carrot and beet slaw with black rice and avocado

beetcarrot2 A few weekends ago I turned thirty. It was a lovely day spent away from farm chores and the chaos that comes from our high season. I was lucky enough to escape to Portland and be with family and friends. And while I love my family and friends dearly, the highlight for me was the food! My mom prepared a delicious spread featuring produce from our farm. All of the food was outstanding. However, there is one dish that I could not get off my mind all week long. My mom knows how near and dear carrots and beets are to me and she did not disappoint by making my new favorite dish. flowertest Carrots and beets are pretty much the main reason I got into farming. I could live off of these two vegetables for the rest of my life and not get sick of them! I may turn a weird shade of purple/orange but I wouldn't care. True love knows no boundaries! beetkiss2 Picking beets on a hot summer morning is pretty much my heaven! beetcarrot1 My mom got her recipe for carrot and beet slaw from the September issue of Bon Appetit.  When I got home I toyed around with the recipe and turned the slaw into a main course by adding rice and avocado for a well rounded meal. This tasted awesome as a side dish without the rice and avocado but I wanted to ramp things up. Besides, I'm all about one dish meals and this is it!  I adjusted some of the measurements and ingredients but the inspiration comes from Ava Gene's restaurant in Portland ,OR featured in the September Bon Appetit.  This meal deserves to be enjoyed with a glass of red wine and your favorite pandora station playing in the background. Grab a fork and dig in! A quick note, this meal tasted even better the next day. The longer the flavors marinate the better. Also, the black rice I use is Heirloom Forbidden Rice I love it!

Carrot And Beet Slaw With Black Rice and Avocado

Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 30 mins.
Serves: 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 1/4 white wine vinegar
  • 4 medium sized carrots, julienned
  • 2 medium sized beets, scrubbed clean and julienned
  • 1 bunch of parsley, tough stems removed and finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, diced
  • 2 TBS fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cups cooked black rice (I used Heirloom Forbidden Rice), at room temperature
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into small cubes
  • Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Preparation

  1. Cook rice and set aside to cool.
  2. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add pistachios and toast until lightly brown. About 3-5 minutes. Stir often. Remove from heat, coarsely chop and set aside.
  3. Combine garlic, vinegar, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
  4. In a large bowl toss the carrots, beets, pistachios, parsley, mint, raisins and vinegar mixture. Slowly add olive oil. Toss gently.
  5. Serve over black rice and top with avocado. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

Notes

Use this recipe as a guide. Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary.

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