Mole Red Rice
By Julie Cader
Celebrate the Fourth of July with this red, white and blue meal! Invite friends and family to your backyard barbecue, complete with refreshing drinks, strawberry and avocado salad, hot off the grill chicken breasts drizzled with blueberry sauce, and amazing whole grain California Red Rice Mole. As you can see by the photo, longtime friend, Larry, gave the mole rice a thumbs up, saying it was wonderful!
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1 Tablespoon dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, or more if you like it spicy
¼ teaspoon Allspice
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
5 strips of Bacon
6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 Red Pepper, finely minced
1 large Shallot, finely minced
Salt and Pepper
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 small can Tomato Paste
2 ounces of Lindt Dark Chocolate (save the other 1.5 ounces for you!)
1 cup California Red Rice
Chives and Fresh Parsley, chopped, for topping
Sour Cream and Sliced Avocado for topping
One Pan Preparation
Toast first 6 ingredients in a preheated, large dutch oven over medium heat for a minute. Scrape toasted spice mixture into a small bowl and set aside.
In same skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Place bacon in small bowl and set aside.
Once bacon has cooled, chop into small pieces.
In same skillet, sauté garlic, red pepper, shallots, salt and pepper, until softened.
Increase heat to high and add chicken broth, tomato paste, yummy chocolate and the toasted spice mixture. Bring to a slow boil and add California Red Rice, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 45-50 minutes. Remember to stir rice every 15 minutes to make sure it is not sticking. Add more broth if needed to finish cooking rice.
Once rice is tender, turn off heat and let stand for a few minutes. Stir in bacon and check to see if more salt and pepper is needed.
To serve, top with chives, parsley, avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 4-6
Blueberry Sauce
Blueberries are as much a part of summer as chicken breasts on the barbecue. This blueberry recipe makes a sweet and tangy sauce to drizzle over the cooked chicken.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large Shallot, finely minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ cups of fresh blueberries
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Butter
Salt and Pepper
Preparation
In a medium pot, cook minced shallots in olive oil until softened. Pour in white wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Stir in blueberries, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer until liquid is reduced in half. Remove from heat and stir in butter, season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on plates and drizzle with sauce.
Serves 4-6
I also prepared a salad of fresh sliced strawberries and diced avocado tossed with a raspberry vinegar salad dressing, and served in a butter lettuce cup, to balance out the meal.
Happy 4th!
Julie recently retired as the Finance & Administration Manager for the California Rice Commission, and is a big proponent of trying new recipes- especially if they feature California rice.