Mediterranean Rice Salad Wraps with a tangy, herby Yogurt Chickpea Dressing are a delicious, crunchy way to team up rice with lots of veggies. You'll have a hearty meal that delivers big on nutrition. Perfect for lunch or dinner for the whole family, everyone can customize their own wraps to taste (and you'll have lots of leftovers to boot!)
This recipe is sponsored by USA Rice Canada. For more great rice recipe ideas visit Riceinfo.com.
When it comes to cooking and preparing meals, I love having something in the oven doing its thing so I can multi-task on getting the other elements prepared. Not only does the scent of roasting deliciousness waft through the kitchen, it’s also an efficient use of time that brings all the elements of the meal together at once.
That’s what these Mediterranean Rice Salad Wraps are all about. There is some prep involved, especially chopping of vegetables but if you’re like me, you turn on some music, CBC radio or your favourite podcast and the it’s one more great use of your time.
You can prep the veggies, rice and dressing ahead of time as well and put all the components together at meal time.
The rice takes about 45 minutes to be ready so it’s the perfect amount of time for the veggies to get all roasted up and whip up a simple but very flavourful, herb filled yogurt-based dressing.
The fun twist in this meal is using crispy lettuce as the vessel to get all the rice, veggies and other accoutrements from the plate to your mouth!
For this dish, I opted for brown rice because I wanted to get that slightly chewy texture, the nuttiness flavour and the added benefit of fiber and vitamins (Phosphorus, Zinc, Thiamine, and Magnesium)
Did you know that only 1 out of 10 Canadians eat enough whole grains? Just one cup of cooked brown rice provides two of the three recommended daily servings of whole grains.
This type of meal is perfect for all to enjoy because they have the ability to customize their own wraps. And with rice being gluten-free, it allows everyone to dig in.
Here are some handy tips for cooking rice to perfection each and every time. You can store cooked rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week and you can even freeze it for longer.
HOW TO REHEAT COLD OR FROZEN RICE
STOVETOP: to reheat rice from the fridge add 2 teaspoons of liquid per cup of rice and warm for about 5 minutes. If frozen, it may take a few minutes longer
MICROWAVE: to reheat from the fridge just warm for about 1 minute per cup of rice. If frozen, increase to 2 minutes per cup.
RECIPE TIPS FOR MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED RICE SALAD WRAPS
This is a very forgiving recipe and one that you can easily customize to your own preferences or whatever you have in the fridge and pantry.
RICE: You can certainly make this recipe with your favourite type of rice.
VEGGIES: Feel free to substitute your favourite roasted veggies but try to use vegetables that all require about the same amount of cooking time.
Veggies roast best on a high heat and when they have lots of breathing room. Don't crowd your pan or you'll wind up with steamed, soggy vegetables. If your cookie sheet is looking too full then try splitting your veg between two cookie sheets - if you can fit both sheets on the same oven rack. Once your veg starts to brown up, keep an eye on it. It can quickly go from that beautiful roasted brown to burnt!
RICE BOWL TOPPERS: Baked crispy chickpeas are easy and so addictive! (recipe below)
CRUNCHY LETTUCE LEAVES: The most important part of this entire process! I pull all the leaves off the head of lettuce and let them soak in a big bowl of water in the fridge. One (1) hour before serving, pull them out of the water and wrap them in a tea towel. Pop them back in the fridge and once you’re ready to eat, they’re going to be cold, fresh and crispy!
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1.5 cups of brown rice
- 3 cups of water
- tsp of salt
- 1 cup yogurt (2%)
- ½ cup chickpeas
- 1 tbsp dill
- 1 tbsp rosemary
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- zest of ½ lemon
- pinch of salt
- ½ a head of cauliflower chopped into small florets
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1 cm strips
- 1 orange bell pepper cut into 1 cm strips
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp of pepper
- 1 tsp of salt
- 2 cups of chickpeas
- 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of dill
- 1 tbsp of rosemary
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 head of green leaf lettuce (use a leafy lettuce, like green leaf, red leaf, butter lettuce)
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- can of sliced black olives
- 2 tomatoes sliced in cubes
- 100-150 g of feta cheese
- Heat oil in large saucepan at Medium to high heat
- Add onions, stir and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes
- Add garlic, keep stirring for 1-2 minutes
- Add rice and stir to coat evenly
- Add water and bring to a boil
- Turn heat to low, cover and let stand for 45 minutes or until rice is fork tender and all liquid has been absorbed
- Combined all the ingredients in a small bowl, mix well and let stand for at least an hour in the fridge
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Place veggies in a large bowl and add in olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Toss until veggies are completely coated
- Spread evenly on a large cookie sheet
- Roast for 15 minutes, flip the veggies and then roast for another 5 minutes
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Rinse chickpeas under water and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper until all covered
- Lay flat on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes
- Give the baking sheet a little shake at 20 minutes and bake for another 15 minutes
- Toss chickpeas in a bowl with dill and rosemary until fully coated
- Serve warm or cold
- Assemble as you wish!
Pin It For Later
More Reading
- Rice Done 7 Ways
- Roasted Veggie Miso Rice Bowl
- 20 Minute Meal: Mini Ricotta Meatballs Over Lemon Rice and Peas
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