I could eat this everyday. It’s that good.

It looks so simple – which it is to make – yet it’s flavour and textures are complex and super scrumptious.It’s filling and energizing. Eat this at lunch and you will be fuelled to get through anything.

You can add whatever fresh veggies and herbs you have on hand. But the shining star of this meal, for me, is the little, raw, grated zucchini or summer squash. It is surprisingly sweet, has a nice soft texture, and melds beautifully with the other ingredients. It’s in season now, and is very yummy and versatile, so I highly recommend picking some up at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market (open Wednesdays and Saturdays 9-2).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked short grain brown rice
• 3 cups water
• Kale, leaves torn up into bite size pieces
• Zucchinis or Summer squash, grated (to avoid a watery salad, squeeze out excess liquid with a clean tea towel or paper towel)
• Carrots, grated
• Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• Snowpeas

Optional:

• Herbs, roughly chopped (I used Thai basil, cilantro or parsley would also be nice)
• Sunflower seeds, to garnish
• Sprouts, handful

Sauce:

• 1/4 Cup cashew or peanut butter
• 1/4 Cup warm water
• 1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp Braggs ‘soy sauce’
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

Method:

Bring water to boil, add rice, cover, turn burner dow to minimum and simmer for 25 minutes.

Assemble your washed and prepared veggies in a big bowl.

When rice is cooked put a serving of warm rice on a plate, top with veggie mixture and drizzle with sauce. Alternatively, you can just toss everything together in a big bowl. But I prefer the presentation of serving this up by the individual plateful.

Enjoy!