The eat well plate - No.7 (GF, V+)

Eat well and feel good with plants-only on your plate

• brown rice mix
• crunchy veg bean salad
• toasted nut and seed broccoli

For the brown rice mix you will need:
1 cup mixed rice (brown long grain, red Camargue and wild rice)

1. Wash the mixed rice well in plenty of water, several times. Drain through a sieve.
2. Put the well drained rice into a pan, add 2 1/4 cups of water. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, put the lid on and gently cook for about 35 to 40 mins, until all the liquid is absorbed.
3. Take the rice off the heat, and let it stand for 5 to 7 mins with the lid on.

For the crunchy veg bean salad you will need:
1 cup cooked pinto beans*
1 avocado
1/3 of a cucumber
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
a handful of piccolini cherry tomatoes
small bunch of flat leaf parsley
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1. Dice the green pepper, red pepper, and avocado. Put them into a mixing bowl. Add the halved piccolini cherry tomatoes, and the thinly slices cucumbers.
2. Season with olive oil and lime juice. Fold in the parsley leaves (just pluck the leaves off the stem, no need to chop).
3. Add well drained pinto beans, gently mix together.

[*] To cook the beans just soak them overnight, rinse, then cook gently in plenty of water with a bay leaf and a halved garlic clove until cooked well, about 45 to 60 mins. I always cook a big batch of beans and when cooled down completely I put them in a sealed glass container with the cooking liquid and keep the container in the refrigerator until needed for soups or salads. Makes a wonderful spread too.

For the toasted nut and seed broccoli you will need:
medium head broccoli
small handful of dried cranberries (no added sugar)
3 heaped tbsp almond flakes
3 heaped tbsp sunflower seeds

1. Break broccoli into florets and drop them in boiling water for about 4 to 5 mins. Drain and let it cool.
2. Gently toast the almond flakes until just getting a colour. Set aside. Toast the sunflower seeds too.
3. When the broccoli has cooled down cut the florets in half of quarter the bigger ones. Put them in a mixing bowl. Add toasted almond flakes and sunflower seeds, sprinkle with halved dried cranberries. Mix thoroughly.

To serve: Fluff the rice up with a fork. Put rice on the plate, serve a generous amount of the crunchy veg salad, and finally add the toasted nut and seed broccoli. Enjoy!

Allergy: Nut. No gluten. No dairy. No egg.

More EAT WELL PLATE ideas:
The eat well plate No.1 - Rice, sweet potato, broad beans, broccoli;
The eat well plate No.2 - Kichadi, green beans, asparagus, avocado;
The eat well plate No.3 - Quinoa, lentil, broccoli, carrot salad;
The eat well plate No.4 - Rice, mung dal, cauli-okra curry, avocado;
The eat well plate No.5 - Buckwheat, chickpeas, beetroot salad, hummus;
The eat well plate No.6 - Quinoa, crunchy chickpea salad, sprouting broccoli;