Hello Everyone! Last week I shared a post on my Instagram for an open collaboration that me and two of my IG foodie friends organised and hosted. It was for National Pack Your Lunch Day (March 10) and out of the three main components that made up my lunchbox, one of them was this Mediterranean Multi-grain Rice & Chickpea Salad, alongside the recipe I shared last week to serve with this salad.

Like with the recipe I shared last week for a Mediterranean Baked Fish dish, this salad is also loaded with fresh Greek flavours of olive oil, olives, feta, and lemon. Other than those ingredients, all you really need is a killer salad dressing and some grain of choice; brown, red, or a mix of those two. I recently bought a pack of multi-grain rice made of a mix of black, brown, and red rice, with adlai as well, so decided to use that for this recipe.

Everything else is customisable to your liking; instead of rice, you can use quinoa or anything rice-like shaped such as farro, pearl barley, or couscous. You can choose whether to add fresh, roasted, or sautéed vegetables, and add your leafy greens of choice. Change up the cheese, or even leave it out to make it vegan friendly. If you don’t have walnuts lying in your pantry, feel free to swap it out for flaked almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, or pepitas – anything really to give the salad an added texture and crunch. The possibilities with this salad are endless!

This salad comes together effortlessly and is an excellent work lunch option or to bring to a potluck party as you can easily double or triple its serving size. Coat the salad with a Balsamic, Olive Oil, and Basil Dressing and you’re in for a delicious treat! It’s light, yet filling at the same time; tangy, juicy, and crunchy!

PREP TIME 10-15 MINS | COOKING TIME 20 MINS | SERVES 4*

*This recipe serves 4 as a meal, or 6 to 8 as a side.

INGREDIENTS

For the salad

• 1 & 1/2 cups multigrain rice (combination of black, red, and brown rice, plus adlai), cooked
• 1 can (425g) garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and blanched
• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 100g kale, leaves trimmed and roughly torn
• 100g marinated Greek feta with olives, in olive oil
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
• 1 packet 5 grain rice cakes, crushed

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• Basil leaves, roughly chopped
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• Salt & black pepper, to taste

METHOD

1. Dressing: Add all the ingredients together in a jar and seal tightly. Shake vigorously for about 2 to 3 minutes, until well combined. Set aside.
2. Salad: Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and toss to combine.
3. Add the dressing and then toss again to evenly coat the salad with the dressing. Transfer to individual serving plates and serve with some Mediterranean Baked Fish. Enjoy!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

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