Rice salad with sweet onions and herbs

For the salad

200 g	Quinoa (Main)
200 g	Red rice, or black rice; I used Ceres Organics Quinoa-Rice blend (Main)
2 cups	Salad greens, baby spinach or rocket work well
1 small bunch	Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1 small bunch	Basil, roughly chopped
1 small bunch	Mint, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp	Neutral oil, for cooking
2 medium	Red onions
1 tsp	Sea salt
2 Tbsp	Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp	Brown sugar

For the nut seed mix

½ cup	Mixed seeds, I used sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole linseed/flaxseeds (Main)
½ cup	Mixed nuts, I used almonds, chopped
½	Lemons, juice only
1 Tbsp	Ras el hanout
1 pinch	Cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp	Cooking oil

For the dressing

⅓ cup	Extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp	Lemon juice
2 Tbsp	Honey
1 Tbsp	White wine vinegar
1 Tbsp	Dijon mustard

Directions

To make the salad

Heat the cooking oil to a medium heat. Slice the onions and add to the pan, and cook for about five minutes, until soft. Add the salt, vinegar, and sugar, and increase the heat slightly. Continue cooking until vinegar is absorbed, and onions are cooked through. Set aside until ready to assemble.

To make the nut seed mix

In a bowl, place the seeds and nuts and addthe lemon juice. Add the ras-el-hanout and cayenne, and toss to combine. Gently toast them in the oil in a medium-high frying pan until golden, stirring constantly, being careful not to let them burn. Set aside until ready.

To make the dressing

1. Whisk all dressing ingredients together until emulsified. Taste and adjust as necessary.
2. To make the salad, cook the rice and quinoa (see packet instructions). Place in a large bowl.
3. Add the salad greens, soft onions, herbs, and seeds. Gently toss, then add the dressing. Garnish with extra herbs.

More delicious vegetable sides from Delaney

• Chilli sesame greens
• Roast yams with mustard and mint