Orange, fennel and brown rice salad

I always knew that fennel and orange were meant to be a good combination but it was one combination I had never tried making myself before. I decided to give it ago and ended up creating this little salad which I have to admit to eating a lot of! The orange makes it quite refreshing and both the fennel and almonds give it a nice crunch. Here is the recipe:

Orange, fennel and brown rice salad

Gluten Free,  Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free, Egg Free, Vegan

Ingredients

– 1 fennel bulb, thinly shredded/sliced
– 1 orange, peeled, segmented and cut into small pieces
– 1 cup brown rice
– 1 teaspoon olive oil
– 3 cups water
– 1 teaspoon coconut nectar
– Zest of 1 orange
– Juice of 1 orange
– 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (this depends on how strong you like the dressing flavour)
– salt and white pepper
– 1/4 cup raw almonds

Method
1. Pour 1 cup of brown rice into a medium saucepan. On low heat, coat rice with 1 teaspoon olive oil and stir for a couple of minutes until rice is covered with oil and is heated through. Add 3 cups of water to the rice and oil and stir. Leave to simmer on a low heat and do not stir again until all liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, while the rice is cooking, finely slice/shred 1 fennel bulb and place it in a salad bowl.
3. Add segmented pieces of orange and almonds in the bowl with the fennel.
4. In a small jug, mix together: orange zest and juice, salt and pepper, coconut nectar and balsamic vinegar. (As mentioned before, just add and taste the vinegar as you go as it depends on how strong you like the taste of the dressing.)
5. Once the rice has cooked and is slightly cooled through toss it into the bowl with fennel, orange and almonds. Pour over dressing and mix through. (I have served this salad both warm and cold).

Enjoy!