Versatile Brown Rice Salad

Submitted by Jenny Sanders

"I make this quite often for pot-lucks. My circle of Friends includes vegetarians, and people with allergies to gluten, dairy and onions. It makes coming up with something everyone can eat and will like a bit of a challenge. However this goes over well even with those who have no food restrictions. It's very flexible; I hardly ever put in everything I have listed, and you can certainly put in other fruits and vegetables as seems good to you. Don't be put off by the length of the ingredients and instructions; it's really very easy especially if you cook the grains the night before. I typically stagger, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen at the last possible moment and have it put together in half an hour. If you don't mix in the seeds, the salad will keep well for several days in the fridge. (It will still keep if you mix in the seeds, they will just get a little soggy.) Also, remember that barley is not gluten free. Instead of the red rice, wild rice or barley you can also just use a second 1/2 cup of brown rice."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 16

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup brown rice
• 1⁄2 1/2 cup wild rice or 1/2 cup barley
• 1⁄2 cup brown lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
• 3 green onions or 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 large navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 2 large crisp apples, cored and diced
• 1⁄2 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or 1/2 cup mixture dried fruits

• Dressing

• 2 valencia oranges, juice of
• 1⁄2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 cup raw green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1⁄2 cup raw sunflower seeds

directions

1. I like to cook the grains in a rice cooker; just dump them in with the water and salt.
2. They can all be cooked together as they cook in about the same length of time.
3. If you don't use a rice cooker, put them in a large heavy-bottomed pot with the water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let steam until tender, about 30 to 45 minutes.
4. Let cool.
5. This can be done a day ahead.
6. Prepare the vegetables and fruit.
7. I like to cut the broccoli florets quite small, then peel the broccoli stem and grate it along with the carrot and zucchini.
8. The broccoli can be briefly blanched, or not; as you like.
9. Mix the dressing ingredients.
10. Mix the vegetables and fruit into the cooled rice mixture, and then mix in the dressing.
11. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a heavy un-oiled skillet over medium heat, stirring often.
12. They will'pop' and brown.
13. When about three/quarters of them seem done, add the sunflower seeds.
14. Stir well; when they too are nicely browned turn out the seeds onto a plate to cool.
15. I like to pass these separately to sprinkle over the top so they will not get soggy if there is leftover salad.