This recipe is adapted from the Moroccan Forbidden Rice Salad on Annie Fenn, MD's website. I changed it up a bit, because I used a microwaveable pouch of black rice, which yielded 3 cups, so I went with that for the base. From there, I tapped into the convenience of canned chickpeas, and instead of using ground cinnamon and cardamom, I left the cardamom out. (If you have cardamon in your pantry, go for it. I'm just not a fan.) Annie likes to make black rice in her rice cooker or Instant Pot. She eats black rice in salads like this one and even in a breakfast porridge.
Ingredients
3 cups cooked black rice (AKA forbidden rice)
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1¾ cups)
1 green onion, thinly sliced (white to green tops)
⅓ cup pitted dates, chopped
⅓ cup shelled and unsalted pistachios, toasted
⅓ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
½ large lemon, zested and juiced (to yield 2 tablespoons juice)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Place the rice, chickpeas, green onion, dates, pistachios, and cilantro in a large bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, ground cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste in a small lidded jar and shake to combine.
Drizzle the dressing over the rice mixture and stir until the rice is coated with the dressing and everything is combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Makes four 1-cup servings. You can turn this into a main meal by topping with grilled chicken, baked salmon, or any other favorite protein.
Recipe by Lizs Healthy Table at https://liz.afones.com/2020/03/04/moroccan-forbidden-rice-salad/