Wild Rice with Grapefruit and Bok Choy Salad

It's May!  Do you know what that means?  It means the summer farmer's markets are finally starting to open!  I am so excited, it's a bit ridiculous.

In honor of this annually momentous occasion I decided to get out of my cooking comfort zone and try a new vegetable.  The vegetable of choice was bok choy.  Thank you Pak Express Farm!

So, the choice of bok choy was only the first step.  Next comes deciding what to do with it.  Bok choy is a traditional addition in stir fry, but if I was trying to branch out in vegetable choices, it seemed kinda lame to jump to the most obvious food choice.

Since my thinking always tends to be a bit circular, I happened to have wild rice salads on the brain thanks to browsing a new cookbook.  So...we have wild rice and bok choy on the brain so why not use them together?  However, a "salad" with just wild rice and bok choy sounds not so exciting.  Enter grapefruit.  I managed to convince my family to do a Feast of the Seven Fishes in lieu of our normal Christmas dinner and one of the dishes I put together was a squid and grapefruit salad.

I was hit by how fantastic the grapefruit was in a salad.  I also really enjoyed the accompanying grapefruit vinaigrette. Having that sweet citrus-y addition put the squid salad over the top.  My goal was to use the grapefruit to do the same thing here and I feel like I succeeded.  I'm pretty excited about this salad and think it will become a new summer staple.

Wild Rice with Grapefruit and Bok Choy Salad

Ingredients:

3 c. cooked wild rice and long grain blend

2 heads bok choy - sliced, stems and leaves separated

1 medium shallot - sliced

1 grapefruit - 1/2 juiced, 1/2 cut in chunks

1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

4 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:  

Cook the rice as directed on package, set aside to cool.

Heat some oil or butter in a large skillet over medium and cook shallots until they begin to soften - approximately 3 - 5 minutes.  Add bok choy stems and cook an additional 5 minutes, until they soften.

Add the bok choy leaves and cook until wilted, about another 2 minutes.

Take off the heat and mix with the rice.

Whisk the grapefruit juice, vinegar, and olive oil until emulsified.  Incorporate into the rice mixture along with the grapefruit chunks.

I was really pleased with this salad.  It had a great fresh flavor to it.  This will make an excellent side dish during summer when  you want to keep your meals light.  Enjoy!

Don't hate on the Ramen

Personally, I think Ramen Noodles are every home cook's dirty little secret.  It's cheap.  It can be used a myriad of ways.  But, no one ever wants to be seen purchasing it.  You may even avoid telling people you used it in a recipe until someone gushes and asks for it, at which point you whisper ever so conspiratorially, "I used ramen!"  Don't worry, I look over my shoulder too when I grab a package.  Mainly because I don't want anyone who sees me buying it to think I will be using that sodium overload flavor packet.  That flavor packet should be the first thing you toss out, but the noodles are great.  Honestly, 12 packages for less than a single box of the other stuff.  Embrace the ramen!

Today's particular nugget of goodness, Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles, is the result of having had a few different salads that included ramen in the recipe.  I have yet to meet a salad with ramen that I have not like, but I was curious what my version would look like.  And these salads really are all about the look.  It should be colorful.    Things that are colorful grab your attention and beg to be eaten immediately.  This is one of the reasons I included dried cranberries.  I also wanted a little bit of sweetness added to the mix.

Most recipes call for a bag of coleslaw or broccoli slaw, which makes this a super simple thing you can throw together the morning of a party.  However, I decided I should make things complicated and I shredded my own cabbage.  You do not need to do this, you can cut out 3 of the ingredients and reduce prep time by half if you go the bagged route.  Again, though, I like to be complicated so...typically you can purchase half heads in the grocery store, which is what I did.  Since I was taking this salad to a party where lots of other people were bringing salads, I did not want to make a ton.  Therefore, I used half of the half heads I purchased.  Given everything else I add, it was more than enough.  I would say this recipe, as a small side dish, is enough for 8 people.

One major difference with this salad is that I only used a small amount of sugar in the dressing.  Basic dressings for this type of salad include: oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Simple, right?  The catch is the amount of sugar used.  I have seen recipes that call for anywhere from three tablespoons to a half cup.  The ones that use the most sugar are the ones that use distilled white vinegar.  The addition of the sugar makes the vinegar more palatable.  Why on earth you would choose to use a vinegar best left to cleaning your sink or unclogging your bathtub is beyond me, but to each his or her own.  My preference is red wine vinegar.

Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Almond slivers - toasted
1/3 c. Dried cranberries
1 pkg. Ramen noodles
3 Green onions
1/4 head Red cabbage
1/4 head Savoy cabbage
1/4 c. Carrots - matchstick style
1/2 c. Broccoli bits
1/4 c. Sunflower seeds
1/2 c. Olive oil
1/3 c. Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat a large saute pan and toast almond slivers.  This should take approximately 3 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.  I over toasted some of the smaller pieces trying to get as many of the larger pieces toasted as I could.  Those pieces I kept out of the salad.  Set aside.

Take the ramen noodles out of their original packaging and put it in a storage bag.  Using a rolling pin, break up the ramen into small pieces.  Shred the red and green cabbage.  Place everything into a large bowl.

Add the toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and matchstick carrots.

Add the green onions and dried cranberries.

Now for the broccoli.  Because I wanted the half cup of broccoli to go as far as possible, I cut off small sprigs of broccoli from a larger crown and chopped that up.  In all it was about a third of the crown I had purchased.  Stir until everything is well mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar until emulsified.  Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.  I do realize that above there is a short rant about adding sugar, but here we are only using a single tablespoon.  It is just enough to cut through the acid so no one has that not always pleasant bite of vinegar as they munch on this salad.

Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.  Cover the bowl with some saran wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for about two hours.  Letting the salad sit allows the dressing to soften the ramen.  That part is key, do not skimp on the resting time!

The vegetables and nuts have a nice crunch.  The dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness.  When all is said and done, you will have a great salad to add to your summer barbecue.