Mediterranean Abundance Salad by Dreena Burton in Dreena’s Kind Kitchen
From Dreena: I love this salad. A vibrant dressing worked into hearty beans and rice, with some Mediterranean vegetables and topped with croutons—salad abundance! If you have sumac on hand, you can also add some of this spice for a Fattoush Salad (see note).
Salad serves 4–5; makes about ¾ cup dressing
Dressing
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
¼ teaspoon (rounded) ground allspice
¾ teaspoon (rounded) sea salt
½ small clove garlic
1½ tablespoons sunflower seeds or 1½ teaspoons ground chia seeds
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼–⅓ cup water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
1½–2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salad
1 (16-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1½ cups cooked brown rice, chilled
1 cup chopped cucumber (seeded if desired)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)
1 cup chopped tomatoes or sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
¼ cup chopped fresh chives, sliced green onion, or chopped red onion
1½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (see note)
½ cup crumbled vegan feta (optional)
1 batch Bread-End Croutons ( optional)
- Starting with ¼ cup water, combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender and puree until very smooth. Taste and add extra salt and/or pepper as needed; thin with additional water as desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- In a large bowl, combine all the salad ingredients except the optional feta and croutons. Add the dressing, using anywhere from ½ cup to the full batch, to your preference. Top with the feta and croutons (if using).
Oregano Note: If you don’t have fresh oregano, simply omit it from the salad and use another ½ teaspoon dried oregano in the dressing.
Dressing Prep: Since this dressing isn’t a large volume of liquid, you will need to either use a small blender jar or double the ingredients. I use my Blendtec Twister Jar, and that works perfectly.
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