Elegant Almond Rice Salad

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 6 cups water
• 3 cups brown rice
• 2 (6 ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onion, chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• slivered almonds, toasted
• 4 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 1/2 bunch parsley, roughly chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a large saucepan, heat water and rice to boiling. reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. drain excess liquid from rice.
• 2 drain artichoke hearts, reserving marinade. halve artichoke hearts and add to rice with peas, green pepper, green onions, tomatoes, reserved marinade, and only half the dressing.
• 3 toss well. cover and chill. just before serving, toss again and taste. add some of remaining dressing, if desired. sprinkle with almonds and serve.
• 4 dressing preparation:
• 5 in a blender, puree mustard, olive oil, lemon juice garlic and herbs. with motor running, drizzle in oil to create an emulsion. pour in a lidded jar and shake well. refrigerate until ready to use.