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Winter Black Rice Salad w/ Roasted Garlic, Butternut Squash, Beets, and Kale

Lately, I’ve been going nuts over black rice.  It is SO good, and I can’t get over it.  I love brown rice, but there is some extra oomph to black rice.  It is soooo chewy, and nutty, and comforting, and mmmmm!

I made a black rice salad with fresh winter veggies– roasted butternut squash, roasted garlic, roasted beets, and kale!   I’m pretty sure my neighbors could hear me “mmmmmm”-ing from my kitchen.

Black Rice Salad with roasted beets, butternut squash and kale | thefreshfind.com

According to Livestrong, black rice is lower in carbs, higher in fiber, and a better source of protein than brown rice.

  • 1/3 cup of dry black rice: 43g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g protein and 2g fat
  • 1/3 cup of dry brown rice: 47g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g protein and 2g fat

Not significant differences, but hey, fun facts.

I decided to make a black rice salad with some of my favorite Winter vegetables from Wheatsville Food Co-op.

Wheatsville has been serving the city of Austin since 1976.  They carry over 2000 local products and continue to provide Austin with more local, organic, sustainable food options!

I love to shop here because I can buy high quality food that didn’t travel very far.  In addition to fresh and local produce, they have a great bulk selection (dry goods and liquids), tea selection, variety of natural packaged products, delicious cheese selection, fresh prepared foods and irresistible bakery goods!  Plus, it is just a fun environment and they always have unique items!

I picked up some of my favorite local items: Hat Creek’s Sauerkraut, The Mediterranean Chef’s Babaganoush, Goodflow Honey, and a loaf of the in-house made bread… I couldn’t help myself!

I left Wheatsville with my hands full of fresh produce and local goods.  I came home and went to town to make this delicious salad!

This dish is VERY easy to make.  Most of your time is spent chopping veggies and waiting for them to roast.  Essentially, here is all you need to do:

  1. Cook rice
  2. Roast beets
  3. Roast garlic
  4. Roast butternut squash
  5. Roast walnuts
  6. Toss!

A super simple process with simple ingredients!

Black Rice Salad with roasted beets, butternut squash and kale | thefreshfind.com

I roasted the garlic (warning: this will make your home smell dangerously delicious and garlic-y), and made a dressing with some Goodflow honey, red wine vinegar and olive oil.

To roast the garlic:

Cut off one side, and pour olive oil into each clove.  Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 40 minutes!  Smash it into any dish :)

Roasted Garlic | thefreshfind.com

Win $30 to Wheatsville Food Co-op in Austin!  Here’s how:

  1. Follow @thefreshfind on Instagram
  2. Like the photo of this Black Rice Salad
  3. Tag 2 of your cooking buddies!

I will choose a winner on Mon 2/6/17 via random number generator.  I will contact you directly via Instagram messenger. Good luck!

Black Rice Salad with roasted beets, butternut squash and kale | thefreshfind.com
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Black Rice Salad with Roasted Garlic, Butternut Squash, and Beets

A delicious black rice salad with roasted winter veggies. Full of roasted garlic, roasted butternut squash, roasted beets and walnuts!
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time50 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 4
Author: The Fresh Find

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked black rice
  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 2 medium beets
  • 1 head of garlic
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 4 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • .5 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Peel and chop butternut squash into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with .5 tbsp of olive oil and lay on a baking sheet.
  • Peel and chop beets into 1/2 inch cubes. Toss with .5 tbsp of olive oil and lay on a baking sheet.
  • Cut the top off of the garlic, use .5 tbsp to cover the heads of the cloves. Wrap in foil.
  • Roast beets and garlic for 40 minutes.
  • Roast butternut squash for 30-35 minutes.
  • Roast walnuts for 8-10 minutes, until slightly browned.
  • While vegetables are roasting, massage kale with .5 tbsp of olive oil.
  • Once everything is roasted, combine rice, butternut squash, and beets in a large bowl.
  • Toss with remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, 3 smashed roasted garlic cloves, salt and honey.
  • Top with walnuts!

Note:  I received a gift card from Wheatsville Food Co-op to buy local ingredients for this recipe.  All recipes and opinions are my own.

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    Ella
    February 2, 2017 at 3:36 pm

    This looks wonderfully delicious, about time black rice gets the attention it deserves! Personally I love all the rices but as far as health benefits go, black rice takes the cake. Love that you shop at Wheatsville too, quality and locally sourced ingredients are the way to go. Beautiful pics, btw!

    • Reply
      thefreshfind@gmail.com
      February 13, 2017 at 9:09 am

      Hi Ella, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoy black rice too, what is your favorite way to eat it? I can’t believe I just started eating it, I love it!

  • Reply
    Eva @ Restaurantji
    February 13, 2017 at 6:00 am

    5 stars
    This recipe sounds amazing Kristin! I am not a big fan of squash and neither is my family. Would sweet potatoes be a good substitute in this dish? Or can you recommend another? I do want to try it but I have a feeling that the squash would just ruin it for me. I have had a few sqaush dishes and was not a fan of it at all.

    • Reply
      thefreshfind@gmail.com
      February 13, 2017 at 9:08 am

      Hi Eva, thank you so much for reading! I think you are spot on with the sweet potatoes, those would be a great substitute. You could also just nix the squash, but I think the sweet potatoes would add great color to the beets, rice and kale :) Hope you enjoy it!

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