Thursday, February 9, 2012

Garden & Grain Salad

A few years ago I went to a new vegan restaurant with my sister. After sitting down we opened up our menus and were helpless in choosing an entree. We wanted everything. The waiter eagerly came to assist us in making a decision. Instead of describing the flavors of each dish he dove into the nutritional benefits- which sounded like gibberish due to our hunger level, "Full of vitamin a, saturated in vitamin b, soaked in water, and no night vegetables added, with a nice yeasty flavor..." we rudely laughed and spontaneously ordered- believe it or not we left the restaurant extremely satisfied. 
This dish reminds me of something we ordered that night. It's simple, full of nutritional benefits and is also high in fiber and protein- not to mention the dash of cayenne pepper which speeds up metabolism as well as providing a satisfying flavor. I love adding rice or quinoa to my salads. The grain makes lunch or dinner extra hearty. Check out this similar dish; it's delicious, full of flavor, and great for lunch or a lighter dinner: Quinoa Greek Salad
Ingredients
1 c short grain brown rice
2 c water
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chickpeas 
5 chopped sun dried tomatoes 
3 chopped scallions 
1 small chopped cucumber
6 small chopped tomatoes on the vine
3 tbs rice vinegar 
1 tbs table salt 
1 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne) 
1 tbs sunflower seeds (pine nuts) 
Directions
1) In a 4 quart sauce pan add the rice, water and 1 tbs of olive oil. Cover the saucepan and let the water boil, reduce flame to a medium heat for fifty minutes. keep saucepan covered. 2) While the rice boils chop the cucumbers, scallions, tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes. Rinse the chickpeas well. 3) Add the vegetables to the rice once it finishes cooking in the saucepan.Pour in the remaining olive oil, rice vinegar, salt, and cayenne pepper. Before serving sprinkle sunflower seeds or pine nuts. serve warm. Servings: 4
Bon Appétit!

2 comments:

  1. Looks amazing!! I think I'll make it for shabbos lunch!

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  2. It's so good raiz! And perfect with the rice a tad hot!

    ReplyDelete