Mertzie's Tasty Brown Rice Salad

Name: Mertzie's Tasty Brown Rice Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6-8
Ingredients: 2 c cooked brown rice; chicken broth (to cook rice); half an onion (to cook w/ rice); 1 leftover lemons (to cook w/ rice) or a lemon teabag; grapeseed oil, (roasted garlic, if you can find it); 1/2-1 c each: chickpeas; celery; carrots; cucumbers; red, yellow, and orange peppers; tomatoes; scallions; cauliflower; 1/4 c (each) fresh basil and fresh parsley, chopped; 1/4 cup, olive oil; 1/8 cup, white wine vinegar; 1 tsp honey; 1 tsp lemon juice; 6-8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

By Michelle Koletar/Mertz
@Mertzie

I am trying to make some healthy meals each week, in between my usual comfort food cooking style. This came out so delicious, and my kids even gobbled it up. Packed w/ flavor & nutrition. Very adaptable to your tastes, obviously. I didn't measure, so these are guesstimates on amounts.

Rating:

★★★★★ 1 vote5

Serves:

6-8

Prep:

20 Min

Cook:

45 Min

Ingredients

2 c

cooked brown rice
·

chicken broth (to cook rice)
·

half an onion (to cook w/ rice)
1

leftover lemons (to cook w/ rice) or a lemon teabag
·

grapeseed oil, (roasted garlic, if you can find it)
1/2-1 c

each: chickpeas; celery; carrots; cucumbers; red, yellow, and orange peppers; tomatoes; scallions; cauliflower
1/4 c

(each) fresh basil and fresh parsley, chopped
1/4

cup, olive oil
1/8

cup, white wine vinegar
1 tsp

honey
1 tsp

lemon juice
6-8 oz

feta cheese, crumbled
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How to Make Mertzie's Tasty Brown Rice Salad

Step-by-Step

Cook the brown rice in chicken broth, not water, according to the package directions. I added half an onion & a lemon teabag for flavor. When cooked through & drained, I tossed w/ some roasted garlic grapeseed oil to keep moist. Bring to room temp.
Chop the veggies into small bite sized pieces and rough chop the herbs. I didn't cook any of the veggies, except for the carrots for just a few minutes to make them easier to cut.
Mix up the wine vinegar, olive oil, honey & lemon juice well.
Add the veggies (except for tomatoes) to the rice when cooled down, and mix. Add some fresh ground black pepper to your taste & stir.
Slowly add a little bit of the dressing and stir. You don't need much, and the fresh basil & parsley give the rice a lot of flavor. Set aside the dressing for when you serve.
Sprinkle w/ feta cheese and stir. You can refrigerate for a few hours, and then take out & taste to see if you want more dressing. Arrange the tomatoes on top before serving. (See pic).
I served this at room temp, which was great, but it was good cold straight from the fridge the next day too. Enjoy!