Recipe: Asian Chickpea Rice Salad - The Cookbook Challenge Week 3

It's been one of those tough weeks with my dear old Mum really ill in hospital.    Not a lot of time for browsing the cookbooks.   Food this week had to be stress-free, fast and healthy!

I'd picked up a promotional cookbook in the supermarket sometime last year called 'Food Heart Life' produced by the Unilever company.   It actually contains some delicious (and healthy) recipes.

I decided to try a rice salad with a difference for this fortnight's challenge:   Rice or Noodles.   I'm going to prepare it in the future.   A lovely combination of stir-fried onion, red capsicum, mushrooms and ginger added to rice, chickpeas and coriander.    A delicate sauce of lime, sweet chilli and mint stirred through gives it a beautiful Asian flavour.

ASIAN CHICKPEA RICE SALAD

1/2 cup white long grain rice

400g can chickpeas

40g (2 tablespoons) margarine (or oil)

1 large brown onion, sliced

1 large red capsicum, chopped

4 flat mushrooms, sliced at the last minute

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 cup chopped coriander

3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 cup finely shredded mint

Lime wedges to serve

Cook rice according to packet.  Drain well.

Drain and rinse chickpeas.   Heat marg/oil in a non-stick wok over a high heat and stir-fry onion and capsicum for 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.  Add ginger and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.  Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.

To create dressing, combine sweet chilli sauce, lime juice and mint.

To serve, mix together the rice, chickpeas, vegetables and dressing before you serve, garnish with lime wedges.

PS.  You can make half the quantity of dressing if preferred, it still tastes great!

Hope you all had a beautiful Valentines Day.

Until next time,

Happy cooking!

Annie x