Tim's Gluten Free Rice Salad

My eldest brother is a passionate food lover, actually all of my immediate family is.  Any gathering requires a great deal of discussion on what will be eaten over the various courses;  what will be drunk;  and who is making what.

This salad is a replication of a salad that my brother, Tim, had at a restaurant some years back but is a very simple, yet delicious salad that is a refreshing break from the usual potato salad.

Tim's Gluten Free Rice Salad

1 & 1/2 cups of brown rice
1/4 cup of wild rice
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
a good pinch of salt;  more may be required depending on taste
1/2 cup of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
120g of blanched almonds

Heat the oven to 160 degrees fan forced.

Cook the two rices according to the directions on the packs.

Once the oven is heated, put the almonds on a tray shaking the tray a little to distribute them evenly.  Place in the oven and keep a close eye on them.  The aim is to have the almonds become a deep golden brown and not burn - you have been warned!!

Whilst the almonds are browning, juice the lemon and pour into a jug or jar.  Measure out the olive oil into the same dish.  Add a pinch of salt and stir or put a lid on the jar and shake or stir to combine.
Taste for balance of the flavours and adjust as required.

When the almonds are golden brown take them out of the oven and leave to cool.

Wash and chop up your parsley.  Leaves only please - no stems!  Chop it a finely as possible so it will combine with the rice easily.

Once the rices are cooked strain and leave to cool before combining all ingredients.

This salad is prefect to eat warm or to make ahead of time and get out of the fridge and deliver it straight to the table.

Happy eating!

monica@loveglutenfreeaustralia

Salad Anyone?

Spring brings with it so many special fruits and vegetables that are unique to this time of the year.  One that I do enjoy staining my hands with is blood orange.

Underneath the dark orange mottled skin hides a rich, deep red flesh that whilst not too sweet, makes the most delicious desserts, beverages and salads.  

I find that salads can become incredibly boring when you get into the habit of making a salad to accompany your main meal.  I remember that when I was a child we always had salad with dinner:  lettuce, tomato, carrot, cucumber, celery, onion and the option extras of pineapple, beetroot and cottage cheese - yes this was the combination.  

The salad dressing that my mother used then was a dressing that her own mother made.  

It was a heaped teaspoon of sugar, we used raw sugar, a good grind of pepper and a pinch of salt all put into a glass.  Add to this enough Cornwalls white vinegar to get the sugar wet, but be careful to not be too heavy handed.  Add to this a little splash of water and mix it all together, enabling the sugar to dissolve.  Taste to ensure that it is not too sweet or too tart.  Even though I never met my grandmother the taste of this dressing brings her alive to me - it always has.

A salad that I experimented with the other day was a blood orange, roast veg, feta and pine nut salad.  To be honest, I would have been rather content to have this on its own as it is a rather substantial dish.

The measurements are very rough - total honesty here!  But find the right balance of ingredients for yourself.

Blood Orange, Roast Veg, Feta and Pine Nut Salad

two good handfuls of baby spinach washed

one blood orange, peeled and sliced

1/3 of a block of feta, crumbled

one small piece each of sweet potato and pumpkin, peeled and diced

a glug of olive oil

1/4 lebanese cucumber - enough for a handful of slices

one and a half handfuls of pine nuts

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Place the sweet potato and the pumpkin into a baking dish with the olive oil.  Toss the veg through to ensure that they are all covered in the oil.
Once the oven has reached its desired temperature put the vegetables into the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until they are golden brown. 

When the veg are almost done, place the pine nuts on a separate tray and put in the oven, keeping a close eye on them to ensure they do not burn!  Toss them frequently to ensure even toasting.

Whilst the roast veg and pine nuts are cooling, scatter the baby spinach on a plate, top with the sliced cucumber, then some of the pine nuts and some of the feta.  Scatter the cooled roast veg over the salad finishing off with the slices of blood orange, pine nuts and feta.  Add a sprinkle of salt and cracked black pepper and a splash of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Bon appetit! 

Bron's Warm Potato Salad

When hosting a BBQ in the cooler months I  don't really want to have lots of cold salads that are more suited to summer evenings.  

My mother-in-law was on a weekend away with her sister and one lunchtime they had a delicious potato salad that everyone devoured.  Naturally everyone asked the chef for the recipe but alas there were no measurements to the amount of each ingredient that was required.  I have used this list of ingredients and come up with a recipe that I like and goes perfectly with BBQ-ed meat of your choice and fresh spinach salad.

Make this salad as close to serving as possible so the vegetables are still warm.  Alternatively roast the vegetables then reheat or keep warm in the oven and assemble at the last minute.

Bron's Warm Potato Salad

200g potatoes washed and cut into largish pieces - I used baby chat potatoes
1/2 sweet potato peeled and diced into similar sized pieces to the potato
1/2 red capsicum diced into pieces a little smaller than the potatoes
2 tbsp of gluten free egg mayonnaise (I use SW Real Whole Egg Mayonnaise from most supermarkets)
2 tsp of Dijon seeded mustard (they are not listed as gluten free but the ingredients are ok)
1 spring onion finely sliced up
                                                                                    a small handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Par boil the potatoes then put them into a 180 degree oven drizzled with olive oil and salt to roast for about 20 minutes or until they are golden and crispy.

Roast the capsicum in the oven with olive oil and salt, put these in much later than the potatoes as they will cook much faster usually in about 10-15 minutes.

Stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, fresh basil and shallots and set aside.

Once all of the vegetables are cooked, place in a bowl.  Pour the salad dressing over the warm vegetables and mix the dressing through.  As the vegetables are warm, the dressing will become a little more ruby, making it easier to mix through.

Top with the remaining torn basil and eat immediately.