Two Day Magazine

Easy and Delicious Brown Rice Salad!

Treat your loved ones to something special with a brown rice salad.  This is really a recipe for Tabbouleh salad, but if you have no time to prepare tabbouleh, typically made with bulgur (dried and ground or crushed wheat berries that are parboiled) brown rice is a great substitute to take bulgur's place. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups short-grain brown rice

• 1/2 cup dried apricots

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 cups chopped parsley

• 1 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/2 cup chopped mint

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, salted and toasted

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

• Salt

• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• In a saucepan, bring the rice and 1 quart of water to a boil.

• Cover and cook over low heat for 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.

• In a bowl, cover the apricots with hot water. Let stand for 10 minutes.

• Drain and chop.

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the almonds and pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast until golden, about 5 minutes.

• In a large bowl, whisk the oil with the lemon juice.

• Add the rice, apricots, almonds, pine nuts, parsley, cilantro, mint, sunflower seeds, and tomatoes to the dressing. Toss well, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

This super salad surprise will be a winner for you and your loved ones!

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