Potato Salad with Mustard Greens

3 Tbs unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 lb red potatoes, peeled and diced
4 celery stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 bunch mustard greens, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1) Whisk together vinegar and thyme in a small bowl. Whisk in oil and mustard, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Marinate 20 minutes, tossing often.
2) Meanwhile, steam potatoes 13 to 14 minutes, or until tender. Transfer steamer rack to work surface and let potatoes cool for five minutes.
3) Toss potatoes with dressing in a wide, shallow bowl. Cool 10 minutes, or until dressing is absorbed, tossing occasionally.
4) Steam celery 6 minutes, or until only slight crunch remains. Cool briefly. Fold into potatoes. Fold in mustard greens. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Review: The mustard greens added an extra mustard punch to this dish. However, I apparently don't like that. I can see why it was picked for this dish, but the vague mustard taste just wasn't pleasing to me. I'd love to make this again, but double the dressing and substitute in collard greens.

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/potato-salad-with-mustard-greens/

Black Radish & Sweet Potato Stew

3 black radishes, peeled and diced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 15oz can of kidney beans, including liquid
1 15oz can of pinto beans, including liquid
1 cup of water
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder

1) Combine all ingredients in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2) Bring to a boil.
3) Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.

Review: I found an article in Vegetarian Times (November 2012) about black radishes. It had some vague ideas of how to use them in recipes, but no recipes. I didn't think much about it, as I never saw them in the store. Yet, they're in stock every week at our grocery store in New Hampshire?! These are much bigger than regular radishes, but have much of the same flavor. They mellow with cooking, however. It worked well in this recipe, which had more of a hearty flavor than a spicy flavor. It was also quite filling!!

Green Beans with Walnuts & Pomegranate

1 lb green beans, trimmed
1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
3 Tbs toasted pumpkin seed oil

1) In a large pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 cup of water until it's boiling. Add green beans and cover. Steam for 7 minutes, or until green beans are tender.
2) In a large bowl, layer ingredients - green beans, topped with walnuts, topped with pomegranate arils. Drizzle toasted pumpkin seed oil over the top.

Review: Oh my goodness. I thought this sounded tasty, but it's unbelievably good. I ate the entire dish by myself. It took that much to feel full, but I've also been sick and missed lunch. The toasted walnuts and the toasted pumpkin seed oil gave this a wonderfully warm flavor (and added much needed healthy fats). The pomegranate arils added a bit of sweet without being overwhelming. This was so tasty and would make a great side dish on the holidays!

Adapted from:
http://sarahscucinabella.com/2013/11/26/green-beans-walnuts-pomegranate/

Swiss Chard & Lentils with Wild Rice

2 bunches of Swiss chard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
3 Tbs olive oil
3/4 cup wild rice
2 cups water
1 Tbs smoked paprika
2 cups cooked lentils

1) Wash Swiss chard leaves, but do not dry. Remove chard stems; trim and chop stems. Cut leaves into 1-inch wide ribbons.
2) In a large pot, combine the Swiss chard, garlic, salt, olive oil, wild rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
3) Add lentils and cook just a few more minutes - until lentils are warm. Add smoked paprika and serve.

Review: I significantly changed the original recipe. I couldn't understand the need to cook regular rice for 45 minutes. To further complicate things, I only had quick-cooking (12-15 minutes) brown basmati rice. Oh, and some wild rice that takes 45 minutes to cook . . .  So, I got to use up the remaining wild rice that I had on hand. I made the dish a little more savory and earthy than the original recipe. I think it works a lot better and I loooved the flavor. It was so hearty and filling.

Adapted from:
http://deliciousliving.com/recipes/chard-braised-cilantro-and-rice

Pumpkin Seed Oil Risotto

2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups baby arugula
2 avocados, cubed
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seed oil

1) In a large saucepan, heat oil until warm. Add rice and stir for about 2 minutes, or until rice is slightly toasted.
2) Stir in white wine to deglaze.
3) Add one cup of vegetable broth. Cook until it is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Repeat this step until all of the broth is used. The rice should have absorbed most of the liquid and looks creamy.
4) Remove from heat and add the arugula and avocados. Stir until the arugula has wilted and the avocados have melted into the risotto.
5) Stir in the toasted pumpkin seed oil and add salt to taste.

Review: I bought toasted pumpkin seed oil a while back for a recipe. I didn't find another one to use it in and was starting to feel like I wasted my money. I went on an exhaustive search for a new recipe to use it in. The vast majority of recipes was using it in a dressing. I don't like making salads for dinner, as it leaves me with limp leftovers. I was happy to find this risotto recipe, but wasn't sure it'd be tasty without the cheese. Well, it definitely was. There's no strong flavor (maybe I should add more toasted pumpkin seed oil?), but a general savoriness. It's definitely filling and I didn't miss the cheese!!

Adapted from:
http://theingredientfinder.com/blog/33-pumpkin-seed-oil-risotto

Roasted Vegetable & Wild Rice Salad with Almond-Parsley Sauce

1 cup wild rice
1 acorn squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch thick wedges
2 turnips, diced
1 apple, diced
4 Tbs olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup roasted almonds, chopped
1 Tbs lemon juice

1) Heat oven to 450F. Cook the rice according to package directions (typically boiling in 4 cups of water for 45 minutes).
2) Toss the squash, turnips and apple with 2 Tbs of the oil, salt and black pepper. Place on two large rimmed baking sheets. Roast, turning once, until golden brown and tender, 22 to 24 minutes.
3) Combine the parsley, almonds, remaining 2 Tbs oil and lemon juice, with salt and black pepper, in a small bowl.
4) Serve the rice and vegetables topped with the sauce.

Review: I learned my lesson and carved up the acorn squash while wearing gloves. My skin thanked me! This was a very unusual dish for a weeknight. I forgot that wild rice takes so long to cook. Yet, somehow I got every part of this salad done at the same time, which made it easy to throw together. The almonds were a great addition to the roasted vegetables and the wild rice gave it an earthy flavor. I think this may be made better by using pomegranate vinegar instead of lemon juice, maybe adding pomegranate arils on top, too. Maybe I'll make this again to try that out.

Adapted from:
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-vegetable-wild-rice-salad-almond-parsley-sauce

Mixed Mushroom & Rice Soup

1/2 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup black rice
2 Tbs olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
12oz frozen mixed mushrooms
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1) Combine both rices and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to simmer. Cover, and cook 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
2) Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbs oil in a large pot. Add shallots and celery and saute 3 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining 1 Tbs oil and mixed mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Saute 10 minutes, or until mushrooms are fully heated and celery is softened.
3) Stir in cooked rice, broth and parsley. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 3 to 5 minutes.

Review: I still don't like soup, but yet the recipes keep making it to my grocery list. I left out about 3 cups of fluid when I made this, so it was more dense and less soupy. The black rice gave it a dark purple look (the color only intensified once it was served as leftovers the next day). It's a sweet rice, so this is the first recipe I've found that used the ingredient and the recipe wasn't rice pudding! It balanced with the exotic flavors of the mushrooms and the earthiness of the basmati rice. I could see this being a great holiday dressing if more broth was left out. It was so yummy!

Adapted from:
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/mixed-mushroom-and-rice-soup/