Farmer's market salad with lime coconut dressing

The key to this recipe is really using it as more of a guideline to whatever fresh veggies are in season at your market. The formula is pretty simple: crunchy and colorful vegetables tossed in a zingy dressing and topped with a generous hand of fresh herbs. The forbidden black rice adds another color here and a nice chewy component. Black quinoa could sub in nicely. Hope it's sunny where you are and you're able to eat this outdoors with people you love!

Farmer's market salad with lime coconut dressing
Serves 6, dressing adapted from Food52

Dressing: 

Juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
2 1/2 TBS fish sauce (I like Red Boat)
1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (give the can a good shake to combine the fat and water)
1 TBS raw honey
Zest of 1 lime (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
2 TBS fresh lemongrass, finely chopped (this video was helpful)
1/2 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 TBS finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 TBS finely chopped fresh mint

Salad: 

3/4 cup dry forbidden black rice
1 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced thinly on the bias
1 small cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 small bunch of carrots, grated
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, roughly torn
 

Start the rice. Rinse the black rice a couple of times. Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a good pinch of salt. Add rice. Bring down to a simmer. Cover and cook 25 minutes. Let rest and then fluff. 

Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or lime to taste. 

When rice has cooled, toss it with all the vegetables. Add dressing. Toss to coat well. Taste for seasoning and serve.