February 22nd, 2015
I’ve been on a forbidden black rice kick this winter. I love its pleasant texture, mild flavor and sweet aroma, and it also makes for some very pretty meals. We’ve been living off of variations of this salad for our lunches, but this version, with curried chickpeas, toasted pine nuts, squash or sweet potato and chard is my favorite. This recipe utilizes chard stems as well as leaves – I always think it’s a shame when recipes instruct to discard the stems, especially when they are as beautiful as on this rainbow chard I picked up. The key is to cook the stems a little longer than the leaves, so that they are soft and not too chewy.
For this recipe, I made my own curry spice mix from Amy Chaplin’s book, and I cannot recommend this enough. Homemade curry tastes worlds better than any store bought curry mix ever will. It’s just a matter of toasting, grinding and mixing fresh spices (a fun process if you ask me) and is completely worth the extra effort.
I developed this recipe for Natural Vitality, a line of premium quality natural supplements, see the recipe here.
Tags: black rice, chard, chickpeas, curry, pine nuts, salad
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November 14th, 2014
When creating recipes, I keep in mind a few key points for what my dishes should be: flavorful, healthful, new, accessible. I don’t always hit all of these points – sometimes it’s easier to make a meal that feels very unique and fresh, but doesn’t score high on the accessibility scale, or often a dish won’t feel very new if it contains common ingredients and is simple in preparation.
But from time to time, I manage to come up with a recipe that can be described by all those adjectives, and this Warm Cauliflower, Grape and Black Rice Salad is one of them.
With the exception of Concord and Muscadine grapes, which have a relatively short season in the late summer and early fall, I rarely use table grapes in my cooking due to their overwhelming sweetness. This salad is the best home for very sweet grapes – they will provide a delicious contrast to the subtle spiciness of the dressing, the earthy roasted cauliflower and textural black rice. I’ve probably made this dish five times in the past two weeks, yet it disappears so quickly that I can never catch a good portion for myself.
Besides the very tasty combination of flavors and textures, this salad is strikingly beautiful and could make an excellent addition to your holiday table. To make it even more festive, sprinkle with some fresh pomegranate seeds.
Lastly, thank you for all of your expressed interest in the Abruzzo retreats.
Warm Salad of Roasted Cauliflower, Grapes and Black Rice
for the salad
1 cup black forbidden rice
sea salt
1 cauliflower head – cut into florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove – minced
1 teaspoon cumin – preferably freshly ground
2 cups seedless grapes – cut into quarters (optionally, use a variety of grapes)
1 small chili pepper – seeded and minced (optional)
bunch cilantro leaves
for the dressing
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
1 tablespoon unpasteurized miso paste
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sriracha
to make the dressing
Mix together tahini and miso paste in a small bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir into a smooth dressing.
to cook rice
Bring 1 cup of black rice, 1 3/4 cup of water and salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
to roast cauliflower
Preheat oven to 400 F. Drizzle cauliflower florets with olive oil, sprinkle with garlic and cumin and mix to coat using your hands. Arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes or until soft, rotating the tray half way through and turning florets if you wish.
to make the salad
Combine rice, cauliflower, grapes, chili and cilantro leaves in a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over and toss to coat. Serve immediately, so that the cauliflower and rice are still warm.
It tastes great cold as well and keeps well covered and refrigerated for at least 3 days.
Tags: black rice, cauliflower, grapes, salad
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September 3rd, 2013
This post is also available in: French
As a child, I always felt a persistent sadness come over me at the end of summer. It’s not that I didn’t like the beautiful autumn colors that overtook the crowns of the trees, or those walks in the park, when the dry leaves made a pleasant crunching noise with each step I took. I loved all of that, along with the smell of fire and wet forest while mushroom foraging with my father, and bundling up in a newly knitted wool scarf. But whichever way you look at it, the end of summer will always represent the end of warmth, the end of vacations, and, to an extent, the end of freedom. Back to school, how I hated those words. I was always a good student, and once school got going, I didn’t mind it that much, but it was that transitional period between summer and fall that always gave me the blues.
Even now, in my adult years, those feelings manage to come back during this time of year. Although the end of summer in Florida represents relief from exhausting heat, I still cringe when I see too many school buses on the road. Paloma started kindergarten this year, and although it is just kindergarten (that’s what I keep telling myself), there are all of a sudden all these rules and restrictions that have to be followed, and I was never a fan of that aspect of school. Luckily, Paloma doesn’t share my feelings and is very excited about a new environment. After only two days as a kindergartener, I noticed how friendly she’s managed to become with all of her teachers and other school staff, greeting everyone by name in the morning with a big shining smile. I am jealous and not ready to let summer go.
Before summer tomatoes disappear until next year, I want to share this hearty salad recipe with you. I’ve made it with different grains, beans and even orzo over the course of the summer and loved it every time. This variation with barley and forbidden black rice is particularly pretty when combined with multicolored heirloom tomatoes and herbs. Aside from eating them raw, slow roasting tomatoes is my favourite way of preparing them. Their caramelized juices work beautifully with any grains and eliminate the need for additional dressing. This dish is substantial enough to serve as a meal on its own and becomes even better the next day, when the flavours are further incorporated.
Barley Tomato Salad
1 lb tomatoes on the vine
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves – minced
2 cups yellow or red cherry tomatoes – cut in half
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pearled barley – soaked overnight and cooked for about 20 minutes, until soft, drained and cooled
1/2 cup heirloom forbidden black rice or other black rice – cooked according to package instructions, cooled
assorted 3-5 heirloom tomatoes – sliced
3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
handful basil leaves – torn
about 2 tablespoons each minced dill and parsley – optional
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Place your tomatoes on the vine into a baking dish. In a small, bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coconut sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and garlic. Pour over the tomatoes, place in the oven and roast for 1 to 11/2 hours until they are soft and appear cooked.
2. Increase oven temperature to 400 F. Spread the cherry tomatoes on a parchment paper-covered baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and cook for about 12 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the barley, rice, both types of roasted tomatoes and their juices, fresh sliced heirloom tomatoes and herbs. Gently toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper if desired and add more olive oil if needed.
4. Serve immediately or let cool completely and store covered in a refrigerator.
Note: Substitute the barley and/or rice with any other grains, beans or pasta. You don’t have to use 2 types, just one will be very good as well.
Tags: barley, basil, black rice, mint, recipe, salad, tomato, vegan
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