Brown Rice, Roasted Carrot, Walnut & Feta Salad

Now that salad season is upon us with warmer days and festive celebrations ahead, this healthy and attractive salad is a great recipe to have on hand to make for highly-anticipated summer BBQs and gatherings ahead. It’s a lovely vegetarian addition to serve alongside often meat-heavy BBQ fare! 

Salad Ingredients:

2 cups of short-grain brown rice

4 cups of water

3 large carrots

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of onion powder

½ a red onion, finely chopped

⅓ cup of currants

200g of goat feta

¾ cup of walnuts

¾ cup of chopped fresh mint leaves

Salt and pepper

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 cup of olive oil

Juice of one & a half lemons

1 tablespoon of melted honey

1 teaspoon of mustard

½ teaspoon of crushed garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Cook the brown rice and water (with a pinch of salt) in a rice cooker
3. Chop the carrots lengthways and then dice the carrots into approximately 1.5 cm chunks
4. Place the carrots in an oven tray, sprinkle with the onion powder and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Roast in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes, tossing once. Remove from the oven when they are lightly browned. 
6. Once the rice has cooked, place it in a sieve, and run cold water over it to cool. Drain thoroughly. 
7. Lightly fry the walnuts with a drizzle of oil in a frypan on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove once they are starting to brown and then set aside to cool. 
8. Crumble the feta. Place the cooled rice, red onion, currants, walnuts and half of the chopped mint and feta into a salad bowl. 
9. Meanwhile, mix all of the dressing ingredients together and set aside.
10. Once the carrots are cooked and cooled slightly, gently stir them into the rice mix along with the walnuts. Mix the dressing into the salad. 
11. Top with the remaining feta and mint, and season with salt and pepper. 

Nutrition Bite: 

Brown rice is whole grain rice with a richer,  nuttier taste than white rice. It’s nutritiously a better option too, being high in fiber and because the nutritious bran layer remains, it contains valuable phytochemicals like essential amino acids, vitamins, flavonoids, phytic acid, and more. It is a great source of slow-release energy to help sustain energy levels throughout the day.