I never know if anyone actually reads or tries these recipes, but I get a kick out of writing them, so I guess I'll keep doing it until Genki shoos me away. 
First of all, let me confess that I was a bad, bad girl over the holidays and did not stick to my healthy eating plan. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so of course making a healthy meal on Sunday cancels all that out, right?
Anyhoo... here is the original recipe that I used as inspiration since I am physically unable to follow a recipe directly as written. It's from www.thecozyapron.com and is called Asian-Style Brown Rice Salad. My tweaks and changes are in RED as usual.
Asian-Style Brown Rice Salad
• Orange Sesame-Soy Dressing (recipe below)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
First of all, let me confess that I was a bad, bad girl over the holidays and did not stick to my healthy eating plan. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so of course making a healthy meal on Sunday cancels all that out, right?
Anyhoo... here is the original recipe that I used as inspiration since I am physically unable to follow a recipe directly as written. It's from www.thecozyapron.com and is called Asian-Style Brown Rice Salad. My tweaks and changes are in RED as usual.
Asian-Style Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients:
4 cups brown rice, cooked and cooled (I used barley)
1 ½ cups cooked and cooled shredded chicken breast (about 2 small chicken breasts) (rotisserie from deli because I'm lazy)
1 ½ cups shredded carrot
3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced with leafy greens (shredded Napa cabbage because the bok choy at the store was collecting Social Security)
½ cup frozen petite peas, thawed at room temperature (frozen edamame, because I had them and they upped the protein in the salad)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 green onions, chopped (I forgot them. Oops.)
1 ½ cups cooked and cooled shredded chicken breast (about 2 small chicken breasts) (rotisserie from deli because I'm lazy)
1 ½ cups shredded carrot
3 baby bok choy, thinly sliced with leafy greens (shredded Napa cabbage because the bok choy at the store was collecting Social Security)
½ cup frozen petite peas, thawed at room temperature (frozen edamame, because I had them and they upped the protein in the salad)
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 green onions, chopped (I forgot them. Oops.)
• Orange Sesame-Soy Dressing (recipe below)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Preparation:
-In a large bowl, add the brown rice and all of the ingredients through the chopped green onions; toss gently to incorporate, then drizzle in the Orange Sesame-Soy Dressing, and toss again to coat all ingredients; check the seasoning and adjust if necessary; serve immediately or keep refrigerated until ready to serve, and garnish each serving with a sprinkle of the sesame seeds.
Orange Sesame-Soy Dressing
ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press (I did actually use a garlic press so the garlic would be juicy for the dressing)
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice (No clue on the amount... I just squeezed the whole orange that I zested. I think it was a bit more than 1Tbs.)
1 teaspoon orange zest (I had more since I zested the whole orange and I'm not about to waste it)
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1teaspoon sesame seeds
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup canola oil (forgot it, which is fine because I didn't think it needed it)
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice (No clue on the amount... I just squeezed the whole orange that I zested. I think it was a bit more than 1Tbs.)
1 teaspoon orange zest (I had more since I zested the whole orange and I'm not about to waste it)
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1teaspoon sesame seeds
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup canola oil (forgot it, which is fine because I didn't think it needed it)
Preparation:
-In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.
I basically followed the original directions other than using barley in place of rice. I find brown rice to be rather BLAH, and I'm on a barley and whole grains kick at the moment so I used barley. I loved the chewy and nutty texture and flavor! I left out the onions because I think they overpower salads and honestly, I don't really like them. I used Napa cabbage because the bok choy at the store was huge, not the cute little baby bok choys the author suggested. Frankly, I like Napa cabbage a whole lot, so even if I can find baby bok choy next time I will still probably use Napa instead. I bought my carrots pre-shredded because I'm lazy. I bought a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking my own chicken breasts for the same reason: laziness.
So, put your grain of choice on to cook and prep your salad and dressing. Shred the veggies and chicken. Prep the dressing in a separate bowl. When the grain is done, I rinsed it in cold water to cool because I was hungry and impatient. You can let it cool like a normal person if you want. Toss the veggies, chicken and grain of choice together. Drizzle over the dressing and toss. I added additional cilantro (which I'm training myself to like for the hub's sake) and extra sesame seeds because I have about 10 pounds to use up.
This is what it looked like... and it tasted even better! And I feel virtuous for eating so healthfully!
Last edited by Esme on Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
