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Ingredients for cherry and chickpea salad including chopped cherries, herbs, rice, and chickpeas in a bowl before being mixed with dressing.

Cherry and Chickpea Salad

A vibrant warm-or-chilled brown rice salad with fresh pitted cherries, chickpeas, green onions, basil and crumbled goat cheese in a simple balsamic dressing. A protein-packed side for steak, pork, chicken or fish.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad
  • 2 pouches precooked brown rice such as Uncle Ben's, heated per package
  • 1/4 cup green onions or chives chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
  • 2-3 cups fresh cherries pitted, about 30
  • 15 oz chickpeas 1 can, drained
  • 2-3 oz goat cheese crumbled
Dressing
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method
 

  1. Heat the rice pouches per the package. Pit the cherries (a cherry pitter saves your hands).
  2. Whisk the olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper for the dressing.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the rice, green onions, basil, cherries and chickpeas. Pour the dressing over and toss gently to coat.
  4. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and toss lightly. Serve warm (the cheese melts a little) or chilled.

Notes

Call them chickpeas or garbanzo beans, they are packed with protein either way.