This is one of those easy toss together salads – but it delivers on all levels: taste, texture and flavour. I love the taste and the crunchiness of the brown rice and I’m completely addicted to baby marrow spaghetti. The avocado adds a lovely creaminess and the tabasco dressing adds a hint of heat that it needs.

brown rice salad with green tabasco dressing

500 ml cooked brown rice, cooled but not refrigerated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 large handful of fresh herbs, finely chopped – coriander, basil and parsley
70 g baby marrow spaghetti (you can get this at Woolworths)
70 g cucumber, sliced
70 g tenderstem broccoli, blanched
1 green chilli , finely chopped (optional)
1 avocado, sliced
salt and black pepper

dressing
45 ml white wine vinegar
62.5 ml olive oil
10 ml green Tabasco
5 ml Dijon mustard
1.25 ml salt
large pinch of ground black pepper

Mix all the salad ingredients together, season with salt and pepper and spoon into a salad bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients well and sprinkle liberally with the Tabasco dressing.