe ever so slightly from one of the Bon Appétit issues in said dining room collection. This rice salad is substantial enough to stand alone, or pair it with a dijon roasted salmon for a more mixed plate. In an effort to be resourceful (and maybe in some subconscious, knee-jerk reaction to being vegetarian?), I roasted my squash in a cast-iron skillet coated with bacon grease leftover from an artisan cajun bacon, and I used the entire squash versus the prescribed half. Though I do not show it above, I recommend a few crumbles of chèvre as well.
Black and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash
adapted from Bon Appétit
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups black rice
1/2 cup wild rice
Kosher salt
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into pieces
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup roasted pistachios
organic mixed greens
local chèvre
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°.
Cook black rice and wild rice in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, 35–40 minutes; drain and rinse, shaking off as much water as possible. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.
Meanwhile, toss squash with 1/4 cup oil on another baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20–25 minutes; let cool.
Whisk vinegar, honey, and remaining ¼ cup oil in a large bowl.
Add black rice and wild rice, squash, scallions, pomegranate seeds, and pistachios; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.
Serve over a bed of mixed greens. Add some chunks/crumbles of chèvre.
Make Ahead:
Salad (without mixed greens) can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.
Bon Appétit!
-Quelcy
