Time To Lighten Up For Spring!

I thought the day would never come when I would feel spoiled by good weather!  Well, today is not one of those days but the past couple of weeks have been quite nice.  A nice dramatic shift in the weather gets me fired up for a dramatic shift in food.  We've had some 70 and 80 degree days which of course is perfect for grilling, salads and cold dishes.  I recently tried out a Citrus Rice Salad that was quite good.  I'm always looking for new tasty ways to eat brown rice because I'm just not nuts about plain o'll brown rice.  This would make a lovely dish to pass at a cookout, all fresh and springy.  This recipe is by Giada DeLaurentis.

Start by cooking your brown rice in some chicken stock.  This is always my preferred way to cook brown rice.

While the rice is cooking, toast up some sliced almonds.  I like to do mine in the toaster oven.  Keep an eye on them though, you don't want to burn them.

Also while the rice is cooking (you've got about 40 min, brown rice takes a while) make a nice vinaigrette in the blender.  This is made with fresh lemon juice, fresh OJ, soy sauce, honey, cumin, and olive oil.

When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and transfer to a serving dish. Now you're ready to fancy it up.

You'll need some zest from the lemon and the orange that you use to make the dressing.

You need to slice up some scallions.

Chop up some fresh flat leaf parsley.

And add it all to the brown rice.  This just screams spring don't you think?

Give it a good mix and toss with the dressing and toasted almonds (reserving a few for garnish).

I served this with grilled chicken and steamed broccoli.  The next day I had it for lunch with my grilled chicken shredded and mixed into to it which was really good.  You can serve this warm or at room temp. This would go great with grilled fish too.

Citrus Rice Salad with Chicken (salad by Giada DeLaurentis)

Rice Salad:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups brown rice, rinsed

3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 medium orange, zested

1 lemon, zested

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or place on a tray in the toaster oven at 250 for 4-5 min). Arrange the almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely, about 15 minutes

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. Add the parsley, orange zest, half of the lemon zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.

In a blender, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and almonds.