Brown Rice Salad

I ordered my favorite brown rice from Massa Organics and it arrived in the mail a couple days ago.
Massa Organics is a family owned farm in California which produces the nicest brown rice you could imagine.  You have to order it on-line but it is worth the shipping.  As I've written in previous posts, my method of cooking brown rice is different, but produces light, fluffy, and perfect grains of brown rice, not the gooey clumpy type you sometimes get in a rice cooker or on the stove.
I use an 8 quart pot, fill it 2/3 of the way with water and bring the water to a boil. I rinse the brown rice, anywhere from 2 cups to a whole bag (1 pound). I simmer the rice uncovered, just like you would cook pasta, for about 30 minutes. Check it and if it's still too hard, cook a little longer.I then drain the rice in a colander and place the rice back in the pot, put the cover on and let it steam for about 10 minutes, off the heat. It will be tender, fluffy, and perfectly cooked, ready to eat plain or in various recipes. Use right away of measure out 1/2 -1 cup portions in zip loc sandwich bags or small plastic contaners and freeze, then when you want to serve brown rice for a meal or take in to work, it's always in your freezer. 

Brown Rice Salad

2 cups cooked brown rice
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (Kikkoman's)
few drops toasted sesame oil
1 tsp canola oil (optional)  tastes fine without the added oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Mix all ingredients together and serve at room temperature.  If you start with refrigerated rice, heat it briefly in the microwave to soften it.  If the salad has been in the referigerator, heat it briefly in the microwave (a few seconds). 
You can add any other vegetable such as sprouts, thinly shaved radishes, finely chopped cucumbers, etc.
I had a bowl of the rice for breakfast with a sprinkle of furikake (seaweed) and some Japanese red pepper mixture. 

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Redfish on the halfshell with grilled corn and ginger herb dressing

I happened to walk in the room yesterday when my husband was watching John Besh on PBS.
He was cooking grilled redfish with a corn salad.  It looked so good and happened to be from his New Orleans cookbook.  I pulled out my cookbook and saw the recipe.  I knew I would modify it by reducing the amount of oil from 1/2 cup to a couple tablespoons at the most.  I made some other minor changes such as browning the top of the fish.  The ginger herb corn salad is really delicious and would go with fish, beef, chicken, or just by itself.

Grilled Redfish on the Half Shell with Grilled Corn and Ginger Herb Dressing
Adapted from My New Orleans by John Besh

6 ears corn, shucked with the outer husks left intact
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
1 large half red fish, skin and scales on, approximately 1 pound
2 T canola oil
salt and pepper (freshly ground)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 scallions, chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tsp fresh mint, 1 tsp fresh basil, 2 T fresh cilantro, all chopped

Light a charcoal or turn on a gas grill. Grill the corn with the husks still attached for approximately 10 minutes over medium heat.  Remove corn from cob and set aside. 

Rub the redfish with 1 T of canola oil and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.  Place skin side down on grill over medium heat.  Close lid and grill for 10 minutes.  Flip fish over to grill top side.  Grill for 3 minutes.  Turn back over and remove from grill.

Heat a large skillet and add 1 T canola oil.  Saute the garlic, ginger and scallions for 2-3 minutes.
Add the corn, chopped tomatoes, sugar, pepper flakes, vinegar, lemon juice, mint basil, and cilantro and cook, stirring often, until the corn is heated through, 3-5 minutes.  Spoon the warm corn and tomatoes over each fish fillet and serve.  Sprinkle a little fresh cilantro on top.

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