Market Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

Starting with the base of cooked brown rice and the gorgeous dressing, I then use whichever vegetables are fresh and best on the day. You could also add softly boiled eggs or slices of prosciutto to make a larger meal.

INGREDIENTS

Salad
1 cup long brown rice, rinsed and drained
olive oil
1 x 400 gram tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon Moroccan spice mix
300 gram bag broccolini, blanched
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
assortment of any of the following vegetables: radishes, fennel, zucchini, cucumber, carrots, snow peas, tomatoes

Green goddess dressing
⅓ cup thick plain yoghurt
⅓ cup sour cream
flesh 1 avocado
¼ cup packed basil leaves
¾ teaspoon dried tarragon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sea salt and ground pepper

METHOD

Cook the brown rice in boiling salted water for about 40 minutes or until cooked. The rice should still have a chewy texture. Drain well and set aside to cool.

Heat a little olive oil in a sauté pan and add the chickpeas. Cook over a high heat, tossing frequently until golden. Sprinkle over the spice mix and a pinch of sea salt and cook for another couple of minutes, tossing constantly. Set aside.

Dressing: Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: Spread half of the dressing on one side of a platter. Spoon the rice over the other half and drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Arrange all the vegetables over the top then scatter over the chickpeas and pistachios. Drizzle everything with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serves 4-6 depending on how many vegetables you use.

Pantry Note: Moroccan spice mix can be found in the spice section at supermarkets and good food stores.