Beet, Bean and Rice Bowl with Tahini-Miso Dressing

A little while back some good friends of ours invited Mike and I over for dinner and served a dish similar to this one. I ended up craving this salad about a week later, so I did the best I could to invent a similar recipe. This salad is great to pack in your lunch the next day, just keep the dressing in a separate container so your veggies and almonds stay crisp. *You will notice I forgot to sprinkle almonds over the salad before taking pictures!

• 4 cups brown rice
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups washed and spin dried spinach
• 1 cup shredded beet
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup almond slivers (toasted if you prefer)

Dressing

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil ( e.g. flax, olive, hemp, sunflower etc.)
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp miso
• 1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 clove garlic, minced

1. Prepare rice according to package directions and set aside.
2. Prepare dressing by combining all ingredients in a food processor or medium bowl and process or whisk until smooth.
3. Assemble salads starting with rice and finishing with almonds. Drizzle with generous amount of dressing before serving.

Note: I recently discovered that the recipe I was inspired by is called the "Glory Bowl" from the "Whitewater Cooks" cookbook by Shelley Adams. Shelley is from British Columbia for those of you local followers!