Summer Days call for chilled salads, Summer Days are Berry Days, and Summer Days are Fresh Herb Days as well. We had a 3x Birthday party in the family today and I wanted to make sure I had a plant-based dish to take along. I wanted to try Chef AJ's Quinoa Salad with Currants and Pistachios - but our niece is allergic to nuts and I wasn't sure if she'd ever been tested for Quinoa. But now, my mind was hooked on to memory of that salad :) !!! I decided to make a variation of it. Here's what I came up with.
3 Rice & 3 Berry Salad |
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup White Basmati Rice
- 1/2 cup Brown Basmati Rice
- 2-3 tbsp Long grain Wild Rice
- 2-3 tbsp Raisins
- 1 cup fresh Red Raspberries
- 1 cup fresh Blackberries
- 1 cup fresh Strawberries
- 2 tbsp Agave Syrup, or Honey
- 1/8 cup Soy milk
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Basil,
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Mint
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped Oregano
Directions:
Boil rice, all 3 kinds together, in ample amounts of water until tender. Add the raisins to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes (this helps plump them up!). Drain and spread thinly on a cookie sheet and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes (chill completely). Meanwhile wash and drain berries and slice strawberries and set aside. Put Agave syrup (or honey) in a small microwave safe bowl with the non-dairy milk and heat for 10 seconds to dissolve it in the milk. Once rice is chilled, move to a mixing bowl, add agave/milk mixture and toss well. Add chopped herbs and berries and give a final toss. Do a quick taste check - the rice should be just slightly sweet - add more 'agave in milk' if needed.
Cover and chill until ready to serve. The longer it sits, the better the flavors combine - the berry flavors and juices penetrate the rice, the herbs release their essential oils and flavor the rice and the berries! This is a salad where the wonderful aromas invite you to dig in.
My Assessment: Loved it. What's not to like! The family liked it too :)
My Assessment: Loved it. What's not to like! The family liked it too :)
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