This salad is a celebration of spring. Look for freshly cut asparagus, and avoid bunches that are starting to flower at the tips (a sign that the asparagus is past its prime). You can vary the vegetables if you don’t have one of them on hand. Snap peas, cut at an angle and blanched until crisp-tender, are good here.
✅ Quick Tips: Serve with shrimp or salmon, chicken or spring lamb or not-so-hard cooked egg sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Rice salad with asparagus, favas & peas
Rice salad with asparagus, favas & peas is a delicious and satisfying vegan dish that is perfect for a quick dinner or a satisfying snack. Made with fresh asparagus, favas and peas, its perfect as side dish with any main course. Its packed with nutrition and easy to make
Ingredients
Instructions
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Cook rice
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt-it should taste almost like seawater. Add the rice and boil until the grains are Just cooked-they should be slightly al dente about 15 minutes. Drain well and spread the rice on a baking sheet to cool. Set aside at room temperature .
With rice salads, it's best to boil the rice in lots of boiling water, like pasta. This way, the grains stay separate and are less apt to turn into a pile of mush. Cook the rice until just al dente and spread it out to cool. Be sure to serve rice salads at room temperature; cold rice is hard and unpleasant. -
Cook the peas
Bring a separate large pot of water to a boil to cook the peas, and fava beans. Have a large bowl of ice water ready, and start with the peas. To make this task easier, put the peas in a fine-mesh strainer basket and submerge the peas and the basket in the water until the peas are just tender, about 2 minutes. Lift the basket out of the water and immediately submerge the peas (still in the strainer basket) in the ice bath until chilled about I minute. Lift the basket out of the ice water and drain the peas well. Transfer the peas to a small bowl and set aside at room temperature temporarily, or refrigerate and return to room temperature before using.
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Cook the asparagus
Repeat the process with the asparagus. Cook the asparagus in the strainer basket until just tender, about 2 minutes, then immediately submerge the asparagus in the ice bath until chilled, about I minute. Lift the basket out of the ice, drain well, and transfer the asparagus to a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature, or refrigerate and return to room temperature before using.
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Cook the fava beans
If necessary, add more ice to the ice bath. Put the fava beans in the strainer basket and submerge in the boiling water until the beans slip easily out necessary, of their skins and are tender, I to 2 minutes. (To test the favas, carefullyremove a bean from the basket and pierce the outer layer with your thumb gently squeezing the bean from its skin.) Immediately submerge the beans in the ice water until thoroughly chilled. Pop the beans out of their skins and set aside temporarily at room temperature, or refrigerate and return to room temperature before using.
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To make the vinaigrette
Combine the shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, and apinch of salt in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 to Io minutes. Whisk in the oil.Taste and add more salt if necessary. -
Before Serving
Shortly before serving, put the rice in a large work bowl and toss it lightly with your fingers to fluff the grains. Add the vegetables and herbs and season with salt and a few twists of black pepper. Drizzle the vinaigrette on top and toss lightly to combine. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, and/or olive oil if necessary Transfer to a shallow platter or individualserving plates. Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 386kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 16.7g26%
- Saturated Fat 2.4g12%
- Total Carbohydrate 56.5g19%
- Sugars 7.5g
- Protein 18.2g37%
- Vitamin A 302 IU
- Vitamin C 12 mg
- Calcium 135 mg
- Iron 7 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Serve with shrimp or salmon, chicken or spring lamb or not-so-hard cooked egg sprinkled with salt and pepper.
- This salad can be refrigerated in a covered container, without the feta and herbs, for up to a day. Remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving, and fold in the cheese and herbs just before serving.
