Black Rice salad

Thanksgiving is full of traditional foods so when asked to bring a salad to a Thanksgiving dinner I wasn't quite sure what kind of salad would be right.  Then I remembered the Black Rice Salad that I had at a dinner party a couple of years back.

It was such a hit that the recipe was emailed to many who attended and I promptly made it, a little too often for Mark's taste I think, so it because one of those recipes that falls by the wayside.  For some reason it popped into my head as the perfect Thanksgiving salad and the small miracle was that I could actually find the recipe.

I suspect that my hosts had salad in mind, like something green with lettuce and tomato.  Though called salad, this one really is more of a hearty side dish or a vegetarian main course.

It was  originally published in Sunset magazine but typing the name into a search window and I found the recipe at Myrecipes.com  The black rice gives an earthy flavor, roasted butternut squash adds a sweet flavor along with a tiny bit of maple syrup and the pomegranate seeds and roasted pecan provide crunch and color.  It's a festive looking salad and a great one to take to a pot luck.  I had my first experience with de-seeding a pomegranate (I usually take the lazy way out and buy the seeds at Trader Joes, but if you wait until Thanksgiving morning to shop that is not an option)  It wasn't hard but I did lose my grip and send half a pomegranate skittering across the kitchen floor splashing red all over the hem of Mark's pants.  He did not find it quite as humorous as I did.  Maya ever hopeful for the dropping of food tried a taste and was unimpressed.

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