This Pumpkin Apple Walnut Harvest Rice is a warm and cozy bowl brimming with fall flavors. Sweet tart honeycrisp apples, soothing spices like cinnamon, chewy sweet raisins, zesty onion, nutty rustic walnuts, golden fall pumpkin and a drizzle of sticky sweet maple syrup. Add some warmed chickpeas for a well-rounded healthy meal. This easy recipe is your ticket to an autumn harvest meal!..
Crisp fall apples add a sweet tart crunch to this warm pumpkin rice..
Make it a meal - add chickpeas..
First my Harvest Rice recipe.
Pumpkin Apple Walnut Harvest Rice
vegan, makes 6 cups
1 ¾ cups cooked brown rice
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 small honeycrisp apple, diced
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
2 tablespoon organic raisins (golden or purple)
½ cup walnuts, unsalted
1-3 tablespoon maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
optional: 1 cup warmed chickpeas over top
To Make:
1. Prepare brown rice - set aside in large mixing bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, cider vinegar, spices. Warm in microwave. Mix well. Add this mixture to the warm brown rice. Fold until well distributed.
3. Prep your apples and onions by dicing.
4. Fold into the rice mixture: raisins, apples, onions, walnuts, olive oil, parsley flakes and salt to taste. Top with optional warmed chickpeas.
Serve warm or keep in warm oven until ready to serve. But do not over-heat. You want the apples and onions to still have a crispness to them when you serve.
Other optional add-in's: nutritional yeast, truffle oil, cayenne, cubes of butternut squash or sweet potato..
Post recipe discussion..
Bob's Red Mill. Their products rock my world. Many of them are sitting in my kitchen right now. And I frequently suggest them to my readers. But I am feeling a bit uninspired to continue to promote Bob's products on my blog ever since the controversy regarding a $25 million dollar donation to OHSU - a research institute that tests on animals in its labs.
Bob's official statement on the matter is that absolutely none of Bob's $25 million donation will go towards animal testing. Fair enough. But I don't think that statement addresses the reasons why animal lovers are upset.
Why not donate the $25 million to an organization that is by policy against animal testing. Or as ChloeJo commented on Bob's blog, fund a healthy school lunch program instead.
To Bob's defense, I will say that some of the headlines are unjust. Headlining that Bob's is "donating to fund animal testing" is a distortion of the truth.
I personally don't know where I stand. I want to know more. Maybe that's too much to ask, but then again, maybe not. I'm not so sure that Bob's could retract their gift at this point, but couldn't they at least give a reason for funding this specific organization? Are they the best at what they do? Are they doing research that is unique and trailblazing? Maybe it's none of my business, but as a passionate animal lover, it does unsettle me to promote Bob's products on my blog. What do you guys think??
note: updated - Bob's said no comments were deleted, lapse in approval time - I apologize for that errored claim on my part this AM!
Samantha Renae says
The onion ruined it for me but I would make it again without.
Krysten Voss says
I would also like to know how much dry rice and water you use to make the 1 3/4 cup cooked brown rice.
Amanda says
How much dry rice and water did you use to make the 1 3/4 cup cooked brown rice? I don't cook with rice very often and I'm just not sure.
Kathy Patalsky says
🙂 glad to hear that!
allarminda says
This was fabulous! I used Jasmine rice for a quicker to-table version, but otherwise left the recipe intact. I did mix in chickpeas and it was all so very tasty. I can't wait for lunch tomorrow!
Strawberry_Toast says
First - This looks tasty! Second, on the topic of OHSU:
Oregon Health and Science University does do some animal testing. But they are also a teaching hospital, and they often accommodate those who cannot otherwise afford medical treatment. Good luck finding a medical school doing research that does not use animals or rely on animal research to make discoveries... we need to test some treatments in animals before we test them on people.
From personal experience, no one wants to be testing on animals. Experiments are designed to reduce the number of animals used, and animals with long lifespans are included in many experiments when possible in order to allow them to live out their natural lives. Animal sacrifice is carried out carefully, knowing that the animals feel pain. They are given painkillers or put under anesthesia to ease their discomfort. We are not living in the dark ages of animal experimentation any longer - scientists genuinely try to reduce their animal work and treat the animals with the utmost respect.
I can't vouch for corporations and their animal handling practices. Certainly cosmetics companies are still doing the kind of animal testing that should be banned. But in OHSU's case, as long as we keep working toward more responsible and minimal animal testing in research, it can be an incredibly useful tool and protect humans from undue medical harm.
Lauren says
Delicious! I subbed the canned pumpkin for 1/2 a small pumpkin (about 8 inches in diameter) cubed and baked. The first time I made this recipe I made it as written; the second I subbed out apple cider vinegar for balsamic, cinnamon for sage, and onion for lots of garlic. (I nixed the maple syrup.) So now I have a savory version as well--and I love both!!
Andrea says
this is amazing! Made it with Quinoa since I surprisingly didn't have rice on hand, I didn't have walnuts on hand either. I used more like a handful of raisins since 2 tbsp didn't seem like enough
It is a great balanced but simple meal. Interested in how this keeps, but will make again for sure!
Kathy Patalsky says
Yes fresh works too. Even better! (Just as you described) - fresh may be a bit "wetter" than the canned pumpkin so make adjustments if desired.
jen says
If I wanted to use my recently harvested pumpkins instead of the 1 cup/can of pumpkin would that work? Would I just roast the pumpkin and scoop out the flesh/separating the seeds and puree the soft pumpkin before adding it in as the recipe directs? thanks!
Lina Loop-eye says
also- this is an amazing dish!! and I'm glad that these issues are even being discussed, rather than consulted with the general apathy that has infected our nation.
Lina Loop-eye says
I'm against animal testing, but OHSU is a university that grants money to its professors to perform research of their choosing. I know of a lot of good science that has been done there without testing on animals. I don't feel like these researchers should be prevented from being funded just because the institute that they work at allows other research to be done that involves animal testing. I wish that animal testing would not continue anywhere, but punishing those who don't test on animals because of association through the place they work is not beneficial to society.
Lolly says
This recipe looks absolutely devine! I will definitely be making it this weekend! Yummy!
Kathy Patalsky says
The salting to taste is VERY important for pumpkin recipes. Under salted pumpkin puree is big on blandness.
William says
I made this and it came out bland? Tryng to figure out why 🙁 If you add to much canned pumpkin will it make the flavor more subdued?