In the July 4th Kitchen: Rice and Quinoa Salad with Fresh Berries

If you’re one of those folks who could just eat a whole slew o’ sides for dinner (or not), be sure to add this amazing dish to your repertoire…

Remember that weekend black bean burger recipe we shared with you last week? Well, to dress up that plate, and any others you’re planning to serve this holiday, may we present you with this easy and oh-so-delicious rice and quinoa salad, courtesy of our own chef Greg.

Ingredients

½ cup wild rice

½ cup basmati rice

½ cup short grain brown rice

½ cup quinoa

3 tbsp avocado oil

1 red onion, sliced 1/3” pcs

½ tsp garlic, minced

1/3 cup toasted sunflower seeds

1/3 cup sliced almonds

¼ cup lemon zest

¼ cup lemon juice

3 tbsp avocado oil

½ cup basil, shredded

2 tbsp tarragon, chopped

3 tbsp parsley, shredded

4 cups baby arugula

½ cup pitted chopped cherries

½ cup blueberries

Method

Cook wild rice, basmati rice, short grain brown rice and quinoa in separate pots. (I prefer to ignore the cooking instructions on the packages.) I like to use ten times the amount of water to the amount of grains. So, in this case, I fill 4 separate pots with 5 cups of cold water, then adding ½ cup of the different rices and quinoa to each pot with a heavy pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Taste every ten minutes to check for tenderness. (Make sure they taste very tender, as grains will harden slightly when cooled.) Drain off rice as they finish and place in a large bowl. Toss with avocado oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper.

In a sauté pan, caramelize 1 red onion, sliced in short pieces, in 3 tbsp avocado oil. When onions are sweet and slightly charred add to the rice mix. When rice mixture has fully cooled, add basil, tarragon, parsley and arugula. Next, add toasted sunflower seeds and toasted almonds. Present on a platter topped with cherries and blueberries.

Photos and GIF by Jillian Guyette.