Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Black Rice Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

As I read the May issue of Bon Appetit, I noticed one mention after the next of little, old Austin. I thought: what are we, Portland? Clarks Oyster Bar was noted in Dish of the Moment regarding shrimp toast; in a list of uses for hot sauce, the Michelada was inspired by one from a dive bar in Austin; and in the Good Health section, there was a story about our Lake Austin Spa Resort. We are pretty proud of our food scene here in Austin, so it’s nice to see our city being referenced more often in magazines lately. It was in that story about Lake Austin Spa where I found this Black Rice Salad, and the recipe is available online. This is an ideal dish to have on hand as our hot, summer weather settles in. Having a big bowl of this in the refrigerator makes grabbing a healthy lunch easier than ever. I collected some local green beans and tomatoes at the farmers’ market and mixed them with thawed edamame and sliced green onions. The bright red of the tomatoes and greens of the other vegetables look great with the dark, glossy black rice. Toasted walnuts add some protein and crunch. 

Black rice requires about 35 to 40 minutes of cooking, so start that first. Once the rice is tender, you need spread the rice on a baking sheet to let it cool. While the rice cooks, toast the walnuts in the oven, and whisk together the vinaigrette. Lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and honey were whisked together, and olive oil was drizzled in while whisking to complete the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper with lemon. The original recipe doesn’t include cooking the green beans, but I don’t really like raw green beans so I blanched them after cutting them into small pieces. The edamame was thawed, the green onions were thinly sliced, and the grape tomatoes were halved or quartered. Everything was tossed in a large bowl, and the salad was ready for serving. 

You could add a little decadence to this otherwise very healthy dish by topping it with crumbled goat cheese or feta, but it really doesn’t need it. My favorite accompaniment to it was extra tomatoes since they’re so good right now. This dish is just one more thing to love about Austin. 


24 comments:

  1. I eat black rice only in restaurant, I should definitely make something with it at home.

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  2. A great summer dish! Black rice is so special and delicious. I really love your salad.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Black rice is good stuff, and looks wonderful. We're eating tons of bean and/or grain/rice based salads at the moment. This look terrific - thanks.

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  4. Never had black rice before... Looks wonderful and love how you prepared it..

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  5. We don't see much black rice here in Australia and when we do it's very expensive. I have cooked with it but it sure does take a while to cook! xx

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  6. I need to incorporate black rice in our diet -- this makes for a pretty salad in a bowl :)

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  7. A very colourful and appetizing salad, Lisa.

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  8. i like edamame a lot, and it fits in wonderfully with the rest of the ingredients in this lovely salad!

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  9. I noticed the abundance of Austin props as well in BA. Always nice to see. This salad looks terrific- and perfect for the hot weather that has moved in. I'm sending the recipe to my Evernote file post-haste.

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  10. I've never had black rice! What a great looking salad...and I love the colors :) I hope you have a great weekend!

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  11. I've never eaten black rice before but salad looks delicious.

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  12. You know, we (in Bali) eat this as a sweet treat. But, the white glutinous rice, we eat it as either sweet or savory. I might get used to with black savory rice, just like I get use to eat avocado as savory dish (guacamole), because in Indonesia, we eat avocado like we eat dessert :). Isn't that interesting Lisa? Thanks for sharing the recipe :). You always have something interesting in here.
    Cheers,
    Dewi

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    Replies
    1. That is interesting to know! I didn't know about black rice being used for sweets in Indonesia.

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  13. This would make a perfect picnic salad - yum!

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  14. I have never tried black rice but it adds a lovely dash of drama to a pretty dish.

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  15. gorgeous salad! I have some black rice in the pantry, I definitely will be trying this!

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  16. This is awesome Lisa! I can't wait til Spring so I can make it for a picinic. Yum!

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  17. Yay I'm so glad you made this! I've been wanting to try it but my hubby's been traveling so much I have a hard time messing up the kitchen for just lil old me. But now I'm motivated. Look at those colors! And you're right - we pop up everywhere lately. Can't believe I haven't been to the spa yet!

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  18. You black rice salad looks very exotic...I like the colors and the flavors in this dish Lisa. Great Summer dish!
    Have a wonderful week :D

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  19. That's a perfect summer salad, Lisa. Love the edamame in it. I've never cooked anything with black rice, going to correct that ASAP.

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  20. Have never seen black rice in Indian market. this is a completely new ingredients and I am sooo intrigued by its flavour and texture.Looks very exotic and the salad is beautiful.

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  21. It's only been the last few years that I have gotten into anything but white rice - so closed minded I know! I love my brown and wild rice now though :) This looks really yummy Lisa and perfect for a dinner party.

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