Whole grains, less processing, and fewer ingredients. All three are trends in food that this product delivers.

I received free samples of Goose Valley Rice: Brown and Wild Rice Fusion, Natural Wild Rice, and Organic Wild Rice. My previous experience with wild rice has been a box of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice. I’ve been wanting to step out of this convenience-type rice and make whole grain wild rice from scratch, so these samples came in the perfect time.

What I like about it:

• Nutrition: high in fiber, high in protein, and has zero sodium (Uncle Ben’s Ready Whole Grain Medley Brown and Wild has 730 mg sodium a serving).
• Ingredients: just rice, no salt or any other weird ingredients.
• Taste: the wild rice alone was chewy, earthy, and nutty. We liked it. My husband preferred the brown and wild rice mix though because it was milder in flavor.

What I don’t like about it:

• Not much! The two types of wild rice need 50 minutes to cook, while the brown and wild rice mix needs 30, and that might be too long for some. It wasn’t a problem for me though. I started with the rice first and got the rest of the meal prepped and cooked meanwhile.
• I wasn’t enthusiastic about the word “natural” on the front of one of the packages. It doesn’t mean anything.

The instructions say to add salt and season to taste. To keep it low in salt and high on flavor, I added other spices and herbs. For one package, and after the rice was completely cooked, I stirred in:

• 1/2 tsp dried celery flakes
• 1 tsp dried parsley leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt (adds 600 mg sodium for 4 servings, 150 mg for each)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder

You can have fun with the spices. Maybe next time I’ll try turmeric, paprika, thyme, rosemary, or oregano. We liked the rice and would buy it again. Being high in protein and fiber, low in salt, and no processing, it’s the perfect addition to any healthy diet.

Do you like rice? Do you have a favorite whole grain variation?