Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

Like many people, I am looking for ways to add more vegetables and whole grains to my daily diet. Today I would like to share a recipe for Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame dressing. It is full of whole grained brown and wild rice and vegetable goodness such as carrots, bok choy and cucumber with nutritious tofu, sesame seeds and miso.

Now I realize some of the ingredients, perhaps the miso or wild rice, here may be a bit unusual or something you don’t keep in your pantry. One of the nice things about this recipe is that you can skip any number of items and make substitutions of things that are more to your liking.

I found the recipe for WILD RICE SALAD WITH MISO DRESSING on the blog  SPROUTED KITCHEN which describes itself as a tastier take on whole foods. It is full of wonderfully delicious recipes of nutrient dense whole foods. The beautiful photos make me hungry for good things. Go check out all the wonderful recipes on Sprouted Kitchen!

 I modified a few things in the recipe here and I imagine you might make a couple of changes yourself.  I added a bit more of everything but miso since I wanted to lower sodium a bit. In addition I used more vegetables and added brown rice along with the wild rice. Next time, I may use only the wild and brown rice blend.  I cooked the veggies a bit and even added the rice and miso sesame dressing to meld the flavors together. I served it hot the first time, more like a stir fry than a salad. I switched around a few ingredients in the dressings, too.

While this salad is delicately beautiful, it packs a nutritious punch, with nearly every ingredient adding significantly to the nutritional benefits. What are the nutritional benefits?

To start brown rice, a great source of fiber, and B vitamins. Brown rice also contains very high levels of manganese along with selenium, a trace mineral which may help fight cancer. Brown rice also contains many nutrients which may lower cholesterol and benefit cardiovascular health.  There are phytonutrients found in brown rice which may be even better for you than those found in fruits and vegetables, according to website- the world’s healthiest foods. (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128#healthbenefits )

Wild rice, which is a grass seed and not really rice, is high in fiber, protein, potassium, manganese, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and a good blend of B vitamins.

Even little sesame seeds are a very good source of copper and manganese and a good source of  magnesium,  calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc.  Edamame, green soy beans, are high in fiber, iron, and protein and full of good things like vitamin A and C . Edamame seems to promote good heart health.  And do I need to tell you all the good things in carrots?? You can get nearly half of your vitamin A requirement in a small serving.

Okay, we are not done yet! This yummy salad also has tofu. Why should you eat tofu? Well, calorie for calorie, it has more protein than ground beef or cheese yet is considerably lower in fat and has NO cholesterol, making it an excellent source of protein not only for vegetarians but for anyone wanting to limit fat or cholesterol. Tofu also contains calcium and iron.

This recipe is just so adaptable. I love how it can be served warm as well as chilled.  It is nice to have it warm the first time and then save the rest to be served cold as a salad. It is full of wonderfully nutritious and great tasting things plus if you make a big enough batch it will last several lunches.

Brown and Wild Rice Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

1 cup wild and brown rice blend, I use Lundberg, cooked with wild rice or according to package

½ cup of wild rice, cooked according to package or together with brown rice blend

12-14 oz Extra firm Tofu, silky or regular, drained, pat dry and cut into small cubes

2-3 tsp coconut oil

2 -3 tsp. soy sauce

2-3 tsp  olive or canola oil

 1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup+ thinly slice bok choy

1 cup cooked, shelled organic edamame

½ cucumber , quartered and  sliced

1-2 TBSP toasted  sesame seeds

      Sweet  Miso Sesame Dressing

2-3 TBSP white miso*

3 TBSP Rice Vinegar

3 TBSP honey

1 TBSP sesame oil

Juice of small Meyers lemon or orange

2 tsp ginger, crushed (bottled ginger paste is fine!)

1 tsp soy sauce, low sodium if watching sodium intake

3 TBSP canola Light olive or vegetable oil,

Garnish- All optional

3 green onions, sliced

¼ chopped cucumber

1 TBSP toasted sesame seed and 1 TBSP Black sesame seeds,

2 TBSP cilantro chopped

Cook the wild rice and the brown rice blend. You could cook each separately but I think it would be fine to cook the brown and wild rice blend with the extra wild rice added. I like to add just a little bit more water than called for and cook it a bit longer so wild rice is softer.

Next make the dressing.  *If you don’t have miso or prefer not to use it, that is fine. You could make this with just a sesame ginger dressing- Increase soy sauce And ginger to 1 TBSP add an extra tsp of sesame oil and an extra TBSP of veggie, olive or canola oil. Maybe throw in a tsp or two of toasted sesame seeds.

In a large shallow pan, add coconut oil and heat to medium high. Pat tofu dry with paper towel and then cut tofu  into small cubes. You could put light dusting of corn starch if you like. Add cut up tofu cubes. Cook till Brown, not turning too often. Add soy sauce. 

Remove tofu to bowl and add oil to pan. Stir fry carrots for a few minutes or two then add bok choy and cook for a few more minutes. Add rice and edamame. Stir fry for a minute or so.  Add as much of the dressing as you like. Let it cool a bit then put into bowl and mix with tofu, cucumber, 1 TBSP sesame seeds and blend gently. Add more or all of dressing to taste.

You may let it cool in fridge a bit or serve immediately. This salad makes awesome leftovers!

Risotto with Roasted Kobocha Winter Squash and Bacon

I am still on a winter squash kick. It is good to cook what is seasonaly available and  since there is a variety of winter squash in season and various ways to use it, this is easy!

     This time I wanted to try something different so I bought a kobocha squash which is green speckled in a pumpkin shape.The kobocha has a nice flavor and isn't stringy or watery.  I think it is great added to things like pastas, breads and this risotto! I also had some regular sugar pumpkin so I mixed a bit of that in too.  I don’t know if the kobocho squash is available in your area but any cooking pumpkin will be nice,  okHHokkaido or  Long Island cheese pumpkins are excellent choices. And of course, my favorite- Butternut, would also be good in this risotto. Butternut can't be beat for great texture and color and a small seed cavity which means more squash in each one.

Today’s recipe is risotto with squash or pumpkin along with smoky bacon. The pumpkin and bacon are a wonderfully flavorful combination for this risotto.

Risotto is a delicious rice dish that gets its creaminess from the way it is cooked rather than cream or loads of cheese. I made this particular recipe dairy free and it was quite creamy! Risotto is quite easy to make although it does take a bit of tending to as it is stirred throughout the cooking process. 

Risotto with Roasted Kobocha Winter Squash and Bacon

1 small orange winter squash--kobocha or pumpkin or butternut ( about 3 cups)

5-6 bacon strips, prefer applewood smoked, uncured, but use any you like

1-2 TBSP  canola oil or olive oil, -- Extra virgin or light

1 small Onion, diced

2 Cups  Arborio Rice

1 tsp coriander

½ tsp, garam masala, optional

1/2 tsp garlic powder, optional

¼- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes, crushed, optional

½ tsp, smoked paprika or  paprika

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tsp garlic, minced, optional

1 tsp. ginger paste, optional

  1  cup  White Wine  

  6 cups veggie or chicken Broth, more or less

  1/4 -1/3 Cup  Freshly Grated Parmesiano Reggiano, optional

Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper To Taste

Extra parmesan for topping at table, along with shelled, roasted pepitas if desired

Preheat oven to 350

First, wash winter squash- kabocha or pumpkin and cut in half. Remove seeds and place in bowl of water to clean and save them to roast. Scrape out any strings inside and place cut side down on an oiled baking sheet ( may line pan with foil for ease of cleaning).  Place in middle of the oven and bake just until tender and soft. Do not overcook- especially the kobucha or it will get mealy and dry. Remove squash from oven and turn halves over to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin if using pumpkin and if you want on kobucha ( I have heard skin is edible but I have removed skin till now so either is fine.) I usually remove skin by spooning the “meat” out with big spoon. Cut into large chunks, no need to be completely uniform, as some will break up.  I like to use about 3 cups of squash in this rice.

In small sauce pan heat up chicken broth or veggie broth. Keep on low simmer.

Start risotto in a large, wide, heavy pot by cooking bacon up. Once bacon is crispy, remove to drain on paper towels. Pour off and reserve bacon grease, leaving about 2 TBSP  and browned bits in pan. Heat pan up to medium.

Next heat the pan the bacon was cooked in and brown all of the squash/pumpkin in the bacon grease (or you can remove and reserve all bacon grease from pan and add canola oil if you prefer). Cook about 3 cups of squash till it is starting to brown a bit on the edges here and there. Gently stir a few times during process but do not over stir, You want some browning to occur.   Remove to bowl and cover until needed.    

Next,lower heat to medium low and add onion to the pan, with a bit of bacon drippings and a tsp or 2 of canola oil. Cook for 5 minutes till softened.

Once the onions have softened well, add a bit of the olive oil if needed or a bit more of the bacon grease.There should be a total of about 2 -3 TBSP of bacon drippings and oil in the pan.  Add rice and spices, if you wish to use spice.  This risotto is pretty flavorful so you can skip the spice if you prefer.  Cook while stirring, using a wooden spoon to mix and coat each grain with oil.

 Add HALF of the pumpkin or squash, about 1  1/2 cups. These bits will be pretty much pureed into the rice as it cooks. Also add in garlic and ginger, if using. Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add wine and continue stirring rice, a figure 8 pattern is recommended, while wine is absorbed. Make sure you stir all areas of the pot so rice will not get mushy. Once the track of the spoon remains in the rice add 1 cup or a couple of ladles of hot broth. Repeat this process as each cup of broth is absorbed. 

When you have just a cup or so  left, add the rest of the squash, cut into smallish chunks to rice. Also, crumble or chop bacon and add it to rice.

Continue to add broth until rice is al dente- tender but with a bit of texture to it. If you run low on broth, add water to broth pan to heat before you get to the bottom of broth. This process will take about 20 -25 minutes.

Once rice is at desired consistency, you could mix in a few Tablespoons of water or broth and then serve (this helps make it creamier). If you like, add a bit of parmesan cheese, between ¼ and 1/3  cup, but if you wish it to be dairy- free it is fine to skip. If some want cheese you can let them add it at table.

Taste and add desired salt and pepper. I find this does not need a lot of salt due to the bacon.

Serve as soon as possible. If you like, top with cheese or roasted pumpkin seeds ( I prefer shelled, natural seeds roasted for 10 minutes with olive oil and salt in 350 oven.)

Rice with Sweet Potatoes, Black Beans and Chipotle

There are those weeknights when I want to make something fast and easy that I can have for dinner that night and lunch the next day or two. This is one of those meals. 

Burritos are a favorite fast food here at our house. To make them a little better for you than the typical meat and cheese variety I added sweet potato and chilies as well as onion, tomato and black beans. You could use brown rice to up the nutrition here considerably. Brown rice is not fast to make but it can be cooking away while you relax a bit before dinner. I try to often make this when I have a left over baked sweet potato and brown rice so I can just throw everything together in a matter of minutes. This rice is so flavorful and moist you could skip the cheese and sour cream if you are lactose intolerant or vegan.

There are actually two ways to prepare this dish. It is easiest for me is to throw some rice in a rice cooker and while it cooks, get a big pan to cook everything else and then add the cooked rice to it. However, some of you may not have rice cookers and not want to dirty another pot to cook rice in. If you prefer, you can add raw rice to the one pan right after you add spices. Sauté for couple minutes then add the amount of water or broth the package calls for and add in the tomatoes and chipotle. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on low until rice is tender. Add in the lime juice, beans and sweet potatoes. This is a great way to make this a one pan meal.  I have done this both ways and it really depends on if you want to watch the stove while the rice cooks or let it steam to perfection in the rice cooker but have to wash another panJ

Another option here is level of spice. Chipotles in adobe sause are sold in grocery stores around here but they are quite spicy and not universally available. Feel free to substitute any chilies such as a can of mild green or a fresh jalapeno, or skip the chilies all together if you are serving this to those who are not fond of spicy foods. I would say that for the non- spicy folks this would have plenty enough flavor with out added heat. If you like it hot, add a bit more chilies or some hot sause like we tend to do.

Well, hope this quick dinner or lunch recipe helps you on your busy days, too!

Rice with Sweet Potato, Black beans and chipotle

1 ½ cups rice, brown or white, cooked according to package instructions or see note above

About two Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. cumin, lime or lemon pepper, salt

½ tsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder or cayenne, sugar

1-2 chipotles in adobe sauce, canned, minced or pureed OR 1 can mild green chilies--optional

1 can tomato, diced, fire roasted

1 can Black beans, rinsed, low sodium preferred

2-3 tsp. lime juice

1-2 sweet potatoes, baked (or raw*), cut into bite sized pieces

Chopped cilantro, optional

Cheese, for sprinkling (sharp cheddar would be a good choice)

Flour Tortillas to make burritos or serve along side

*Note on Sweet potato: I like to bake an extra sweet potato or two and keep them on hand for some other dish. If you have an extra baked sweet potato or have time to bake one, use it in this recipe. If you don’t want to bake it, simply cook it right in the same pan before you add anything else. Place oil in pan and add chopped sweet potato, cooking on low for 7 minutes. Add a few Tablespoons warm water and cover, cooing another 7-10 minutes till soft. Remove to another dish until time to add it in and the end.

(I start this by cooking the rice in a rice cooker since I don’t have to watch it but if you prefer to cook it all in one pan, see notes above.)

While the rice is cooking, get out a very large shallow pan. Heat oil and cook onions on low for 5 minutes. Raise to medium and add garlic and spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes more then add chipotles, beans, lime juice and tomato. After a couple, minutes add rice to pan and mix quite thoroughly. Blend in sweet potato and heat well.

You may serve this topped with cheese and cilantro, if you like or use it as a filling for burritos, which is my favorite way to eat this nutritious rice dish.