Eat the color with brown rice

Salads are popular in western culture and health-conscious people are turning to brown rice in their diet.  Because brown rice is coated with fibrous bran it has a high nutritional value. Combined with fruits and vegetables, the chewy, hardy textures of the rice makes for a popular salad.

Eating a variety of colorful foods insures that  a variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants nourish your body. These organic sources have healthy benefits that cannot be replicated in a vitamin. These varieties provide a powerful mix that that benefit all parts of the body. Here is a power recipe full of colorful fruits and vegetables. Try it and enjoy!

Preparation Time: 1hr
Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked black beans
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup chopped green bell peppers & cucumbers
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped purple onion
2 cups cooked corn
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 cup kidney beans
½ cup chopped Cilantro

Dressing:
1 tablespoon Salt, ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ½ cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons Honey, juice of 2 limes

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Add salt to taste. 
Combine all ingredients in very large bowl and mix. Add dressing and toss to coat.

Everyone is a rice sommelier

I was raised in a rice culture where my Mom cooked rice just the way my Dad liked it, and she cooked rice for the rest of the family just the way we liked it.  She wanted to make everyone happy. This is common for families who enjoy rice. Every family cooks rice differently to suit their special textures and flavors. My grandmother also adapts her rice preparation to harvest time. Depending on the year, she will change the amount of time she soaks and cooks the rice and the amount of water used to make perfect rice.
 

At this time of year, it is exciting to try the new harvest rice and other grains. In Nalata Nalata, NYC, I purchased a brown rice called ‘Koshihikari’ from outside of Kanazawa, Japan. It is produced by SKURO, a small, organic, family-run farm. Exclusively imported, each bag contains 600g of rice grain or 5 cups.

As we know brown rice retains the outer layer called bran. Bran is usually milled away to become white rice. However, the bran contains many nutrients, high amounts of fiber, vitamins and minerals that bring chewy texture and earthy aroma.

I cooked the new “Koshihikari” rice on top of the stove instead of in the rice cooker.  I had this delicious rice with my homemade pickles. Just the way I like it!