I am finally settled in to my new home in Southern California.  It’s beautiful here.  The sun shines everyday, there are gorgeous mountains to look at (and hike up), and the pace here is just a bit slower than in New York.  I’ve made a couple of weekend trips already (Los Angeles, Las Vegas) and for someone like me who loves to take get-away trips, it seems California is going to suit me just fine.

I’m still searching for a job (and anxiously awaiting the results of the CA Bar Exam in November) so I currently find myself with far too much free time on my hands.  This of course is not a bad thing, it’s just a huge change for me.  You see, studying for the Bar is like having 3 full time jobs for 2 months.  It’s brutal, it’s exhausting, and it’s completely overwhelming.  And that’s just studying for it!   Then you have to take a 3 day, 18 hour exam.  Oh, and did I mention that law school really doesn’t prepare you for the subject matter on the exam?  Yeah, it’s not a pleasant experience.

So now that I have 3 (three!) months to wait for my results, I’m finding myself slowly returning to normal.  There are far less headaches, cups of coffee, take out containers, and flash cards in my life these days.

What does this mean for the blog?

Well, it means that I’ll actually be blogging more frequently again!

Starting now, with this Hearty Brown Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Toasted Pecans.

You see, it’s really freaking hot in Southern California right now.

108*?!  Not something I’ve ever experienced before.  Not something I really enjoy either.  It’s unseasonably hot here, and even though I live in a gorgeously air conditioned house, I can’t bear to cook or eat hot foods.  So, I made a big pot of rice the other night, and made this salad with it.  It’s cool and light while still being hearty.

You can use any type of rice you want in this recipe.  Even leftover chinese take out rice is fine.  Here, I used a Brown Rice Medley that a friend introduced me to.  It’s fairly quick cooking for brown rice and I love the variation in textures.  If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, I recommend picking up a bag.

So here we go with the recipe!

Hearty Brown Rice Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Toasted Pecans

• 1 1/4 cup rice, cooked and cooled
• 1/2 cup chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup baby spinach, packed tightly, julienned*

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt
• pepper

• 2 tbsp raisins (optional)
• 2 tbsp chopped pecans

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the rice and the chickpeas.  Add the spinach.  Set aside.

For the Vinaigrette:  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and basil.  Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the raisins so they start to soak up the dressing.

For the Toasted Pecans**: In a small dish, microwave the pecans on high for 20 seconds at a time, until they smell fragrant.  It usually takes 45 seconds or so.

Assembling the Salad: Add the vinaigrette and the toasted pecans to the rice and chickpea mixture.  Toss to coat. Cover tightly and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving, so they flavors can combine.

Notes:

* To julienne the spinach, gather it into a fairly neat pile, with most of the leaves facing the same direction.  Then just thinly slice it lengthwise.  You can also just roughly chop it- it will work just fine.

** This is how I “toast” small amounts of nuts.  It works great and doesn’t heat up the kitchen.  It’s also harder to burn them!

Tags: Cheap, chickpea cutlet, Quick and Easy, Recipe, Rice, Salad, Spinach, Vegan