Red rice and asparagus salad
Asparagus is not around for long in the UK and as much as we love it steamed or grilled with a knob of butter - sometimes it’s nice to ring the changes. This salad is robust enough to pack in a jar and take to work, but also makes a speedy working from home lunch. The addition of red rice and chickpeas means it’s filling as well.
ingredients
serves 2
150g cooked red rice
10 sliced radish
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 large asparagus cut into 3 or 4
400g chickpeas
Large handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
method
We usually cook the red rice the night before when we are making dinner, but if you haven’t done this cook the red rice according to the directions on the packet.
Steam the asparagus.
While the asparagus is steaming prepare the other vegetables.
Assemble everything into a large bowl and add the extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and serve.
the health boost tip
We love to use red rice, not only is it a pretty colour - but it is higher in fibre and protein than the white equivalent. It also contains more antioxidants than brown rice. It can be a bit more expensive than white and brown rice and is sometimes sold mixed with wild rice to keep the cost down.
