Brown Rice or Haricot Bean Salad

This is a cheap, healthy, tasty and super quick salad that's fab as a BBQ side dish, light supper or weekend lunch. It's a filling picnic feast too.  Super quick to whip up, especially if you use microwave rice.  Sometimes I use 2 drained and rinsed tins of haricot beans if we've run out of rice or we're in a real hurry.  I've eaten the salad with hot, freshly cooked rice and I definitely prefer it after it's been in the fridge for an hour our so as the flavours develop much more.  Give it a whirl.

2 cups cooked brown rice or 2 tins drained and rinsed haricot beans (I use microwave rice sometimes)

1 cup grated carrot (can use half carrot and half courgette for variety)

1/2 cup pinenuts (optional)

1 stalk celery, finely sliced

1 pepper, deseeded and diced

I large red onion or 4 spring onions, finely sliced

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley or coriander

2 Tbsp low salt soy sauce

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup oil (I used seame oil)

1 tsp brown sugar

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine the cooled cooked brown rice, grated carrot, diced pepper, pinenuts, finely sliced celery and spring onion, and roughly chopped fresh parsley in bowl and toss well to combine everything.

To make the dressing, whisk together the low salt soy sauce, grated fresh ginger, oil and brown sugar in another bowl. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Toss well to combine everything and then serve.