If you’re feeling a tad bored with your summertime eats, this green tea rice recipe is just the thing!
I’ve posted a few rice dishes lately because I love how easy and delicious they are. I mean, come on… make a batch of rice on a Sunday night and you’ve gotta week’s worth of yummy recipes to make. Rice porridge for breakfast, rice burritos for lunch, rice salad for dinner and rice pudding for dessert. Easy as 1, 2, 3. But have you ever tried cooking with tea and making a rice recipe? I didn’t think so!
Rice is the perfect post-indulgent weekend meal option to combat that bloat and get you fitting into your skinny jeans in record time.
I make my rice salads in a simple way using brown rice, Vidalia onions, dried cherries, summer fresh basil and freshly brewed green tea. It’s the best and is one of my favorite lunches.
Enjoy the summertime sunshine today, if that’s your thing. And if you’re cooped up in an office cubicle somewhere, I’m sending you hugs… simply close your eyes and imagine making and eating this dish for dinner tonight and again for lunch tomorrow…
Because it’s just that good.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 1 1/2 cups green tea brewed and chilled
- 1 large Vidalia Onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
- 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 tsp. fresh orange zest
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, boil green tea with salt and pepper. Stir in rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover and cook for 20 minutes then remove from heat and add onions, cherries and spinach. Set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.
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Transfer to a large mixing bowl; add remaining ingredients. Gently toss to combine.
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Serve at room temperature.
Cooking with green tea?! BRILLIANT! Can’t wait to try this one, Aim! XOXO
New to your web-site-looking forward to trying your recipes!! Macaroons sound fabulous!!!
This sounds delicious and healthy as all of your recipes do. I will try it out this week when I get some dried cherries! I imagine some Macaroons would go well with this for dessert! Thanks for the giveaway!
I looove green tea! I’ve never thought of using it in my cooking before. I also love cherries!! 🙂 I have a feeling I’d like this recipe.
P.S. The Hail Merry macaroons you mentioned on FB sound so good! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that brand before.
Very original. Never tried this one, might have to give this delicious looking salad a try.
Rice is my go-to snack! Love it mixed with almond butter, raisins and (optional) a touch of honey, then rolled into little balls for a delicious snack. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks for the entry in the macaron giveaway!
This recipe looks amazing! Thank you for your inspiring ideas!
I am so trying this…because of the humidity, I just put my dried cherries in the freezer, so I’d like to use them up! Sounds like opportunity knocking!
Perfect! I am cooking shiskabobs with brown rice tonight! The macaroons look yummy!
I’m not much into vegetarian meals but that does like a good meal
I think I will have to give it a try.
green tea!? what a great idea….different yet interesting! =)
This looks so delicious! I love the addition of the cherries. Yum!
Also I love hail merry & would love to win your contest! :). Thanks amy!
I love the idea of adding dried fruit to summer salads! And, I love macaroons 🙂
Your photographs make every recipe look tantalizing. Thanks also for the Hail Mary contest.
Looks delish, Amie! I would never have thought to cook the rice in tea–GREAT idea! What are the little red things sprinkled on top–chili pepper?
This dish looks amazing! My brown rice always turns out crunchy 🙁
Such a fun recipe! I love cherries, and for some reason I never think to put them in my dishes. This recipe is a great reminder of how creative and easy it is to make something delicious and unique.
And thank you for the entry for the macaroons! 🙂
yum recipe and will saving it to try
Another must do dish! Keep ’em coming 🙂
you know, I never thought of that, but now that I have, brown rice ALWAYs helps me feel less bloated!! this is such a creative recipe! green tea rice?! 🙂 YUM!
xo.
thanks for the entry into the hail merry macaroons giveaway!