The summer is the best season for salads. The tomatoes are starting to become plentiful and certain varieties of corn are already available. Having meals outside is one of my favorite parts of the warmer months. Going outside on your lunch break and having the sun on you is simply wonderful. It helps break up the long days at the office and brings a smile to many faces.
I saw of version of this salad from another blogger. She cooked the rice in coconut milk which I thought was fantastic. Because I do not have a rice cooker I do not always have the best success when cooking rice.
Dear Santa, Please bring me a rice cooker. Thank you, Amanda.
You could substitute the water for the coconut milk if you like. Ideally, I wanted to toast some coconut for some texture and a little pop but for some reason I was out of coconut. You could do this if you wanted to as well.
I also thought that the dressing would be great if I could have juiced some of the fresh ginger. Fresh ginger juice, how fancy is that?! But also, I think it would be quite delicious. I do not have a fancy juicer though so this didn't happen.
Dear Santa, I would also love a fancy juicer this year. Thank you, Amanda.
I think you can toss just about any fresh vegetable in this salad that you like. I just used what I had fresh and wanted to add some protein so I chose to toss in some garbanzo beans. This salad makes a great entree or a side dish. It is best the day it is made but could be eaten the next day. Keep eating your veggies!!!
Adapted from The Year In Food
1 cup sweet brown rice
2 inches of lemongrass, sliced in half
1 inch of fresh ginger, sliced in half
2 cups water
2 heaping cups fresh arugula
10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 steamed ear of corn
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/2 cup sliced shallots
juice of one lime or lemon
1 1/2 Tbls rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbls olive oil
salt and pepper
Cook the rice either in a rice cooker or on the stove top. If cooking on the stove, combine the rice, water, lemongrass, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Remove the rice from pot and place in a bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use. Remove the ginger and lemongrass before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
Saute the sliced shallots in a saute pan with a little olive oil until nice and soft, about 5 minutes. Now add in the garbanzo beans and saute for another 2 minutes and turn off heat.
Cut the corn kernels from the cob using a sharp knife and running from the top to the bottom. Toss the corn in the pan with shallots and beans. Stir to combine.
Whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large salad bowl, toss the arugula with the rice and vegetables. Then drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Serve at room temperature.
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