Brown Rice Salad with Chicken , Red Cabbage, and Pecans

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked long grain brown rice
• 3 cups diced leftover turkey
• 1 cup sliced green onions
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced celery
• 3 cup finely chopped red cabbage
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
• 5 T olive oil
• 3 T rice vinegar, not seasoned
• 3 T soy sauce
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 T agave nectar or sweetener of your choice
• 1 T ginger puree or 3/4 T finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. Spike seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• Pinch cayenne pepper or dash of hot sauce

Directions

1. At least 2 hours before serving, make the brown rice and chill it in the refrigerator. Cooking 1 cup Uncle Ben's whole grain brown rice in a rice cooker will give you 4 cups cooked rice. Brown basmati rice is fine too, but skip short grain and instant brown rice for this salad.
2. Combine the dressing ingredients in a small glass jar or a plastic container with a snug lid.
3. Shake the container until the dressing comes together, then set it aside so the flavors can mingle while you handle the rest of the salad.
4. Cut up the turkey, green onion, celery, red cabbage, pecans, and parsley or cilantro, and add everything to a large mixing bowl.
5. Add the cold brown rice to the bowl and stir gently so the ingredients are evenly mixed without mashing the rice.
6. Drizzle on about 3/4 of the dressing and toss until the salad is nicely coated. You may not use every bit of the dressing, but tuck the extra away to perk up any leftover salad after it has been refrigerated.
7. Serve right away.
8. You can refrigerate the salad for a few hours or overnight, although the cabbage will start to soften after that.