Health benefits:
The avocado, olive oil, and walnuts provide your anti-inflammatory Omega 3's and 9's - good for brain, heart, and joint health!
The kale, arugula, and mint provide the body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants - nutrients involved in the proper functioning of the body and the elimination of toxins.
A salad like this will not only help you fill your nutrient profile for the day but might be beneficial if you are trying to lose weight. The complex carbohydrates of the brown rice, greens, and raisins will give your body the kind of fuel that burns slow and steady. This type of slow and steady burn leads to fewer spikes in blood sugar and, therefore, keeps you feeling fuller longer and reduces cravings for sweets, processed carbohydrates, and snacking in general.
Ingredients:
1 cup short-grain brown rice, cooked
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (toast first, then chop)
1/2 large vidalia onion, diced
2 cups chopped arugula
1/2 cup kale, chiffonade
1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, torn
Dressing:
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
sea salt to taste
Step 1: Cooking the Brown Rice
Many times when I make this salad, I will use brown rice that I had cooked for dinner the night before. But if you do not have any cooked brown rice on hand, here's how to do it. This will make a bit more than 1 cup of cooked brown rice so make sure to measure out 1 cup of cooked rice for this recipe. Or, if you find that you prefer more than 1 cup of cooked brown rice in the salad, feel free to add the total amount yielded from the recipe below. It's up to you!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup short grain brown rice uncooked
1 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of Celtic sea salt
Rinse the short grain brown rice with cool water, turning over and rubbing the grains between your fingers, until the water runs clear. Soak the rinsed rice in water with organic raw apple cider vinegar for 6-8 hours or overnight. This decreases the enzyme inhibitors of the rice making it easier to digest and the nutrients in the rice more available for absorption.
After soaking, drain the rice. Combine rice, 1 cup of filtered water, and sea salt and bring to a boil over a medium-high flame in a pot with a tightly fitting lid. Upon boiling, reduce heat to low flame and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to an hour.
Set rice aside and let cool.
Step 2: Making the salad dressing
In a blender combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt and process. Store in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
*If you don't have a blender, not to worry. In its place you can use a jar with a lid. Just make sure your garlic is crushed and that you shake well!
Step 3: Putting it all together
In a large bowl, combine raisins, toasted walnuts, kale, brown rice and half the dressing. Toss well and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Just before serving add the onion, avocado, arugula, mint, and dressing to taste. Toss well, and enjoy!
Substitutions:
*If you would like to change up the flavor, substitute 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese for the avocado. It's divine!
*Walnuts can be replaced with pine nuts.
*Vidalia onion can be replaced with green onions.
*You can also substitute another whole grain in place of the brown rice. I have used kamut, wheat berries, and quinoa as a substitute. The kamut was my favorite! What is Kamut?
Kamut is an ancient grain, other wise known as Khorasan wheat. It has a nutty flavor and a slightly crunchy and chewy texture. You prepare it the same way as you would prepare brown rice, only the ratio of grain to water is 1:3 - 1 cup of kamut to 3 cups of water. You can find kamut at your local health food store.
