Mediterranean Rice

Okay, so a couple of weeks ago I asked for some recipes. Thanks to all of you who commented or emailed! I have tons of stuff to try and it all sounds so yummy! I tried a couple of recipes and forgot to take pictures (oops!) so this is my first documented dinner. I will try to re-do the others with pictures soon!

This recipe is from my Aunt Beth and I am seriously obsessed with it right now. I am actually snacking on the leftovers as I type...hehehehe. I am not big on pork or red meat and Jon despises all shellfish, so we eat a lot of poultry around these parts. A lot of time it's just plain old grilled chicken off the George Foreman....boooooring. This side dish is the perfect thing to add exciting flavor to a meal like that. Here goes:



Mediterranean Rice:

1 box long grain and wild rice (with seasoning mix)
1 12 oz jar marinated artichoke hearts
12 green olives with pimentos, slice
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 green pepper
4-5 green onions (to taste)

Cook the rice according to box directions minus the butter and/or oil. Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving the liquid, and chop to desired size. Add artichokes and olives to rice. Chop peppers and onions to desired consistency and also add to rice. Whisk together mayo and reserved liquid from artichokes. Add to rice mixture and chill. Serves 4-6.

***TMM version - Jon will not bite into a chunk of pepper or onion. Period. Neither one of us hate onion, but we don't LOVE it either. I only used 1/4 green pepper and 1 green onion. I grated the pepper and the white part of the onion on a microplane. That way we still got the flavor. Then I thinly sliced the green part of the onion because it was easier and prettier :) I may add a little more green pepper next time. I decided to try and serve the dish warm because I didn't have time to chill it before dinner. It was just as delicious! The dressing sets up more when it is chilled, so you may want to add less of the artichoke juice if you are going to serve it warm.***



My aunt said that the lady she got the recipe from is middle eastern and adds curry powder to taste. If you are a fan of this kind of cuisine it may be a good thing to add. I served this rice with baked lemon chicken (chicken breast, salt, pepper, garlic powder, lemon juice) and a bag of publix caesar salad. I think it would also bee god with fish, too. If you don't like olives or marinated artichokes or anything with a "vinegary" flavor, then you will not like this dish. I happen to LOVE these things, so it was perfect! My husband is super picky and even he liked it. Give it a try and let me know what you think!