Orange-Brown Rice Salad

I was flipping through the Garden-Fresh Cookbook the other day and came across a version of the above recipe, orange–brown rice salad. I was so excited. Everything from the Garden-Fresh is delicious, so this was sure not to disappoint. And it didn’t! It’s everything I was hoping it would be. It’s a glorious citrus rice dish that is easy to toss together and serve as a side or a main dish, and it’s truly one of the best accompaniments to a sunny summer day.

Mixed veggies, tempeh, rice, and a juicy orange. Should be hard to go wrong!

All the ingredients, awaiting their dressing in citrus armor.

Yum! Orange–Brown Rice Salad with tempeh!

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Orange–Brown Rice Salad

From The Old Farmer’s Almanac Garden-Fresh Cookbook (page 226)

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 pound baby shrimp, cooked and peeled*

1 to 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

1 to 2 carrots, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill

1/4 cup olive oil

zest from 1 large orange

juice from 1 large orange

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup slivered almonds, for garnish

*I’m not a big fish person, so I replaced this with about 3/4 cup of tempeh (vegetarian protein). Simply cube it and sauté it in a pan until browned!

In a large bowl, combine the rice, shrimp, celery, and carrots.

In another bowl, combine the dill, olive oil, half of the zest, and the orange juice (be sure to zest the orange before juicing). Season with salt and pepper and whisk to blend. Add the dressing to the rice mixture, stirring gently to coat. Taste, then add more zest if you wish. Garnish with slivered almonds.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.