Super Seed, Kale and Rice Salad

It’s August bank holiday weekend and I feel like summer is trickling away too fast.  The way I know this is by all the wonderful summer produce I can’t keep up with.  I had so many things in my head that I wanted to make with fresh peaches, strawberries and raspberries and now suddenly we are at the end of August.  The garden is full of blackberries, more than we can pick, plums and figs are turning up at the market.  I literally can’t keep up!  So instead I bring you a kale salad which may be a poor substitute for summer fruit but hopefully those summer fruit will be making an appearance in some form soon.

I understand if you are asking yourself, does the internet really need another kale salad?  It seems I can never get enough of the stuff which is just as well because my favourite variety, cavolo nero, has just become available here again.  I’ve returned home from the market today triumphant with two big bags full...give me all the kale!  I’m guessing by now I only have die hard kale fans still reading so I’ll get on with it.  This salad came together one lunch time when I had put a pot of rice on to boil but hadn’t really got my act together regarding what I was actually going to eat with it.  After hunting around in the cupboards I decided to toast up some seeds for a bit of crunch.  Sesame seeds are a great source of protein and they add a subtle nutty flavour to a dish.  Pumpkin seeds also pack a powerful punch when it comes to your health.  They are high in protein, iron, zinc and magnesium.  I threw in some dried cherries for their sweetness and finished off with crumbled goat cheese.  Feta would be a good substitute.  Kale of course provided the vegetable element with its dark green leaves it is a great source of iron, calcium, vitamin C and is packed with antioxidants.  We’ve since had this rice dish a few times with roast chicken and with salmon which was delicious.

Super Seed, Kale and Rice Salad Serves 2

75g red camargue and wild rice or brown rice is fine.

Handful of kale leaves roughly chopped and stems removed

Toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds

Dried cherries

Hard goat cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Dressing:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Juice half a lemon

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon cyder vinegar

A few chives finely chopped

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F

To make the dressing combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Cook the rice according to the pack instructions.  While the rice is cooking toast your seeds.  When the rice is ready drain, rinse and set aside to steam away any excess water.  Put the extra virgin olive oil in a baking tray, add the kale and cherries and toss.  Place in the oven for 2 minutes until the kale is just wilting and the cherries are plumping up.  Remove from the oven and add the rice and the toasted seeds.  Finally add the dressing and toss everything together.  Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese.  If you don’t want to use the oven for this you could make everything in a skillet or frying pan on the hob.