Red Rice Salad and Florida Gardening

February 3rd, 2018

Red Rice Salad

We are cooking on the grill tonight.  David is making ribs.  I was excited about this rice salad from Giada De Laurentiis and thought it would be a great accompaniment.  One of the ingredients is radicchio.  I was having a hard time finding it here in New Smyrna Beach.  The local Publix did not have it.  I went to the local health food market, Heath’s Natural Food and, although they did not have radicchio, they ordered it for me.  It came within days.  I shared Giada’s recipe with them and they will display the recipe near the radicchio to encourage others to buy and use it.  I also bought Organic Madagascar Pink Rice from them since I could not find red rice anywhere.  The local businesses here in NSB are very accommodating.

Red Rice Salad

There is much to love about this rice salad.  It is full of flavor with fennel, radicchio, oranges, cucumber and fresh basil.  The whole-grain mustard vinaigrette ties it all together.

NSB Planters

I am hopeful that the days of freezing temperatures are behind us.  Everything that the owner of the house had in her outside planters was taken out by the freeze.  I have been busy for the last week trying to replace what she has lost.  This large planter now has Geraniums and  White Bacopa flowers.

New Smyrna Beach Planters

I bought this Dorotheanthus succulent that can withstand high heat.  It is also called Livingstone Daisy.  Hopefully it will make it through the summer.

NSB Planters

I also chose a native plant: the Dune Daisy, which is indigenous to Florida.  I am looking forward to more blooms.  With winter blanketing so many of you, I wanted to offer a glimpse of Spring and Summer.  It has also been  restorative to my well being to work on these planters.

Red Rice Salad

This may be too late for a Super Bowl side dish, but I am sure that it would be welcomed by anyone wanting a side dish for a Pot Luck or a crowd.  Enjoy and thanks to Giada!

RED RICE SALAD

12 responses to “Red Rice Salad and Florida Gardening”

  1. Penny at Enjoying The Simple Things says:

    Pinned it! It sounds great. Oh to be planting flowers right now! We are predicted to have freezing rain, changing to snow, then back to rain in the next 24 hours!

  2. Darla says:

    Your planters look beautiful…great choices. My plants are struggling with this brutal weather. Normally I have Lenten Roses blooming now, but their little buds are still hunkering down with this cold. Enjoy that warm weather! The salad looks wonderful too.

  3. Madonna says:

    Your salad looks delicious. I think I saw the rice at TJs, but I will look again to make sure.

    Also, I have a tomato knife that makes supreming oranges so well. This is what it looks like, but not the same brand.

    https://www.amazon.com/Messermeister-4-5-Inch-Serrated-Tomato-Matching/dp/B000Q9GJXM/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1517750289&sr=1-10&keywords=tomato+knife+serrated

  4. Monique says:

    I love all the colors!!♥Snowing as I type..am I crazy? I think it’s beautiful lol:)
    Have fun in a wonderful place..Fl:)

  5. Susan says:

    This would make a wonderful side dish for so many things! It really sounds great, Penny. Snowing here too 🙁 The planter looks lovely and I am counting the days until planting season. I use that same succulent as a filling in my containers here have cuttings rooted for this year 😉

    • Penny says:

      I remember growing up in Michigan and thinking Spring would never come each Winter. We are enjoying the salad with several different meals. It makes a lot Susan.

  6. This would make a wonderful side dish for so many things. Your planters look beautiful…great choices good work bro.

  7. Aren’t you sweet to replace some of the plants at the house you are renting…that is so thoughtful. I have a rice salad recipe that I take to parties and now I have a new one, it sounds great and I love the color.

    • Penny says:

      Thanks Karen. I hope you try it. I felt kind of responsible for the plants when the freeze hit. Should have covered them better. But i feel like this is my place while I am here so will treat it at so. We do want to come back and hope they will have us.

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