Brown Rice & Chicken Salad with Spicy Yoghurt Dressing (EF + NF)
It seems to be that time again, the days are growing longer and the temperature is slowly rising. S
pring is here and summer, in Australia at least, is just around the corner.
Yes, the days of
from your fingers and beers are chilled ready for warm sunday afternoon drinks in the sunshine. I'm looking forward to it all. The past 12months have been a whirlwind and I am so looking forward to the next 12months. For the next two months I'm working on Volume 2 of
The Gluten Free Scallywag Christmas Magazine
as well as doing some work for clients too and lets not get started on the days over the Christmas holidays that will be spent lazing in Margaret River with my family... oh I can't wait!
Next year can only bring great things with our wedding and honeymoon happening in 2013 (yoooo!) which brings me back to this delicious salad. To be honest, I've never been a huge salad fan. My gorgeous man can sit and eat a whole bowl of just greens with his steak, me? I need some rosted veg or something with it and throw in some danish feta, that always makes a salad better - ha! This salad is my way of reminding myself that
summer is just around the corner
and getting into 'that' dress is just beyond that, so it's time to eat smarter, eat a little lighter and a get my ass outta bed in the morning, because I can guaruntee you with the gluten free fruit mince pies and shortbread I'm gonna need to think healthy to be happy with myself in a pair of short shorts this summer!
This salad is the perfect answer to a delicious and nutritious lunch or dinner
- packed full of goodness with brown rice, brown lentils, fresh greens, pumpkin seeds and chicken for protein it's what I call my starter salad.
It's a starter salad as this is just the beginning.
Tonight we had this salad but added in half a chopped cucumber, a corn cob with the fresh, delicious corn chopped off, parsley and a chopped avocado - it was wolfed down, with a sneaky tupperware filled with enough for my lunch tomorrow. Next time, I'm going to use this starter salad and add roasted pumpkin, beetroot and danish feta. Yum. Bring on summer!
Brown Rice & Chicken Salad with Spicy Yoghurt Dressing
Serves 2 hungry bellies
1 barbequed or pan fried chicken breast dusted with mixed herbs and smoked paprika prior, barbequed or pan fried.
1/2cup gluten free greek yoghurt
1/4tsp harissa paste
1cup cooked brown rice, cooled
1/2 tin of brown lentils, drained
1 spring onion, chopped
1 handful mixed greens, I used baby spinach and rocket
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4cup pumpkin seeds
Stir together the yoghurt and harissa paste.
Shred the cooked chicken breast and toss together the brown rice, lentils, onion, greens and garlic. Mix through half the yoghurt and harrisa paste mix.
Arrange on your serving plate, scatter with pumpkin seeds and drizzle with remaining yoghurt dressing.
Serve immediately.
This recipe works well with cold or warm brown rice. Can be tossed together a couple of hours befor serving, simple omit the greens leaves until serving so they stay crispy.
Not into meat? Leave it out! Don't like brown rice? Use quinoa! Love nuts, scatter some roasted almonds on top with the pumpkin seeds. Love roasted pumpkin, add it in!
This salad is just the beginning of your love affair with brown rice salads.
I know it's mine.
