Coconut-Cashew Rice Salad- 1st Prize Winner!

I am pleased to announce and share with you the First Prize winning entry in the 2006 NJFV Recipe Contest. Congratulations to Jessie Apfel of California for her winning recipe : Coconut-Cashew Rice Salad.  Jessie will receive a $50. Amazon.com gift certificate and 3 signed copies of Not Just for Vegetarians as her prize. As I have mentioned before with the other winning recipe posts, there were so many excellent recipes entered in the contest. It was tough to narrow it down to the finalists. To rise to the top and be chosen #1st, was even harder. But Jessie’s recipe won out and for several reasons. This is an easy but elegant salad. We also enjoyed it warm, as a light main course. Beautiful color, appealing texture, an intriguing and unusual blend of spices and flavors. Satisfying and delicious. Measurements were very accurate. Vegan-friendly was just another bonus.

Thanks Jessie for the wonderful recipe that I’m sure we will be enjoying for years to come. Hope you all try it too. If you like rice dishes with lots of flavor and spice and that look great too, you will love this recipe. 🙂

Coconut-cashew rice salad

Ingredients:1 cup rice
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup carrot, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 cup cashews, finely chopped 1/2 cup shredded coconut
Sauce:
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 cup tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon each: turmeric, ground cumin, cayenne, all-spice, garam masala
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt to taste

Directions:

Place rice, broth, and coconut milk in a medium saucepan. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until rice absorbs liquid (about 20 minutes). set aside.

For sauce:  In a food processor,! puree the onion, tomato, and spices until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil on medium in a large saucepan. Add carrot and zucchini, cook 3-5 minutes. Add nuts and cook 2 minutes. Add sauce and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, mix together rice and cashew mixture. Stir in the shredded coconut. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.