Triple Rice Salad with Dried Fruits, Nuts & Grilled Apple Sage Vegan Sausage
This salad is amazing on its own--it's got "Big Taste". It's one of my favorites to take to potlucks or to make for company---even my "super picky" niece Anna gave it a big thumbs up when she had it at my NYC son's apartment.
Add the smoked apple sage "grain meat" sausages, made with Yukon Gold potatoes, apples & rubbed sage into the mix and you have yourself "One Amazing Main Course"--fit for company. Just wait until you read the crazy mishmash of tasty ingredients that go into this dish.
Fair warning: This isn't a last minute quickie, but if you prep all the ingredients while the rice cooks it will take about 1 hour from start to finish.
Possible Short-Cut: I haven't tried this--but I'm thinking you could sub 3 cups each (6 total) of Trader Joe's (or Rice Expressions) Frozen Brown Rice & Jasmine (or Basmati) Rice--forget about the wild rice-- & skip the 50 minutes of rice cooking time!
For recipe on one page click here.
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/2 cup long-grain brown rice, rinsed
1/2 cup jasmine or basmati white rice, rinsed
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup currants
1/2 cup dried (I used Mariani's Ultimate) apricots (snip apricots with scissors into sixths)
The Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I short-cutted with Santa Cruz' Organic Real Lemon Juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 shallot, minced (recipe calls for 2)
Generous seasoning of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of Mori-Nu's firm Silken light tofu (comes in a box)
Add ins at the end
2/3 cup whole pecans
3 scallions, very thinly sliced (I left out the whites)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
3 grilled Field Roast Apple Sage sausages, sliced into 1/2 inch chunks. Grills best if you lightly spray or rub with a thin coat of olive oil.
2. Remove the cover and sprinkle in the jasmine or basmati rice, being careful not to disturb the rice below. Cover the pan and cook about 20 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is just about to start sticking to the pot.
3. Meanwhile combine the dried cranberries, currants, and apricots in a large serving bowl. When the rice is cooked, carefully spoon it onto the dried fruit and toss just enough to incorporate it without making it gummy, a few strokes. Let the mixture cool completely--the heat from the rice will plump up the dried fruit.
4. Meanwhile, start grilling the sausages--watch carefully--they brown up quickly!
5. Gently stir the pecans, scallions, parsley, mint, basil, and sausage slices into the rice mixture. Pour on the dressing and toss. Chill and let marinte a few hours before serving. We ate this right away--couldn't wait for the marinating--and it was just fine! Serve at room temperature.
Serves 6
NOTES: This is company fare. Definitely not low-fat or low-salt. Not Esselstyn-approved. But soooo good. And Field Roast products are made with vital wheat gluten (seitan)--so those with gluten allergies--STAY AWAY!
**An interested reader who is sensitive to MSG (it can be a migraine trigger) wondered about Field Roast's use of "naturally flavored yeast extract" --was it a masquerade for MSG. She wrote to the company & got this reply in short order:
Hello!
Thanks for getting in touch with us regarding your concerns about Yeast Extracts and MSG.
At Field Roast, we use yeast extracts because they provide an excellent savory foundation to our foods. They are certainly high in glutamates; a naturally occurring amino acid found in many natural foods including mushrooms, tomatoes and parmesan cheese. This makes our food even more delicious.
Our intention is to make a delicious food that nourishes, not hurts people. If glutamates (and other forms of glutamates) cause you migraines, I think the right move for you would be to not eat our foods.
Thank you so much for reaching out to us- have a wonderful day!
Kindest Regards,Cindi
--
Cindi Hellums
The Field Roast Grain Meat Company
1440 South Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98144
1-800-311-9497
206-762-5961
www.fieldroast.com
I often make whole grains- such as brown rice, hulled barley, etc- in a larger batch- let them cool- and then portion my serving size into a little container (or a ziplock plastic baggie) to go in the freezer. Then when I need them for meals later- it's a quick microwave job. I find I eat more whole grains- and more variety of them this way- And it's a ton cheaper for me to cook them ahead and freeze, rather than relying on Trader Joes...
Posted by: La Jolla, Ca. | July 16, 2009 at 08:45 PM
Made this last week for a Friday Night dinner party at my house. Eliminated all of the oil. Outstanding!!!! This is a very special dish and something that will make everyone happy. Thanks Debby!
Posted by: Wendy (Healthy Girl's Kitchen) | August 08, 2011 at 01:43 PM
So happy you liked it. I'm making it this week while on vacation--also cutting out all the oil.
Posted by: The Healthy Librarian | August 10, 2011 at 06:41 AM