Rice and Nut Vegetarian Salad Recipe

If you can’t find fresh peaches you can use a 15-ounce can of peach slices, well drained.

Stored in the fridge in an airtight container it will keep for up to 1 day.

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups cooked brown rice, soaked in cold water and drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup golden raisins
• ⅓ cup currants
• 1¼ cup blanched almonds chopped
• ½ cup cashew nuts, chopped
• 1½ semi-ripe peaches, sliced and skins removed
• ¼ cucumber, cubed
• ¼ cup cooked red kidney beans
• A large handful of crisp lettuce

1. In a small pot over high heat, prepare rice. Once done drain water and set aside to cool.
2. In a jar with a screw-top lid, pour in oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Seal the jar and shake vigorously until liquid had thickened.
3. In a small bowl place raisins and currants and pour boiling water on top to cover them, allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes. Once time is up drain and dump into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add rice, nuts, peaches, cucumber and beans into mixing bowl with raisins and currants. Mix together.
5. Take olive oil and lemon juice mixture and drizzle over salad until all ingredients are coated.
6. Cover bottoms of salad bowls with pieces of crisp lettuce and divide salad among bowls. Serve.

Serves 4

Tasty Thai Salad

Stored in a sealed container in the fridge without dressing, it will last up to 2 days.
Ingredients

• 1 small head red-leaf lettuce
• 1 pound curly leaf spinach, stems removed
• ½ small head of green or red cabbage, shredded
• ½ pound snow peas, stems trimmed
• ½ pound green beans, stems removed and sliced diagonally
• 1 orange, peeled
• ½ pound carrots, peeled and sliced ¼ inch in thickness
• 6 scallions, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 banana, sliced
• ⅛ cup dark raisins
• ⅛ cup unsalted peanuts
• ½ teaspoon chopped chives
• ¼ alfalfa sprouts, rinsed and drained
• ¼ bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
• ⅛ cup black sesame seeds
• ⅛ cup white sesame seeds
• 1½ cups Thai Salad Dressing (recipe follows)

1. Wash lettuce and spinach in a colander; rinse and drain well. Place both, including the shredded cabbage into separate bowls. Cover bowls and place in the refrigerator for later.
2. In a small pot with boiling water, blanch snow peas. Prepare an ice bath for the snow peas by filling a medium bowl with ice cubes. After 1 minute remove peas and drain. Once well-drained transfer snow peas into bowl with ice. Once cool, drain again. Repeat the same procedure for the green beans.
3. Take peeled orange and cut into sections. Place in a bowl and set aside. Place red-leaf lettuce neatly around the edges of a platter and cover the centre with spinach. Neatly place shredded cabbage, peas, beans, carrots, scallions, banana and orange on top of the bed of spinach.
4. Sprinkle raisins, peanuts, chives, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts and black and white sesame seeds over salad. Lightly drizzle dressing over salad until everything is well coated. Serve.

Serves 4 to 5