Brown rice and cranberrry pilaf

Out of potatoes, or simply bored of the starchy tubers? This is a great side dish, and you'll likely have all the ingredients at hand. I only buy brown rice these days -- it's more filling and satisfying than the ordinary white stuff. It takes a bit longer to cook, but definitely worth the effort.

Brown rice and cranberry pilaf
from Whole Grains, Every Way, Every Day by Lorna Sass

Nuts:

1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 cup of walnuts (I used pecans and an extra handful of almonds)
1/8 tsp cinnamon and a dash of allspice and nutmeg
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Rice:

3 cups of cooked brown rice (1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water – cook on low heat for 40 minutes).
3 Tbsp Marsala wine
3 Tbsp dried cranberries
Method:

Cook the brown rice. You can do this ahead of time since it takes about 40 minutes for it to cook.

Prepare the nuts in a frying pan with the oil and spices –- they should toast up in a couple of minutes. Keep your eye on them.

Toss cranberries and wine into the rice – allow it to cook for a few minutes until the wine is absorbed. Stir in the nut mixture. Serve!

Toasted couscous and pumpkin salad

Okay, so I readily admit that pumpkin isn't the springiest of vegetables, but we're still early in the season and there's not too much green stuff on the shelves just yet.

But when I stumbled across this recipe in The Star, I realized I had all the ingredients on hand, save for the pumpkin, so it seemed like a good idea to tackle.

And good idea it was! This is a tasty, colourful salad that holds up well after a few days and can easily be packed into lunches.

It starts by toasting some Israeli couscous in a bit of fragrant olive oil. This was my second time toasting these little balls of pasta, and I kept a much better eye on them this time around. They can get too brown too quickly if you don't watch them.

After they couscous is browned, you cook it in some apple juice. I never buy the stuff, so now I'll have to find other uses for the leftovers. Anyway, make sure you test a spoonfull or two for doneness, of the batch might be too al dente for your liking. I tested just one grain and it was well cooked, but overall, I had many that were not done. Lesson learned!

Into the cooked couscous goes the pumpkin -- in this case I substituted butternut squash -- and the fennel.


And here's the finished product. So colourful, right? Next time you have to take a salad somewhere, bring this little beauty. Everyone will love it!

Toasted Couscous & Pumpkin Salad

Found in The Toronto Star, and originally found in Pumpkin: A Super Food for 12 Months of the Year, by Dee Dee Stovel

1-1/4 lb (600 g) chunk unpeeled pumpkin, seeds and fibres removed, flesh cut in 1-inch-wide pieces

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lb (225 g) Israeli couscous (about 1-1/3 cups)

1-1/2 cups apple juice

1/2 tsp sea salt + more to taste

1/3 cup finely chopped fennel

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1/4 cup minced red onion

2 tbsp each: grapeseed oil, red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Microwave pumpkin pieces on high 3 to 5 minutes, or until almost tender. Cool briefly. Peel. Cut flesh in 1/8- to 1/4-inch cubes. Measure 2 cups. (Keep remainder in fridge or freezer for other uses.)

Heat olive oil in deep skillet on medium. Add couscous. Cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly browned. Stir in juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and couscous is just tender, stirring occasionally.
Add pumpkin and fennel. Cover and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to serving bowl. Cool 5 minutes. Add parsley, cranberries and onion. Drizzle on grapeseed oil and vinegar. Add pepper. Stir to blend. Taste and adjust salt.

Cool to room temperature before serving.

Makes 6 servings.