21 Aug Brown Rice Sweet Potato Salad

This tasty and hearty salad is a

fantastic salad or side dish to

accompany any meal – chicken,

meat or fish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup brown basmati rice

1 large sweet potato, peeled and

cut into 1/2 inch dice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive

oil, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground

pepper, divided

1 large orange, 1 teaspoon zest

and 1/3 cup juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey or pure maple

syrup, dark or amber

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup pecans, chopped and

preferably toasted

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook brown basmati rice according

to instructions on packaging.

Meanwhile, toss sweet potato

with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2

teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon

pepper until coated. Spread out in a single layer onto a large rimmed

baking sheet. Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender and darkened in

spots, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk orange zest and juice, vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, the

shallot and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon

pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of

olive oil until well combined. Re-whisk the dressing to combine then add

warm rice, pecans, cranberries and parsley to the orange juice mixture and

gently stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.