Pretty, isn’t it? And it’s really delicious, too! Now, I know kale has something of a reputation. Some people assume that anything that sounds healthy is going to taste like cardboard. Nope! Not here, anyway. This is a great intro-to-kale dish. You don’t even have to tell anyone that’s what the green stuff is, it’ll be our secret. The slightly nutty flavor of the wild rice, along with the sweet carrots & plentiful herbs, will keep your tastebuds too busy to worry about whether it’s “health food.” I’ve found I prefer the Lacinato kale, as it’s more tender & less bitter than other kinds, but there’s no reason you couldn’t use whatever variety is your favorite.

This was the first year I grew kale in my garden. I’m afraid I rather lost the “who gets to eat this stuff” battle. But at least whatever critter ate most of my kale saved me just enough for this recipe. It wasn’t too pretty all by itself, but looked just fine once it was chopped & playing nicely in the pan.  These carrots are rather slender, bought with the tops still on. That’s a great way to tell how fresh they are, as the tops don’t last long. You can freeze the tops for use in your next batch of soup. Fresh, slender carrots will be more sweet and tender than bagged ones, too. And that parsley came from my Aerogarden, the same parsley I trimmed waaaay back only a week before. It grows so fast! I do love having fresh herbs all year round.

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Ingredients:

½ cup uncooked wild rice

1¼ cup water

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

3 or 4 carrots

½ bunch Lacinato kale

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 tsp chopped fresh dill

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

1.) Rinse the rice. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and rice. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 50 – 60 minutes.

2.) While the rice is cooking, prepare the vegetables & remaining herbs. Slice the carrots about ¼” thick, halving the slices if you’re using really big carrots. You need about ⅔ cup of carrot slices.  Mince the onion, & chop the herbs. Remove the stems from the kale, and chop the leaves into pieces about 1″ square.  You need about a cup of chopped leaves.

3.) When about 5-10 minutes remain of the rice cook time, heat the butter in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, & kale. Cook on medium heat until the onions and kale soften and the carrots are warmed through. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

4.) The rice is done when most of the grains have split open. A taste test should reveal tender but slightly chewy grains. Don’t overcook; mushy wild rice isn’t any fun. Any remaining water can be drained off.

5.) Stir the cooked rice & chopped herbs into the pan; mix well. Serve with extra balsamic for those who so desire, especially if you have a few of the flavored kind. Oliva’s Black Cherry Dark Balsamic is a particularly good choice.