4 c. cooked brown rice1/2 c. toasted sesame oil 1 lg. beet, grated (2-3 cups) 1/3 c. brown rice vinegar 1 c. arame seaweed 1 T. Umeboshi vinegar, if avail. 1/4 c. sesame seeds 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 c. thinly sliced spring onions salt and freshly ground pepper

Put rice and beets in lg. bowl. In another bowl, cover arame with water and soak for 15 min. Place a small skillet over med. heat. Add sesame seeds and stir until lightly browned and fragrant, 3-5 min. (watch closely to avoid burning). Remove from heat.. Transfer to a dish to cool. Bring 1 qt. water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and lower undrained arame into pot. Simmer until tender, 8-10 min. Combine onion, sesame oil, vinegars (if you don’t have Umeboshi, add a little more rice vinegar) and garlic in lg. jar. With lid tightly screwed on, shake vigorously until oil and vinegar no longer separate. Season with salt and pepper. Drain arame in colander; add to beets and rice and toss briefly. Add oil and vinegar mixture and toss thoroughly. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight. Serve chilled.

recipe adapted from The Real Dirt on Vegetables: Farmer John’s Cookbook.