Black rice, also called Forbidden Rice, is aptly named because as the story goes, its exclusivity and powerful health benefits were saved especially for Chinese Emperors. Now available to the masses, this lovely purple-hued rice tastes a bit nutty and actually contains the same amount of antioxidants as blueberries. For this side dish, I cooked the black rice until slightly tender, and served with sliced scallions cooked in a touch of fragrant almond oil, toasted almonds, and a sprinkling of creamy goat cheese. Hearty and astonishingly healthy, give this ancient grain a whirl next time you have rice-on-the-brain.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Black Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds, Scallions & Goat Cheese
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- ½ cup black rice
- 6 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon almond oil (or walnut oil)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- Salt and pepper
- Crumbled goat cheese
Directions:
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add in the black rice and stir; reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 35-40 minutes, or until tender and the water has evaporated. Cover, remove from the heat and let steam for at least 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Saute the scallions and almonds for 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of pepper.
- Toss the cooked rice with the scallion-almond mixture. Top with the crumbled goat cheese and serve warm.
Tagged: almond oil, almonds, antioxidants, black rice, forbidden rice, goat cheese, green onions, rice, scallions, side dish, sliced almonds, vegetarian side dish
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