Wouldn't It Be Rice?
As cheesy as they are, I love The Beach Boys. Their songs are poppy enough to put you in a good mood and mellow enough to make you feel like that little surfer girl (even if your hair is brown, not blonde and you probably couldn't surf if your life depended on it).
One of my favorite BB songs is Wouldn't It Be Nice. It's one of those songs that's sort of weirdly happy/sad (just like Here Comes the Sun)...basically the song equivalent of PMS.
It also really brings to mind Adam Sandler in his last funny movie, 50 First Dates, screaming at the ocean because Drew Barrymore aka cutest human being alive circa 2004 obviously cannot magically overcome her tragic brain injury and remember him. That was kind of a bizarre movie now that I think about it actually.
One of the lines goes, And wouldn't it be nice to live together / in the kind of world where we belong...It's pretty safe to say that the Boys are talking about some adorable couple but in my world this line is actually about sugary snap peas, creamy feta, delicate artichoke hearts and a host of other ingredients living in harmony together under a garlicky, basil-scented sky.
I think I've got the right idea here.
This is just another in the line of amazing summer salad recipes (I know, I'm kind of on a kick here with the summer salads but bear with me). The only part of it that takes a little time is making the brown rice, but while that's cooking you can prep everything else and have it ready to chill in time for dinner. You can eat this at room temperature but I prefer it chilled so get the rice in the fridge right as soon as it's done cooking.
Additionally, feel free to futz with this recipe in terms of garlic/basil/ingredient levels. You can also sub in ground beef for turkey if that's your jam. Try and pick small sugar snap peas -- because you leave them whole in the recipe, you want young, tender ones that aren't too starchy. The larger the peapod, the tougher they can be. This makes a ton so be prepared for delicious leftovers.
Note: this salad screams to be paired with a crisp white wine. Avoid anything overly sweet or oaky. Look for a younger vintage.
Ingredients:
1/3 c. EVOO
1/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tbs. fresh basil, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
10 oz. artichoke hearts, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. 94% lean ground turkey or beef
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 lb. fresh snap peas, ends trimmed
12 oz. crumbled Feta cheese
4 c. cooked brown rice
Directions:
1. Cook the brown rice according to instructions. Remove to a large bowl and cool in the refrigerator immediately after cooking.
2. While the brown rice is on the stove, combine the EVOO, lemon juice, garlic, salt/pepper and basil in a food processor. Pulse to a fine sauce. Reserve.
3. Brown and drain the turkey. Crumble into small chunks.
4. Combine the artichoke hearts, turkey, tomatoes, feta and snap peas with the brown rice and stir well to combine. Drizzle all over with the basil sauce and stir again. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
