For culinary use, here’s my recipe for “Romantic Rice” for two. I always use long-grain brown rice for its superior taste and nutritional qualities, but white rice can easily be substituted.
1 medium onion, diced
2 teaspoons. olive oil
1 cup fresh, rinsed calendula petals
1 cup water
1/2 vegetable or herbed bouillon cube
Saute the onion in the olive oil in a small, heavily lidded pot. Add half of the calendula petals to the cup of water in a blender. Blend well and then pour the liquid over the onions. Add the bouillon cube to the water and bring to a boil. Add the rice while stirring. Turn the heat to simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, usually 40 to 45 minutes for brown rice and 25 to 30 minutes for white. When the rice is ready, stir in the rest of the calendula petals. This makes a perfect grain side dish for a fish, chicken, meat or vegetarian entree.
For breakfast, try these Calendula Corn Muffins:
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 extra-large eggs
1 cup milk (nondairy such as soy may be substituted)
3 tbsp. corn oil
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup calendula petals
Butter a muffin tin and preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine corn meal, flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the milk and oil, blending well. Stir the cheese and corn into the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and blend. Stir the calendula petals into the batter. Fill the muffin tins almost full. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for five minutes before serving.
