Grains as Salad

    On the dinner tables of my childhood, the starch was almost always potatoes!  That was pretty much it for us.  The variety came only in how the potatoes were prepared.

    My mother  mashed them,  boiled them, roasted them,  baked  them with the skins on, fried them  and occasionally,  scalloped them with milk and onions.  On rare occasions we had white rice instead of potatoes or a large bowl of spaghetti with Italian bread.

  I don't remember ever being bored with dinner as a child, but I was delighted, when, as a newlywed, I discovered  couscous, wild rice, tabbouleh,  quinoa and other grains.

   I added this recipe called Asian Rice Salad to my repertoire early on and have found it very useful and delicious.

   In winter, it satisfies my husband's craving for salad and my craving for a change of pace.  It is also a great dish to serve to  vegetarians since it is high in protein.  I have made this without all of the ingredients on hand, using whatever I had but I usually don't tinker with the dressing!

Asian Rice Salad                                         

2 cups of cooked, cooled  brown rice
1/2 c raisins
chopped scallions
1 red pepper chopped
1-2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 c sliced water chestnuts
1/2 c bean sprouts
1/2 c raw snow peas
1/2 c pineapple chunks
1/4 c cashews
1/4 c toasted sesame seeds
1/4 c toasted (unsweetened) shredded coconut
chopped  fresh parsley

Dressing:
1/2 c orange juice
1/2 c canola oil
1-2 Tbs sesame oil
3-4 Tbs soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2-3 TBS dry sherry
minced fresh garlic
minced fresh ginger root
salt and pepper to taste

  Combine all ingredients and serve over greens.

This is delicious  served at room temperature with broiled boneless chicken breasts that have been marinated in soy sauce and lemon juice for an hour or two.

The next time I make this, I think I'll try using quinoa instead of the rice.

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