Green Rice
I've been on a green rice kick lately. Partly because my herb garden is abundant, and partly because my kids all love rice. Doesn't it seem to go with so many things?
You can use white or brown rice for this recipe. You can use quinoa, couscous, millet, wheat berries, bulgur.
Also open to interpretation are the herbs. Depending upon your garden, farmer's market, CSA, or grocery store, almost any green herb would be great in this dish. Oregano, basil, chives, lemon balm, parsley, sage, thyme, mint.
The key is use a lot of herbs. The name is Green Rice. You want a definite green hue to the grains. This means generous handfuls of each herb, chopped fairly fine and stirred into the warm rice. It's way more about the herbs than the rice :)
Lemon or lime? Kinda depends on the herbs and your pleasure. The only "for sures" at my house are salt and butter. If you prefer olive oil, go for it. Just use the good stuff.
So what do we serve this side dish with? Hmmmm. Chicken-Fish-Beef-Beans-Kebabs-Veggies. Really, you choose! It's especially delicious with grilled food, as the light -n- fresh, herby -n- citrusy goodness balances out the charcoal-cooked smoky goodness.
The other night, I made White Rice cooked with butter and salt in the water. I added more butter and salt to the finished rice, and stirred in chopped Oregano, Garlic Chives, Parsley, grated Lime Zest and Lime Juice.
Tonight it was Brown Basmati Rice with butter and salt, and added chopped Lemon Balm, Parsley, Chives, and grated Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice.
Pretty sure there will be some Orange Zest and Juice in our future, no doubt combined with Sage, Mint and Parsley.
When the Basil is in full glory, it'll combine with Lemon, plus Garlic Chives and Olive Oil to make me feel all pesto-joyful.
You get the general idea, right? Use what you have and what you love. Find your favorite combinations. Enjoy the freshness!
You can use white or brown rice for this recipe. You can use quinoa, couscous, millet, wheat berries, bulgur.
Also open to interpretation are the herbs. Depending upon your garden, farmer's market, CSA, or grocery store, almost any green herb would be great in this dish. Oregano, basil, chives, lemon balm, parsley, sage, thyme, mint.
The key is use a lot of herbs. The name is Green Rice. You want a definite green hue to the grains. This means generous handfuls of each herb, chopped fairly fine and stirred into the warm rice. It's way more about the herbs than the rice :)
Lemon or lime? Kinda depends on the herbs and your pleasure. The only "for sures" at my house are salt and butter. If you prefer olive oil, go for it. Just use the good stuff.
So what do we serve this side dish with? Hmmmm. Chicken-Fish-Beef-Beans-Kebabs-Veggies. Really, you choose! It's especially delicious with grilled food, as the light -n- fresh, herby -n- citrusy goodness balances out the charcoal-cooked smoky goodness.
The other night, I made White Rice cooked with butter and salt in the water. I added more butter and salt to the finished rice, and stirred in chopped Oregano, Garlic Chives, Parsley, grated Lime Zest and Lime Juice.
Tonight it was Brown Basmati Rice with butter and salt, and added chopped Lemon Balm, Parsley, Chives, and grated Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice.
Pretty sure there will be some Orange Zest and Juice in our future, no doubt combined with Sage, Mint and Parsley.
When the Basil is in full glory, it'll combine with Lemon, plus Garlic Chives and Olive Oil to make me feel all pesto-joyful.
You get the general idea, right? Use what you have and what you love. Find your favorite combinations. Enjoy the freshness!