I really like red Camargue rice, it has more texture than its brown counterpart and has a slightly different taste. It is also richer in antioxidants and great for fighting inflammation. So when I found some at the local supermarket (Spinneys), I brought it home and made…you guessed it: a salad. Because we eat a big salad on most nights, I need to constantly try new ingredients and combinations otherwise it gets uber boring and also, your gut needs variety. This is also a great recipe as a side for grilled fish, meat or poultry – it always goes down really well at barbecues.
Ingredients:
The salad
1/2 package of red Camargue rice (I used this mix – which also has some wild rice, but if you use only red rice that is fine too)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper/capsicum, diced
1 yellow bell pepper/capsicum, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped/cut in halves
2 cup of cleaned arugula/rocket
1 cup of chopped cilantro
1/2 cup of fresh basil
1/4 cup of chopped chives
3/4 cup of halloumi, crumbled or cut roughly into small pieces
1/2 cup pitted black olives (I like the wrinkly kind)
1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted
Dressing
Juice of 1/2 grapefruit
1/3 cup of olive oil
salt, pepper
Instructions:
- Cook the rice as per package directions. Set aside and mix in 2 tbsp olive oil to give it a bit of moisture and to avoid it from sticking. Let it cool completely.
- In a saucepan, saute the bell peppers in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and let cool.
- In a big salad bowl, mix the rice, bell peppers and all the other ingredients.
- Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients together.
- 15 minutes before serving (you can actually do this an hour before if you are having a party or something and want to get it done head of time), add the dressing and toss.
