Harissa-Spiced Veggies with Wild Rice

Happy Whole Grain Sampling Day! Today is a day for appreciating how good and good for us whole grains are, as well as how easy they are to incorporate into your diet. We’ve been swapping out regular tortilla chips for Late July multigrain chips, still enjoying our favorite salsas and guacamole with an added benefit of whole grains. If your diet isn’t rich in whole grains now, you don’t have to do an overhaul overnight! Adding whole grains in is as easy as swapping the type of bread you eat, tossing a healthy whole grain granola in your morning yogurt, or experimenting with different grains as dinner sides. A little olive oil and lemon juice is all it might take to make your new favorite whole grain side dish.

My whole grain recipe for today starts with Goose Valley Wild Rice, a whole grain that is high in protein and fiber. This sample came in my Whole Grain Sampling Day box, and  it’s the perfect base for a one pot meal or healthy bowl.

I simply cooked the wild rice according to package directions, prepping the rest of the recipe while that happened.

The other really important ingredient in this recipe is a spicy Harissa paste. It provides all of the flavor for this healthy and easy dinner.

I chose chopped cauliflower and carrots for this recipe, but any sturdy vegetable will do. I eyeballed measurements, mixing a little bit of olive oil into a can of Harissa, making sure I had enough to coat my vegetables. I then popped the vegetables into the oven at 425 for about 25 minutes. The smells coming out of that oven were amazing.

When the rice was done, I simply topped it with the Harissa veggies and stirred, then added crumbled feta cheese and raisins. I highly recommend these salty and sweet garnishes; they both made the spice pop and gave the dish a lot of contrasting flavors.

This dish is mostly hands off. In fact, I even got a short workout in when it was cooking. The temperatures outside have definitely risen, and I am finally starting to feel awake and alive again! Cheers to healthy eating and whole grains this Spring.

Many, many thanks to Oldways for allowing me to participate in Whole Grains Sampling Day again this year! I love the way Oldways’ focus is truly on delicious foods that you can eat for a lifetime of health, rather than a fad diet. Stay tuned for more whole grain recipes on this blog in the future!

You can view the Whole Grains Sampling Day partners on the Whole Grain Council’s website.