The Secret Recipe Club: Red (Brown) Rice Salad

Can I just tell you how much I love secrets? I do. I love to be on both the giving and receiving end. I like to try to guess and I like the surprisee to guess too! It makes me feel like I've done a good job if my subtle hints are left undetected. CrAZy? Maybe but I think it's fun!

So this whole Secret Recipe Club is right up my alley. I love getting my assignment each month but I also love the anticipation of waiting to see who was assigned my blog.

This month I was assigned Gloria of The Ginger Snap Girl. Gloria is a baker at heart and participates in so many food clubs. I don't know how she finds the time to create all these masterpieces (Red Velvet Whoopie Pies anyone?!) but she does and her husband is one lucky dude!

When I read about a photography workshop she attended, put on by White on Rice Couple, and the Red Rice Salad that Diane served them, I knew that's what I wanted to try. That and I was so jealous of her awesome experience at the workshop! Gloria raved about the salad and even described the vinaigrette as "magical!" How could I not try it?!

Gloria was right! That vinaigrette would make shoe leather taste delicious. I'm sure of it. It's a little sweet, a little salty, and just the right amount of both. I whipped it up one night to jazz up some plain old brown rice (didn't even bother to look for the red rice since Gloria said it's hard to find) and my whole family raved about it. My husband looked so surprised when he tasted the first bite and said, "This rice is really good!" I take it my rice is typically bland!

I omitted the cucumbers because I made this on a whim (so unlike me!) and didn't have any available. I actually think I prefer the salad warm and therefore don't think cucumbers would be that great. The recipe says it can be served warm or cold and I can easily see adding various vegetables, depending on your temperature preference.

This will become a go-to addition to our boring brown rice. My husband thanks you, Gloria (and Diane)!

Red (Brown) Rice Salad
from The Ginger Snap Girl

For rice:

1 1/4 cups brown rice, uncooked
1 3/4 plus 2 T. water
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

1. Put brown rice and water together in a pot with a lid.
2. Set the heat to high, and bring the rice/water to a boil uncovered.  Then put the lid on the pot, and reduce the heat to low/simmer.  If your lid has a steam valve, keep it closed.  Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and let the rice sit in the covered pot for another 10 minutes.  It’s ok if you let the rice sit longer than 10 minutes (20 or 30 minutes is fine too), but don’t let it go any less.  I prefer my rice to be slightly chewy, not mushy, so I usually remove the lid after 10 minutes.

Shallot Vinaigrette:

3 large shallots, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 T. olive oil or grapeseed oil
2 tsp agave nectar (or sugar)
2 T. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 T. rice vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a small non-stick skillet, add 2 T. oil and heat on low.  Add shallots and garlic and cook until mixture is a light golden brown (about 15 minutes).  Remove from heat and add in remaining 2 T. oil and remaining ingredients.  Stir until well blended.

When rice is finished cooking, add parsley and vinaigrette.  Stir to combine.  Serve warm or chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serves 4-6 people as a side dish.