I was thinking about two of my sisters today (okay, one was my sister-in-law -- happy birthday, Grace!) while I was cooking dinner. Well, cooking isn't quite the right word; assembling would be a little more fitting. I made a dish that my world traveler, almost vegetarian sister first made for me several months ago. It's a dish that my world- traveler, not a vegetarian sister-in-law would love. I'm still on my summer salad kick, but this is like no other salad I've ever had. So ladies, this one's for you!
Crisp, slightly bitter chard with pungent blue cheese and bite from red onion are given body from brown rice. As written, this recipe just may be perfect (so no, I don't change every recipe!)
RAINBOW SALAD (aka Brown Rice and Rainbow Chard Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette)
1 bunch rainbow chard
3 cups cooked and cooled brown rice (or quinoa, whatever you have on hand)
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
4 oz blue or gorgonzola, divided in half
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
zest and juice of one lemon (about 2 Tbsp juice and 1 tsp zest)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbsp honey
1. Clean chard very well under running water and dry thoroughly. Cut stems and leaves into 1/8-inch slices. Combine rice, chard, carrot and onion in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, crumble half of the cheese and add the oil, vinegar, lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and honey. Whisk vigorously to combine and begin to break down the cheese slightly. Add the dressing to the rice and vegetables and stir to incorporate.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
3. Crumble remaining cheese on top and chill until ready to serve.
4. This salad is best made the day it is to be eaten so the chard stays crisp and the flavors stay bright. If you want to make it ahead, set the chard aside when combining the rest of the ingredients and add it just before serving.
If you just can't do the whole vegetarian thing, chop up a couple grilled chicken breasts to combine with everything else, but I promise you, this salad can stand on it's own.
(Thank you, Central Market in Shoreline for this recipe and for possibly being the most amazing grocery store ever. Really, ever. And thank you, Mom, for waking me up super early to go grocery shopping when I was visiting. I mean that with surprisingly little irony.)
I agree, this is a wonderful salad! We made it tonight substituting beets green that were left over from the roasted beets we made yesterday. We also made half of the salad with feta cheese instead of blue due to food allergies. Feta is good but not as good as the blue. We have also tried this salad with Quinoa. It's good, has more protein but not quite as tasty or filling as the brown rice.
ReplyDelete