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Bloomed Wild Rice Salad w Cranberries, Pecans & Citrus Dressing

Every so often, I'll stumble upon a game changer smack dab in the middle of writing a post on the very subject.  Today was just one of those moments as I have just completely erased this entire post, to start over from scratch after making not one, but two new discoveries!  A bit of background…

This week's Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Cranberries & Pecans incorporated an amazing and simple sprouting technique I've been excited to share with you for some time.  Sprouting or "blooming" rice is a  fascinating way to achieve a beautifully soft, fluffy textured rice without ever having to turn on the hot stove!  This super cool (haha) process wherein each rice granual splits open and unfolds from the inside out, similar to a flower blooming and unfurling it's petals, to reveal the white, pillowy interior of each piece of rice.

I had made two versions of this delicious Sprouted Rice Salad, one using Wild Rice, the other using an organic Forbidden Black Rice.  The Forbidden Rice produced perfectly consistent, soft kernals in only 12 hours of overnight soaking while the Wild Rice, a mixture of several different types, sprouted unevenly.  Despite these differences, I'd felt both turned out absolutely delicious Raw recipes incorporating insignificantly different swapouts – NOT SO!  While the organic Forbidden Black Rice I'd used is indeed a Raw Living Foods product, it turns out the Wild Rice is actually not raw at all- in fact it's not even rice!  Here's the scoop…

Wild Rice is not rice, but the seed of a grass that grows in shallow lake waters and streams around North America.  The seeds obviously start out raw at which point they're plump and green.  However, Wild Rice is harvested according to traditional methods practiced by First Nations peoples which involves parching the rice, rendering the seeds into dark grained "rice" which is no longer raw.  Thus, the term "blooming" is best for Wild Rice, since parching destroys the rice germ preventing it from ever "sprouting".  This probably explains the MUCH better results I had blooming/sprouting the living Forbidden Black Rice.  As far as I can tell, it's virtually impossible to purchase Wild Rice raw, as there are laws in place to protect the traditional techniques used to harvest & parch it.

Forbidden Black Rice, on the other hand, is indeed rice and can be purchased raw (I used the Lotus Foods brand).  Legend has it this ancient grain got it's name because it was so nutritionally beneficial only the Emperors of China were permitted to eat it.  Considered a superfood worldwide, Forbidden Black Rice is a gluten and wheat free whole grain rich in iron, protein, mangenese, vitamin E and complex carbohydrates as well as the minerals magnesium, molybdenum and phosphorus.  According to Chinese herbal medicine, Forbidden Rice is also considered to be a blood tonifier.  The striking black color of Forbidden Rice is due to its high concentratin of anthoycyanins, the highly potent antioxidants also found in blackberries and blueberries!  

Personally, going forward, I'll be sticking with sprouting raw organic Forbidden Black Rice as the results were consistently fluffy and it's a living foods product filled with enzymes and life force!  That said, Wild Rice is also a nutritional powerhouse boasting high amounts of protein, folate, manganese, zinc and fiber, and if eating raw isn't crucial to you it's a fine & delicious substitute.

Sprouted Forbidden Wild Rice – raw & full of living foods power!

Blooming is as easy as soaking 1 cup of rice overnight in a jar topped with 4 additional inches of filtered water, placed in a dehydrator at 105F.  If you don't have a dehydrator simply soak for up to 48 hours or until all the grains have split open, rinsing every 12 hours.  

Sprouted Forbidden Rice can be incorporated anywhere cooked grains are used, from salads to pilafs, wraps, raw vegan sushi rolls or even as a delicious breakfast with sprouted nuts, dried fruit, creamy nut milk & honey.

This colorful Sprouted Rice Salad with Cranberries, Pecans & Zippy Citrus Dressing can be enjoyed all year round as a colorful summer picnic dish or as a beautiful addition to a winter holiday table.  Sprouted pecans (simply soak pecans overnight then dehydrate til dry - see more on sprouting nuts in this post.) provide a meaty crunch while dried cranberries offer a sweet contrast to the rich depth of the Forbidden Rice.  A zippy citrus dressing adds a fresh twist with a note of ginger to make everything sing!

The Zippy Citrus Dressing adds a fresh twist with a note of ginger to make everything sing!

Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Cranberries, Pecans and Zippy Citrus Dressing 

Recipe inspiration:Becoming Raw, Brenda Davis & Vesanto Melina

This is my submission to Shaheen at A2K – A Seasonal Veg Table Eat Your Greens Round Up.

Recipe for Sprouted Forbidden Rice Salad with Pecans, Cranberries & Zippy Citrus Dressing (Plan ahead to account for sprouting)

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

Sprouted Forbidden Black Rice Salad

• 1 cup Sprouted Raw Black Forbidden Rice or Bloomed Wild Rice.  (Soak 1 cup of rice in a jar topped with 4 additional inches of filtered water in a dehydrator at 105F for 12 hours/overnight.  If you don't have a dehydrator simply soak for up to 48 hours or until all the granules have split open, rinsing thoroughly every 12 hours.  *See additional freshness note below.)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sprouted pecans, chopped
  
• Himalayan salt to taste

Zippy Citrus Dressing

• 2 medium oranges, peeled & halved
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger
• raw honey to taste
• Himalayan salt to taste

Method

1. Gently toss together rice, red bell, chives, cranberries & pecans in a large bowl. Season with Himalayan salt to taste.
2. Toss all the dressing ingredients into a vitamix and blend til creamy.
3. Pour dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently til well incorporated.

*If using Wild Rice rather than Forbidden Black Rice, take extra care to use freshly purchased Wild Rice that hasn't expired or it may not bloom!  However, if this does happen, do not despair, simply add water, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes on the stove since it's not raw to begin with anyway 🙂  Personally, I found the Forbidden Black Rice bloomed beautifully and with incredible ease plus it's actually RAW so it's filled with living enzymes and life force power!  

Have you ever tried blooming rice?  What type did you use?

What's your latest holistic or raw food discovery?

All Love,

Juliane

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