My mom was bemoaning how she couldn’t eat chicken gizzards anymore the other day, what with their high cholesterol and all. After a brief discussion about organ meats and the role of cholesterol in the body, I decided I should take the plunge as well and try those gizzards! The farmer who supplies my organic, grassfed meats just happened to have some, so I ordered a package. I found a recipe with possibilities on Allrecipes dot com, messed with it a little and came up with:

Gizzled Portobello Rice
4 ounces uncooked wild rice
1 quart homemade chicken stock, divided
1 pound chicken gizzards
1 tablespoon extra virgin organic coconut oil
1/2 medium organic red onion, chopped
3 large organic portobello mushroom caps, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into slivers
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place rice and 2 1/2 cups stock in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes. Place gizzards in a pot with remaining stock and enough water to cover, and bring to a boil, cook 15 minutes, drain, and dice. Heat coconut oil in a skillet, and cook the onion, and mushrooms until tender. Mix in the cooked gizzards, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the rice. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

The sun-dried tomatoes added a very welcome zing, and the onion and garlic were just enough aromatic. The meaty portobellos blended well with the earthy flavor of the wild rice. My family raised their eyebrows at the chewy gizzards, but the flavor was enough to overcome their objections. My problem is this:

Ho hum black lunch

Even after the cheese is grated on top, it’s sure an ugly color! Unappetizing to say the least! So, can you help me lighten it up a little? I was thinking maybe some brown rice instead of all wild rice, perhaps some colorful bell peppers? Maybe a white onion instead of red? Help!

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