Citrus Rice Salad

Ingredients

Rice Salad:

1.  Almonds and Walnuts Sliced -1/2 cup ( you can use any of the one too)
2. Chicken Stock/Vegetable stock - 4 cups
   
3. Salt -1/2 teaspoon
4. Olive oil -2 tablespoons (can use any oil except Coconut oil)
5. Basmati Rice - 2 cups
6. Parsley-3/4 cup chopped (alternative Coriander leaves)
7. Orange Zest-1 medium 
8. Lemon zest -1
9. Thinly sliced green onions -1 cup
10. Green,yellow and red bell pepper- For garnishing

Vinaigrette

1. Olive oil-1/2 cup(try to use olive oil itself or vegetable oil )
2. Fresh orange juice-1/4 cup
3. Fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)-3tbs
4. Soy Sauce -2 tbs
5. Honey-1 tbs
6. Ground cumin-1 1/2 tsp
7. Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

For the Rice Salad:

•   Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the almonds and Walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes until lightly golden. Cool completely, about 15 minutes (or dry roast in a frying pan in low flame )
• In a medium pan, bring the chicken stock, salt and oil to a boil over medium-high heat Stir in the rice. 
• Cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the rice and place in a large serving bowl. 
• Add the parsley, orange zest, half of the lemon Zest, green onions, and 1/4 cup of the almonds. Toss well.

For the Vinaigrette:

• In a blander, combine the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the vinaigrette over the rice mixture and stir well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest,almonds and bell pepper.
You can serve this hot or cold


Note :
[Lemon and Orange Zest -The per-fumy outermost skin layer of citrus fruit (usually oranges or lemons), which is removed with the aid of a citrus zester, paring knife or vegetable peeler. Only the colored portion of the skin (and not the white pith) is considered the zest. The aromatic oils in citrus zest are what add so much flavor to food. Zest can be used to flavor raw or cooked and sweet or savory dishes]