Wild Rice Salad

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  Psalm 1:1-2

This recipe for a side dish was given to me by Rachel Jordan and it is DELICIOUS!!!  Such great flavor and you can eat off of it for several days.  You can put a piece of grilled chicken on top and make a meal out of it!  Pine nuts are a little expensive but well worth it to make this yummy recipe!  (We ate this before I got the photo, so in the absence of a food picture, I'm going to go back on my word and put a kid photo...i think the posts look cuter with a picture :)  )

1 box, wild rice, cooked & cooled

4 oz. feta, crumbled

1/2 C. diced green or yellow bell pepper

2/3 C. toasted pine nuts

2 oz. jar diced pimentos, drained

Dressing:

1/3 C. olive oil

3 T. white wine vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

Mix rice and other ingredients.  Pour dressing over rice mixture, stir well & refrigerate overnight.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4-6 if plan on using as main dish with chicken on top.

Tips:

You can use more or less feta or pimentos depending on what you like.  Diced pimentos come in a 4 oz. or 7 oz. so just guestimate how much to put in.  It looks pretty if you do some yellow bell pepper and some green bell pepper.  (FYI, at Publix it is cheaper to buy the pack that has 1 red, green, and yellow bell pepper than to buy 2 peppers individually.)  I made this earlier in the day and just let it chill in fridge for 3 hours rather than overnight before we ate it.  It works both ways.  You also do not have to let the rice cool all the way if pressed for time.

Tomato & Onion Phyllo Tarte

I call to God and the Lord saves me.  Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and He hears my voice.  Psalm 55:16-17

Phyllo dough has such a fun texture so I knew we would all love this.  We ate this as a side dish with steaks and salad.  You can cater it more to your taste if you like/don't like certain ingredients.  It can also be cut into small pieces and served as appetizers.  

5 T. butter, melted

14 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

7 T. grated Parmesan, divided

1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 C. thinly sliced, onion

1 lb. plum tomatoes (about 5-6 tomatoes), sliced 

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste

Spray a 15 by 10 inch baking sheet with pam or line with parchment paper.  Lay 2 phyllo sheets side by side on the pan (so that it is like one sheet covering the bottom of the pan).  Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp rag or plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out as you work.

Brush phyllo with butter and sprinkle with 1 T. Parmesan.  Repeat layers with remaining dough.  (dough, butter, Parm)  Use the rest of the butter on the last layer.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese; arrange onions and tomatoes over cheese.  Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and a little more Parm if desired.  

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden.

 

Serves 4-6 as a side dish or can cut into 2-3 dozen small appetizers. 

Taste of Home

Tips:

You can add more or less onions and tomatoes depending on your taste.  Can be prepared earlier in the day, then covered with plastic wrap  and kept in the fridge until ready to cook.  Serve it right when it comes out of the oven.  It can also be prepared, wrapped well, and frozen (uncooked) to use at a later date.  If you are new to phyllo dough, a box comes with two packets of dough.  You only need one to make this.  Let it thaw in fridge overnight or put it on the counter if you plan on using it in an hour or so.  To cut this dish, it works really well to cut it with kitchen shears/scissors.