Fall Black Rice Salad

Less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving — though it feels like March was yesterday. In the spirit of the season, I thought I’d use this post to remind myself (and hopefully others!) of the positives. This week I’m thankful for:

• How so many people showed up and voted for change and inclusivity in the US this month

• Snow, which has helped combat Colorado’s wildfires, and reminded me that fall is really here, even though this year has gone by in the blur

• Fall cooking and baking. Favorites this week, were: this wild rice salad, tahini rice crispy recipe from Bon Appetit, quiche, Massaman coconut curry with tofu, sourdough focaccia, and miso braised greens. Next week I’d like to make cranberry hand pies and a pear coffee cake!

• The upcoming holiday break — while it certainly won’t be a “normal” Thanksgiving, it will be nice to have a break and unplug

Fall Black Rice Salad

Published October 6, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 30 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup black wild rice, such as Forbidden Rice or TJ's Cultivated Wild Rice (Wild rice blends will also work well)

2 cups chicken broth, or more as indicated on package (If using an Instant Pot to cook the rice, reduce to 1-1/4 cup broth)

3 slices bacon, cooked

1 apple, such as Sweet Tango or Honeycrisp

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

2 cups baby arugula

Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the bottom of a sauce pan (or Instant Pot on Sauté setting). Sauté onions and garlic until transparent.
2. Add rice to pot, along with broth. Cover, and cook according to instructions on the rice packet. (If using an Instant Pot, set to Multigrain setting for 14 minutes with the vent in the sealed position. Natural release for 10 minutes.)
3. Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Core the apple, and dice. When the rice has cooled, add bacon, apple, pecans and arugula. Toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lemon Ginger Pound Cake

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Even a chocoholic like me can appreciate something bright and citrusy, especially when spring is in it’s early days. We can likely all agree that this spring is unique, in that we’re all spending a lot more time at home. And I, like so many others, am making sure to bake up a storm while staying home. This cake—great with a dollop of whipped cream, and a few fresh strawberries—is a sweet treat with a cup of afternoon tea, and a welcome indulgence.

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Lemon Ginger Pound Cake

Published March 31, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 10   |    Active Time: 75 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the cake:

Butter and flour for the pan

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup melted unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt, at room temperature

½ teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 large lemon (about 3 tablespoons juice, plus zest)

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the glaze (optional):

1 cup powdered sugar

Juice from 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven, and heat it to 350°F. Butter an 8 1/2-inch loaf pan (I used this one -affiliate link!), dust with flour and tap out the excess.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand-held mixer and a large mixing bowl,) cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs, sour cream, ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated.Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go to ensure everything is mixed.
4. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet, incorporating until a loose batter forms and very few lumps remain. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
5. Using a spatula, transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes (if the cake looks as if it’s getting too dark too quickly, tent it loosely with foil) or until a toothpick, inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean.
6. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully run a knife between the sides of the cake and the pan. Turn bred pan sideways. Cake should be loose in the pan. Take cake out of pan, and place on cooling rack for 1 hour.
7. Once cake is cooled, make glaze. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Place cake on parchment paper or plate to catch drippings, and drizzle glaze over top of cake. Allow to set for 10-15 more minutes. Then, slice and serve.
8. Serving: Cake is good on it’s own, but also great with whipped cream and fresh berries.

Citrus Butter Sweet Potatoes

Sunshine has been all I crave lately. After a very snowy Thanksgiving week and a few weeks of fighting a cold, I feel like I’ve barely spent anytime outside over the last month. It’s getting to me. Staying home to cook all day is one of my favorite activities—but only if I’ve gotten enough fresh air, too. Otherwise, I just feel stir crazy. Next week, my office closed for the whole week (!!), so I am hoping to flip-flop my outside time issue. Miraculously, it’s suppose to be a sunny week… so sunshine, here I come!

Here is a holiday/winter side dish with a little sunshine built in, in the form of bright citrus juice: Citrus Butter Sweet Potatoes. They are slow roasted with a bit of butter, maple syrup (just a touch!) and orange juice. Each bite is a mix of sweet, salty, starchy and acidic.

Happy holidays!

P.S., If I know anything about you all, it’s that you love sweet potatoes. This roasted sweet potato salad is the most popular recipe on Foraged Dish! (Or is it the goat cheese?)

Citrus Butter Sweet Potatoes

Published December 19, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 70 minutes

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Ingredients:

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Zest and juice of 1/2 an orange

1-2 generous pinches of salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1-2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. While the oven preheats, place a baking dish (about 9x9 inches) in the oven with the 2 tablespoons of butter in it—this will melt the butter. When butter is melted (just a few minutes) remove from oven and set aside.
2. Wash the sweet potatoes, and then optionally, peel them. I like to roughly peel them, leaving a bit of skin on. Chop sweet potatoes into about 1-inch thick by 2-inch long pieces.
3. Add maple syrup, orange zest, orange juice, and salt to the baking mix and stir everything together. Add sweet potatoes, and use a rubber spatula to mix them in the maple-butter mixture until coated.
4. Cover top of pan with foil, and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove foil from pan and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be browning on the edges, and extremely soft when done. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
5. Season with black pepper to your preferences, and garnish with minced parsley.