Cherries are so good...I once made myself sick as a kid eating a whole punnet full. I also had a dangerous addiction to cherry lattice pie which was shop bought and full of e-numbers. I was a hyperactive nightmare after I’d stuffed that down. These days I’ve scaled my cherry addiction way back. I usually try to eat in season and it is very early for cherries but when I saw this recipe I couldn’t resist making it for my lunch at the weekend. I knew it would be good and I was not disappointed. Everything I’ve made from Heidi Swanson has always turned out perfectly. I love a good rice bowl and have become quite obsessed with fruit and nuts mixed in with rice. They complement each other so well, especially when combined with nutty wholegrain rice and tangy feta cheese.
The recipe includes a cherry vinaigrette to combine with this salad so I have noted down the ingredients here but I didn’t actually make it. I found the salad plenty tasty enough on its own.
Recipe slightly adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
Serves 2
100g (4oz) rice (I used a mix of brown rice, wild rice and red camargue rice)
1 – 2 handfuls of baby spinach
50g (2oz) walnut pieces toasted (I used a mix of pecans and walnuts)
50g (2oz) cherries pitted and chopped in half
A few basil leaves
Feta cheese crumbled
*For the vinaigrette mix 1/3rd of the cherries, olive oil and white wine vinegar in a blender until smooth.
Cook the rice according to the pack instructions. In a large bowl combine the hot rice, spinach and walnuts, allow the spinach to wilt slightly. Serve in bowls and top with the cherries, basil and feta cheese. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.
Cherry rice? And are those pecans instead of the walnuts? What an interesting idea! It's like a Waldorf salad turned on its head.
ReplyDeleteWell spotted Eileen! I used a mix of pecans and walnuts and then completely forgot...oops.
ReplyDelete