Winter Greens & Pesto Rice Bowl with Grapefruit, Spiced Pecans & Feta

4 SERVINGS  |   HANDS-ON TIME:  20 minutes  |  TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes

1 cup uncooked Gulf Pacific Brown Rice

1 bunch Tenaza Organics Rainbow Chard, washed

1 small J & B Farms Cabbage, washed, core removed

1-2 medium South Texas Organics Grapefruit, washed

1/3 cup crumbled Bee Tree Goat Feta Cheese (or other preferred soft goat cheese)

1/2 cup Farmhouse Kitchen Pesto, stirred well before use

1/4 cup Farmhouse Kitchen Spiced Pecans, chopped

1/4 cup Farmhouse Kitchen Spicy Honey Balsamic Dressing, shaken or stirred well before use

Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Olive or vegetable oil

STEP 1  Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. When the water boils, add 1 tbsp. salt and brown rice. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 35-40 minutes. Taste the rice to see if it’s cooked to your preferred texture after 40 minutes. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, if needed. Drain the rice well and return to the span. Keep covered until ready to serve.

STEP 2  While the rice is cooking, shave the cabbage into strips, as thinly as possible, and set aside. Remove and discard the large woody stems from the kale leaves. Roughly chop the kale leaves into 1-2” pieces and set aside.

STEP 3  Remove the rind and white pith from the grapefruits by first trimming the ends, cutting just deep enough to expose the flesh. Set the grapefruit on either of the cut ends to stabilize and then use a sharp knife to cut downward, following the shape of the grapefruit. Cut just deep enough to remove the rind and white pith, without removing too much of the flesh. After removing the rind and white pith, cut the grapefruit in half, and then cut each half into approximate ½” thick half moons. Chop the half moons into bite-sized pieces. Remove any seeds, as needed, and set grapefruit slices aside.

STEP 4  Place a saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp. oil, followed by the chopped kale leaves. Saute the kale leaves until wilted, approximately 5-7 minutes. Turn the heat off and drizzle with half of the spicy honey balsamic dressing. Toss with tongs to distribute. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

STEP 5  To serve, fold the pesto into the brown rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the dressed brown rice to serving bowls and top with sauteed kale. Add shaved cabbage, grapefruit slices, feta cheese crumbles, and spiced pecans. Drizzle additional spicy honey balsamic dressing over top. Enjoy!