Wild Rice Salad with Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

• Brown rice

  Long-grain, raw

  1 cup or 185g

• Black Rice

  Hinode

  ¼ cup or 48g

• Eggplant

  Raw

  2 eggplant, unpeeled (approx 1-1/4 lb) or 1.1kg

• Red bell pepper

  Sweet, raw

  2 medium or 238g

• Carrots

  Raw

  4 medium or 244g

• Tomatoes

  Red, ripe, raw, year round average

  1 cup, chopped or sliced or 180g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  5 tbsp or 68g

• Onions

  Raw

  2 medium or 220g

• Salt

  Table

  ½ tsp or 3g

• Sunflower seed kernels

  Seeds, dry roasted, without salt

  4 tbsp or 35g

• Parsley

  Raw

  1 cup or 60g

• Feta cheese

  1 cup, crumbled or 150g

• Lemon juice

  Raw

  2 tsp or 10g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 390°F.
2. Bring 1 3/4 cups of water to a boil in a pot, add the brown rice, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the black rice and simmer for another 25-30 minutes, or cook according to package instructions.
3. Cut the vegetables and mix them in a large bowl with 2-3 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp sea salt. Place the vegetables on a baking paper-lined tray and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, tossing after 10 minutes.
4. Cut the onions into rings and sauté in 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.
5. Toast the sunflower seeds in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.
6. Chop the parsley and dice the feta cheese.
7. Combine the cooked rice, roasted vegetables, onion rings, parsley, feta cheese, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Garnish with sunflower seeds and extra parsley before serving.