Black Rice Salad

This rice salad appears on my plate in the previous post. I used half black and mahogany rice and half brown mix. Both Lundberg brand. You could use whatever whole-grain rice you prefer.

Kari's Black Rice Salad

1/2 cup japonica black rice (or other)
1/2 cup brown rice (or other)
1 tsp Better Than Bouillon No Chicken flavor

1 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 tsp rubbed sage

1 stalk celery, chopped
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 cup dried cranberries (or other)
6 Tbsp Almond Accents original oven roasted sliced almonds

Dressing:
1/2 Tbsp Ponzu citrus seasoned soy sauce
2 Tbsp frozen pineapple-orange juice concentrate
2 Tbsp white zinfandel wine
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar (or other)
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (about 6)

Rinse rice. Cook rice as directed in water with bouillon paste (or you can use vegetable broth instead). Place cooked rice in colander and rinse under cool water. Drain well.

Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion on med-low 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Add water as necessary to prevent sticking/burning. Stir in sage.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Add to onion-sage in skillet and bring to simmer. Add apricots; simmer a minute, then remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, celery, parsley, and cranberries. Add onion-apricot dressing mixture and toss together. Add almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or chilled. I like it chilled.

Cranberry-Orange Relish

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The picture above is my Thanksgiving dinner. Clockwise from top: roll, carrot & sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus, mashed potatoes & vegetarian gravy, Sweet Black Rice Salad, Tofurky, and cranberry-orange relish.

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I find I prefer to eat tofurky cold the next day. I don't like the stuffing they put in it. Too pasty. I suppose I could have made some stuffing/dressing, but I made the rice salad instead. I like the sweet baste recipe that comes with the tofurky. I put sweet potato instead of white potato in with the carrots and onions around the tofurky roast. The baste gives them a nice flavor. The orange-cranberry relish is a crockpot recipe that I found online years ago. A few years after, I found it again in a cookbook by Natalie Haughton called The Best Slow Cooker Cookbook Ever. This may be the original source, I don't know. I don't make the recipe exactly as written. The recipe calls for adding the raisins and apricots along with the nuts after the cranberries are cooked. I prefer to put the raisins and apricots in to cook with the cranberries. When that's done, I stir the walnuts in after it's cooled down. I've used dried peaches and nectarines in place of apricots several times. I always use regular raisins instead of golden raisins that the recipe calls for. This year I used orange-pineapple juice concentrate instead of plain orange juice concentrate. I think you could mix things up with different dried fruits. This relish is tangy-sweet and delicious. I make it every year.

Cranberry-Orange Relish -- adapted from recipe by NatalieHaughton

In a crockpot, mix together:

1 12-oz pkg fresh cranberries

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (or peaches, or nectarines, or other)

1/2 cup raisins

Cook on low heat 3 hours, or until cranberries pop. Turn off the heat. Let cool to warm and stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Cool completely and transfer to covered container and refrigerate. Can be made a week ahead. Makes about 3 cups.

Banana Snack Cake

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Moist and sweet, this banana cake is a tasty snack. Serve plain or with frosting. I chose to use peanut butter frosting, but I think many kinds would taste good.

Kari's Banana Snack Cake

1 cup oat flour (1 cup oats pulsed in blender)
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana
2 Tbsp flaxmeal
6 Tbsp water
1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray nonstick 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

In small bowl, combine flaxmeal with water and set aside. Add vinegar to milk and set aside.

In mixing bowl, combine oat flour, unbleached flour, ww pastry flour, brown sugar, coconut flour, wheat germ, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In another bowl, combine mashed banana, flaxmeal mixture, milk/vinegar, and vanilla. You want this smooth.

Add banana mixture to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost if desired.

Serves 20
Per serving 104 calories, 1g fat, 3g fiber

Co-Co-Mo Bars

Kari's Co-Co-Mo Bars (24 bars)

1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup oats
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal
3 Tbsp water
1 cup chocolate soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 oz unsweetened applesauce (1 individual-size container)
1/2 cup brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

In small bowl combine flax meal with water; set aside.

In large mixing bowl combine whole wheat flour, rice flour, coconut flour, wheat germ, oats, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl combine flax mixture, applesauce, chocolate soymilk, vanilla, and coffee.

Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir well to combine until moistened. Spread batter in prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.

Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.

These bars have a brownie-like texture and a mild chocolate flavor. For a stronger chocolate flavor, you can add more cocoa. You could also add chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts, or you can sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips over cake while hot from oven; then when they melt, spread over cake. Cool and cut.

Makes 24 bars
Per bar: 80 calories, 1 gram fat

Southwest Bean and Hominy Salad

Kari's Southwest Bean and Hominy Salad

1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can hominy, rinsed and drained
15 Spanish olives w/pimiento, sliced or chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup salsa
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Tabasco jalapeno pepper sauce
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1/8 tsp ground cumin

In large mixing bowl combine pinto beans, kidney beans, hominy, olives, tomato, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro.

In small bowl, combine salsa, vinegar, pepper sauce, garlic, and cumin. If the salsa is very chunky, mash together with a fork to get smooth. Pour over bean mixture and toss to combine. Cover and chill to let flavors meld.

Serve cold or at room temperature, either plain as a side dish or on top of greens and tortilla chips for a taco salad. You could also add avocado, but do so just before serving to prevent browning. Chopped jalapeno or diced chiles could also be added to the salad for more kick.

Makes approximately 8 cups.