(Keep in mind that most of my recipes are "un-recipes" because I just make stuff up as I go, tasting and adjusting seasoning until I like it.)

This recipe feeds 7 people lunch with a serving or two leftover.

Grain Salad

1 cup brown rice

1 cup calrose rice

1/2 cup quinoa 

Cook in a rice cooker with slightly less water than your cooker calls for, for a lightly more al dente texture. Cool to slightly warm or room temperature.

Chop several cups of vegetables into dices. (Our veg du jour were cucumber, carrots, snow peas.) Add chosen seasonings and oil to the veg to start marinating it. (Today I used olive oil, rice vinegar (I would have used lemon juice if my allergic son could tolerate it), basil, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper for an Italian flavor.) I also added a small amount of diced rotisserie chicken today, just because it was leftover in the fridge, but usually we have vegetarian grain salads.

Stir in the cooled grain mixture. Serve.

Really, the sky is the limit for the flavor combinations you can create with this salad. Today we went Italian with it, but here are a few more of our favorite combos:

For a Mexican flavor twist:

Veg:

corn

jalepeno/serrano (finely diced)

tomato

black beans

avocado

Seasoning:

Garlic

Chili powder

Smoked paprika

salt

avocado oil

lime juice (rice vinegar for us)

For an Asian flavor twist:

Veg: (Quickly stir fried)