Basmati Rice Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. It is reminiscent of Waldorf salad but, in my opinion, more complex. The brown basmati rice provides whole grain and depth to this dish. It smells so good while the rice is cooking and after the rice is cooked, the dish comes together easily.

Basmati Rice Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups brown basmati rice
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds *
1 green apple, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup Vegenaise (or other vegan mayo)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Cook the basmati rice ahead and let it cool down a bit. I made mine in my rice cooker with the two cups of rice, rinsed, and four cups of water added. It takes a long time so I started the rice in the morning.


Once the rice is ready, put it in a mixing bowl and add the apple along with the raisins and celery. Then mix up the dressing which is the orange juice, syrup, cardamom, coriander, curry, salt, pepper and Vegenaise. Toss the salad with the dressing to evenly distribute.

Finally, add the toasted sunflower seeds.

*I think they taste best freshly toasted.

If you want to do this, buy raw shelled sunflower seeds. Put them in a skillet over medium to high heat. I like to use cast iron for this. Mix them often and take them off the heat when they start to brown and smell fragrant. I dump them from the pan onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with a little soy sauce when they are still hot. Stir them to distribute the soy sauce and let them cool. Keep any of the unused raw sunflower seeds in the freezer.

For 8 servings:
Nutritional analysis from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 109 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  318 Calories from Fat  91

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  10.2g 16%

Saturated Fat  0.7g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  240mg 10%

Potassium  190mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates  50.4g 17%

Dietary Fiber  1.8g 7%

Sugars  10.1g

Protein  4.0g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 14% Calcium 2% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade B

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet