Wild Rice and Peanuts

I made rice for a friend once who commented that she generally found rice to be boring.  While I
didn’t know that at the time, I couldn’t help but notice she scraped up every last bit of it from her plate, which leads me to believe that there are few foods people don’t really like; rather they’ve just not had them made very well.  Rice can be boring, but so can pasta or broccoli or steak if you don’t cook with some enthusiasm.  Really, even a man can be boring if he doesn’t make a bit of effort.  We all need help now and then.  This rice dish is full of flavor.   Buy the big container of mixed rice called Royal Blend if you can find it.  It cooks quickly and is a delicious mixture of brown, white, red and wild.  Definitely not boring.

Wild Rice and Peanuts

• 1 cup Royal Blend wild rice mix
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1-inch piece ginger, peeled & chopped
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon peanuts, chopped (I used honey-nut)

Directions:

Combine rice, water, olive oil, bouillon cube, garlic, ginger and lime zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring once.  Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add fresh parsley and peanuts.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Let stand, covered, 5 minutes, then serve.