Happy Earth Day!
This one day serves as a reminder to us all about the concept of protecting our environment; something we should be mindful of all year long.
How will you show your support today? Plant a tree? Make sure you are recycling? Maybe you will walk or bike to work? I’ll make sure I’ll carry my tote to the market as well as my reusable water bottle. And on a personal level, I’m going to do some major yardwork and planting in the back yard of my new home!
But I also feel it’s a day to celebrate the earth and appreciate all that it gives us. And I can think of no better earthly vegetable to celebrate than the mushroom! These are roasted and filled with wild rice, spring onions, radicchio, dried apricots and pine nuts. All bathed in balsamic vinegar and oil. I just love the flavors and textures in this amazing springtime salad.
Mushrooms are something people seem to love or hate. I LOVE them! And I hope you do, too. Otherwise we can’t be friends anymore!
No, that’s not true. There are other salads we can share.
But how can you not love these huge Portobello mushroom caps basted and roasted in balsamic vinegar and oil?
While these are roasting, gather up all the other ingredients for the salad. A blend of chewy rice, mild spring onions, bitter radicchio, sweet dried apricots, buttery toasted pine nuts, and fresh parsley.
Drizzle all with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and toss. Honestly, this salad is good just as it is. And if you are one of my friends who don’t care for mushrooms, you can simply enjoy this salad on it’s own.
If you want to add mushrooms, but can’t find the large Portobello mushroom caps, then you can roast some regular mushrooms and add them directly into the salad.
But filling the mushrooms offers such a pretty presentation. The salad is sweet, savory, chewy, bitter, crunchy, bright and fresh. The mushrooms are so juicy, and honestly, just as good as steak!
So how will you celebrate the earth today?
Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.
- 4 large Portobello mushroom caps
- 3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (for basting the mushrooms)
- 1½ Tablespoons of olive oil (for basting the mushrooms)
- 1½ cups of cooked wild rice or a mixture of your favorite rice
- ½ head of radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup of chopped dried apricots
- ¼ cup of toasted pine nuts
- 4 Tablespoons of chopped, fresh parsley
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced (white & green parts)
- ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly spray a small roasting pan with cooking spray.
- Wipe the mushroom caps clean with a damp paper towel.
- Mix the 3 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar with 1/12 Tablespoons of olive oil.
- Brush the mixture over both sides of the mushrooms and place them gill side up on the roasting pan.
- Roast for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the rice, radicchio, spring onions, chopped apricots, toasted pine nuts and parsley in a large bowl.
- Pour the ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the rice mix and toss gently to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the Portobello mushrooms on a plate and top with about ½ cup of the rice salad.
- Garnish with parsley.
No farms = No food! Support your local farmers!
Definitely my kind of salad! I love that you served it over the roasted portobello.
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted…Slow Cooker Sriracha Meatballs
Thanks Angie! My kind of salad, too! : )
A very colorful and springy salad. Love all the textures here 🙂
Thanks so much, Kiran! : )
I can’t think of better ingredients to celebrate Earth Day, Anne! Amazing use of colors and freshness!
Thank you so much for sharing…
Louise recently posted…Cookbook Wednesday | Planters Passover Recipe Book
Thanks Louise! Every day is earth day to me! : )
what a perfect ode to earth day! and it sounds like it’d be so easy to make the salad ahead of time (plus everything gets to marinate, and the apricots get to plump up), then assemble at the last minute.
Thanks Heather! It IS so much better after marinating for a day! : )
I love mushrooms! Love grilling the big portabellos during the summer. This is a gorgeous salad, and you’re right, it’s perfect by itself too! I love that one photo of the big mushrooms….beautiful, Anne!
Coffee and Crumpets recently posted…Devil’s Food Cake with Butter Glaze
Thanks so much, Nazneen! I have a new grill (which I have to assemble!). But I’m definitely going to put some big portobellos on it when I do! : )
Although we eat soup throughout the year, we’re no longer having it multiple times a week for dinner. Salads are taking its place, so this is wonderfully timely. Great looking recipe — thanks so much.
John/Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Spicy Pork Vindaloo
Thanks John! Soup and ice cream are the two things I eat all year round. But salads are gaining on them! ;- )
Look at all of those fabulous ingredients! Dried apricots and pine nuts and wild rice! I would have a very hard time not eating all of the salad prior to piling it on the mushroom. Great vegetarian main Anne and so pretty, too.
mjskitchen recently posted…Swiss Chard Pie in Phyllo (Filo) Pastry
Thanks MJ! I had a hard time not digging in to the mushrooms before filling them! : )
Simple, beautiful, delicious, healthy, and so proper to celebrate Earth Day.
Thanks Denise! : )
Such a beautiful presentation, you are rocking the salad world!
Sandra Garth recently posted…Painted Cakes
Thanks Sandra! Salads are rocking my world these days! : )
I love the presentation of this salad, and what great flavors!
Thanks Laura! Definitely tasty! : )