Brown Rice & Chickpea Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

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This salad is naturally gluten free; vegetarians can simply leave out the sausage and vegans can omit both the sausage and the feta and add whatever they like instead.

The most important element is the balance of flavors and contrast of textures. In late spring, add fresh blanched and peeled favas and diced cucumber and when cherry tomatoes come into season, they’ll be delicious in this salad, too.

Ingredients

¾ cup raw brown rice

Kosher salt

Olive oil

3 to 4 merguez (Moroccan lamb sausage), if using

1 small sweet onion, peeled and cut into small dice

14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinse

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Large handful fresh Italian parsley leaves

Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Directions

But the brown rice into a small saucepan, add a generous spoonful of salt, a splash of olive oil, and 1 ¼ cup water and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water boils, reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Turn off the heat, leave the pan covered and let rest 15 minutes. Transfer to a wide shallow bowl, fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.
While the rice cooks, fry the sausage, if using, until cooked through; cool slightly and cut into ½-inch wide diagonal slices. Put the sausage, onion, chickpeas, cheese and parsley into a mixing bowl, toss gently and set aside.
Make the mustard vinaigrette. While the rice is cooling, pour half the vinaigrette over it.
Once the rice has cooled but is still a bit warm, add the sausage mixture and toss gently. Add the remaining vinaigrette, toss again a time or two and serve right away.

Ingredients

Directions

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Brown Rice & Chickpea Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

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