Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Thanks to my Food Network magazine, that is.  I saw this recipe for Hoppin’ John Salad an issue or three ago and it’s been on my radar ever since; I finally got around to making it for lunch today.  And I have to say–it was tasty.  The ham and the hot rice gave it a depth of flavor that I wouldn’t have expected to get instantaneously–I was afraid it would end up having to chill overnight, but there wasn’t any left to chill!  My carpool friend enjoyed it as well, and my son enthusiastically finished off the last of it.  I was generous with the parsley (I find it completely impossible not to be) and I used raw coconut vinegar (which we have because of my daughter’s science fair project) instead of apple cider–I don’t love apple cider vinegar–but other than that I followed the recipe exactly.  (I even bought the frozen brown rice at Trader Joe’s.)  It had crunch, it had chewiness, it had smokiness, it had acidity…it was lovely.  And now it’s gone.  BUT–the frozen brown rice was part of a three-pack, so…