This salad is an interpretation of one of my favourite salads from one of my favourite cafes, Alimentari. The recipe calls for soaking the brown rice overnight, it’s not essential, however, it makes the nutrients more available and easier to absorb & it will cut down cooking time. Brown rice provides slow releasing complex carbohydrates to give you long lasting energy as well as mood boosting nutrients such as magnesium & B vitamins. The parsley & rocket provide good amounts of immune regulating vitamin C as well as vitamin K, that helps keep calcium in your bones & teeth (where you want it) & keeps it out of your arteries & skin (where you don’t want it). The walnuts provide beneficial omega 3 fats, aiding cognitive function.
Brown Rice Salad with Pesto, Herbs, Walnuts & Goats Cheese
By Angel Munro
Serves 6 as a side dish
Ingredients
6 dill fronds, leaves pulled apart
4 sprigs of mint, leaves pulled apart
3 sprigs of parley, leaves pulled apart
A couple of large handfuls of rocket
1 cup of brown rice, soaked in water overnight then cooked (=3 & ½ cups of cooked rice)
3 spring onions, finely sliced
100g of marinated goats cheese, crumbled
Pesto
1 bunch of parsley, large stems removed (small stems are ok = 2 cups of loosely packed parsley leaves)
Juice of one lemon
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp of salt
1 cup of walnuts
Method
For the Pesto
Place walnuts in a baking tray & roast walnuts in the oven at 180°C for 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool. Rub with a clean tea towel to remove some of the walnut skin.
Blend parsley, oil, lemon juice, ¾ cup of the roasted walnuts (reserve the other ¼ cup) garlic and salt in a blender or food processor.
Putting the salad together
Soak brown rice in water overnight, drain, rinse & then place in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, then simmer on medium heat for 15-20 minutes of until tender. remove from heat, drain & set aside to cool.
Stir the pesto through the brown rice, then add the rest of the ingredients reserving some of the fresh herbs & goats cheese. Mix well then serve on serving platter topping with reserved walnuts, goats cheese & herbs.