Not So Dirty Rice
Lately I’ve been obsessed with easy, flavorful meals that don’t take very much effort to make. Things like open faced veggie melts (25 minutes), bruschetta (25 minutes) or make-ahead split-pea burgers, which take all of 10 minutes to prepare on a weekday night if you make the mix on Sunday. Black bean chilaquiles are another favorite, all chipotle spicy and topped with queso fresco, avocado and thinned sour cream. I’ve wanted to post the chilaquiles recipe for a while, but unfortunately this scrumptious dish doesn’t play well with the camera. Sometimes good food ain’t pretty! Maybe we should have an “ugly but delicious” food day? 
Another great dish? Didi Emmons’ “Dirty Rice,” which takes a bit longer to make but requires hardly any effort. I began calling it “Not So Dirty Rice” after TheKitchenNinja, coconutlime and shesinthekitche told me how dirty rice got its name: because it has giblets and other unappetizing (to my mind) things in it. Well, this “Not So Dirty Rice” does not have giblets or anything like that in the mix. Instead this cumin and cinnamon spiced dish is filled with things like red onion, corn kernels, black beans, pine nuts and tomatoes. For dinner I’ll often serve this rice with tacos or enchiladas, and then I pack up the extra and take it for lunch the next day. That’s the true beauty of this dish if you ask me, that it performs equally well as a side dish and as feature fare in your workweek lunch. 
I don’t like to post cookbook recipes without getting permission from the author or publisher and though I emailed Didi and left voicemail messages for her, alas, she never responded to me. For a while I thought I wouldn’t be able to share this recipe with you at all, but then I discovered that it’s included on one of the preview pages for “Vegetarian Planet” on Google Books. Hooray for modern technology! So now, without further ado, you can find the recipe by clicking here. (You’ll need to scroll down a bit, the recipe is at the bottom of page 203.) I follow the recipe pretty much to the letter, the exception being that I’ve never used annatto seeds and usually leave out the green bell pepper.
Before I go, there’s one more thing: I need to announce who won a copy of “Cookie Swap,” which was featured in my last post! The lucky winner is Ashley Lee of Saving Taste, whose comment was randomly selected by the number generator at Random.org. Congratulations Ashley! I hope to post more book giveaways in the near future.
Dirty Rice Recipes on Other Blogs:
- Wild and Dirty Rice from Serious Eats
- Dirty Rice from Tastes Like Home
- Dirty Rice from The Well Seasoned Cook
- Dirty Rice from Cooking By the Seat of My Pants
- Cardamom Rose Rice Pudding
- Fettuccine with Mascarpone and Sage-Walnut Butter
- Empanada Potpie with Cream Cheese Crust
- Work Lunch: Cold Sesame Noodle Salad with Ginger and Chili
- I Like it Simple, Sweet & Savory
- Baked Sandwich Surprise
- Portable Power
- The Hot Sauce Incident
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26 Responses to “Not So Dirty Rice”
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I love leftovers for lunch and this dish looks perfect!
Your mixture of corn, beans, tomatoes sound delicious and satisfying.
It certainly looks great to me! Similar to an Indian fast food called ‘bhel’. I can only imagine how good this must taste with corn and beans added!
Avanika (Yumsilicious Bakes)´s last blog post -> Blueberry Muffins…. How I Love Thee!
It looks so good! Perfect for the summertime!
Great shot!
Cheers,
Rosa
ok, after hearing how this dish got its name, i like it not so dirty
looks fantastic!
ttfn300´s last blog post -> Broccoli Salad
Oh that looks delicious!
I’ll have to try it.
That does look fantastic! But I’m curious: have you ever tried it with brown rice? I’m a whole-grains junkie.
debbie´s last blog post -> Addendum: Pomegranate Salad Dressing
I haven’t but I don’t see why you couldn’t sub brown rice. Just adjust the cooking time to reflect the change.
Yummy! I LOVE the photo…so great!
Jan´s last blog post -> A Time for Tea
It would be nice if they would reply to your requests really quick for recipe publishing. You are allowed to post ingredients of the recipe. The instructions only if written in your own words.
Hélène´s last blog post -> Cruise to Alaska
They usually do. Oh well.
This looks lovely. I would also vote for an ugly, but yummy food day!
beastmomma´s last blog post -> Buffalo with the In-Laws
Oh yum! My hubby would love this!
joey´s last blog post -> Weekend Escape: Moon Garden, Tagaytay
I turn up my nose when I read… giblets or anything like that .. but this “Not So Dirty Rice” is very inviting, thanks for having pointed out!
Barbara´s last blog post -> Una paella… de pescado!
Wow!!!! Maravilloso!
lacocinadeile-nuestrasrecetas´s last blog post -> Tortas fritas
Looks yummy! I think you should publish a recipe calendar with your beautiful food photos.
Amy L´s last blog post -> Book Review & Giveaway: Julie & Julia
Aw shucks, thanks! Maybe I will in the future.
I have started selling some of my photos as prints (see the sidebar) but I still have a lot of images to upload.
Mmmm…that looks like a perfect side dish. And I definitely vote for an ugly food day, because although I love your beautiful pics, I know that not all good food looks pretty
Nicole´s last blog post -> Charleston, SC: The Ultimate Foodie Destination
I bet this rice would taste great with a bit of your vegetarian chorizo recipe tossed in there. Spicy delicious!
Seanna Lea´s last blog post -> from the guild
Oh yea it would! I like the way you think. I’d never even thought of that combination!
I never thought rice could look romantic, but I was wrong. Your photo is striking!
Jennifer´s last blog post -> about a boat
mmm! I love throwing a pile of things into a rice mixture. Cumin and cinnamon are divine.
Sagan´s last blog post -> Guest Post: Yoga for Running
I love this book and have this recipe bookmarked to try, but your picture makes it even more appealing! I can’t wait to try it!
Katie´s last blog post -> Crock pot mixed grain porridge recipe
This looks like a winner. I had no idea that Dirty Rice got its name from the unappetizing giblets included in it. Ick! Yours sounds much better!
Kristen´s last blog post -> Keep Trying (Recipe: Rosemary Focaccia Bread)
My husband will be surprised to hear that Dirty Rice has giblets in it. I wonder if that’s the case for Bojangles’, which he loves.
The corn in yours looks great. I love corn and rice together!
Abby´s last blog post -> Torie’s Cherry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies
Oh my, this looks delicious! Is the cinnamon flavor very noticeable?
Ooho! You can tell how flavorful this rice is simply by looking at the photo. I love the colors, and now my stomach is rumbling!