Thanks to Real Simple’s new issue that’s all about organizing I’ve been on an all-out organizational bender for the past week and a half…and I haven’t even cracked open the magazine! Guess I just needed to put out into the universe that I was ready to start and voila – I started.
Funny how that works.
Anyway, first up was my pantry’s rice/grain drawer which is always packed to the gills. I usually prefer brown while Ben likes white, but we both love wild rice blends and make a pot all the time as an easy yet hearty side dish with dinner. Needless to say, this drawer benefited from a little TLC!
I used the aforementioned wild rice blend to give our standard side dish a little zing. Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice was the result!
Fried rice meets sizzling salad meets HELLO delicious in this yummy, one-skillet stir fried side dish that’s full of tongue-tingling flavor.
Here’s the scoop: wild rice cooked in chicken broth is stir fried with caramelized sweet potatoes and crumbled cooked kale in a zippy Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette then sprinkled with roasted salted pepitas. It’s wild. Your eyes see stir fry, but your tongue tastes warm rice salad with pops of dijon, maple, and sweet potato. So, so awesome – and definitely not too sweet.
If you’re stuck in a side dish rut, make this fried wild rice with a side of sauteed chicken or even pork tenderloin (which will undoubtedly take a back seat to this succulent stir fry!)
Start by cooking 3/4 cups wild rice blend in chicken broth instead of water according to package directions. You can absolutely make this a day or two ahead of time to save some…time!
Meanwhile remove 1/2 bunch curly kale from the stems then chop to get 4 packed cups chopped kale. This is a great intro dish to kale for newbies as it’s very tender in the end.
Tip: to easily strip the kale from the stems, grip the leaves at the thickest end of the stem then pull the stem out with the other hand (kind of like stripping fresh thyme leaves from the stem.) Saves SO much time!
Fill a wok or large skillet with water then bring to a boil. Add kale and a heavy dash of salt then boil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain then, when the kale is cool enough to handle, squeeze the excess moisture out and crumble – just like you would do to a package of frozen spinach.
Next, chop 1 medium-sized sweet potato into 1/2″ cubes to get 1-1/2 cups sweet potatoes. First peel the potato then cut it in half. Next, slice each half into 1/2″ planks.
Lay the planks on their side then cut into 1/2″ slices, and then chop. Voila, sweet potato cubes!
Add the sweet potatoes to 1 Tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, and a dash of salt in the wok over medium-high heat then stir fry until tender and caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix up the Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette. That’s just 2 Tablespoons each extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, 1 Tablespoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 minced garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Add the ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid then shake, shake, shake!
Add the cooked rice and kale to the caramelized sweet potatoes then drizzle in the vinaigrette and toss until sizzling.
Whee!
Scoop onto plates then sprinkle with roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds, y’all.) You can usually find these right in the bulk bins and they add a wonderful crunch.
Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice is unexpected, filling, and seriously delish. Although there’s both maple syrup and brown sugar in the recipe I don’t think it’s too sweet as the wild rice simmered in chicken broth and kale offset the sweetness. Hope you enjoy!
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Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice
Description
Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice is a flavor-packed side dish that is anything but forgettable!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups wild rice blend + chicken broth to cook it in
- 1 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 1-1/2 cups 1/2″ cubed sweet potato (about 1 medium-sized sweet potato)
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 4 cups packed chopped curly kale (about 1/2 bunch)
- 1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas
- For the Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, microplaned or finely minced
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Prepare rice according to package instructions using chicken or vegetable broth in place of water. Set aside. (Can be made ahead of time.)
- Add ingredients for Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette in a jar with a tight fitting lid then shake to combine and set aside.
- Fill a wok or large skillet with water then bring to a boil. Add a heavy dash of salt and kale then boil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain, then when kale is cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water with hands, crumble, and then set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium-high then melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and sweet potatoes, season with salt, then saute until tender and caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
- Add kale, cooked rice and Maple-Dijon Vinaigrette to the wok then toss to combine. Serve topped with pepitas.
Notes
To easily strip the kale from the stems, grip the leaves at the thickest end of the stem then pull the stem out with the other hand (kind of like stripping fresh thyme leaves from the stem.)
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Can all the ingredients be cooked and assembled the day before and then reheated?
Oops, just saw your reply below.
Can you make this a day or two ahead of time to serve at a luncheon?
Hi LaDell! This reheats well in the microwave, but I’m not sure how well an entire batch (or double or triple batch if you’re serving to a group) would do reheated in a pot, for example.
Your Caramelized Sweet Potato and Kale Fried Wild Rice recipe was an absolutely OUTSTANDING winner at my special dinner for family. The flavors all came together so nicely it tantalized our tastebuds. Awesome!! I will be making this dish often. It went great with my salmon . Thanks for all your delicious recipes — I’m hooked on your cooking style.
SO glad you all enjoyed, Dari! I so appreciate your feedback!
I love this recipe so much. I’ve shared it with friends. It’s DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it.
Thank you so much for the rave review, Erin! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This is so amazing! Wish I had made a double batch!
Yummy! I didn’t have maple syrup so used molasses. Will make again,
I just made this recipe to use some year end kale from my garden and Oh. My. Gosh. This recipe was amazing!! I threw in some mushrooms and substituted slivered almonds for the pumpkin seeds since I didn’t have those. This is a keeper and will definitely make this again!
Love those swaps!! So glad you were able to make it with what you had on hand!
This recipe was amazing! Second recipe I’ve made from Iowa girl eats.com and both were fabulous. I substituted hand parched wild rice for the rice mixture and was very pleased. Will make it again. probably tomorrow!
Is it possible to use honey to caramalize?
I bet that would work!
Wow, this was delicious and so easy to make – definitely a keeper! I can see myself making this again and again. I made one slight change. Rather than blanching the kale in boiling water, I chopped up the leaves and “massaged” them with salt and olive oil in a salad bowl until tender. I then threw it into the wok when assembling all ingredients, worked just great!
Loved this! Fed two of us as a main. Cooked sweet potatoes in the air fryer and added some fresh parsley and thyme before serving. It was excellent, will make it again.
We LOVED this recipe!! I couldn’t get enough of it!! SO YUMMY!
I was searching your fall inspiration list for meal planning this week and decided to make this for my husband’s birthday dinner… we had it with pork chops and it was amazing!! Loved the maple balsamic mix, perfect blend of savory and sweet! Thanks, Kristen!
I’ve made this dish so many times over the last couple of years. I’ve often had to sub out other greens (spinach, tatsoi, chard, whatever) and nuts ( pine nuts or pistachio) depending on what I have on hand. But it’s always delicious no matter what’s in the pantry.
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