Brown Rice Salad with Crunchy Sprouts and Seeds
Bon Appétit | June 2012

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

Toasted seeds and nuts add bite to this nutrition-packed salad. We use dried sprouted legumes, which are even more healthful than ordinary beans and more convenient than sprouting your own. (Cooked lentils and mung beans work well, too.) A vibrant chive vinaigrette brings it all together.

Yield: Makes 8 servings
1 cup (packed) chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
1 1/2 cups mixed dried sprouted legumes (such as mung beans and lentils)
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini, lightly squeezed to remove liquid
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup toasted salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup toasted salted shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted unsalted almonds
Freshly ground black pepper
Ingredient info: Look for dried sprouted legumes at natural foods stores, truroots.com, and some supermarkets.

Purée chives, oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until smooth. Strain chive vinaigrette through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl.

Cook dried sprouted legumes in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Cover pot; remove from heat. Let stand for 3 minutes; drain. Rinse legumes under cold water to cool; drain. Transfer to a large bowl. DO AHEAD: Vinaigrette and legumes can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Add zucchini, rice, scallions, seeds, nuts, and chive vinaigrette to bowl with legumes; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired.