Brown Rice Salad

1/3 c Vegetable oil

2 c Uncooked brown rice

3 c Vegetable stock or water

-- (2 to 3 cups) 3/4 c French dressing (of choice)

2/3 c Sliced water chestnuts

1/2 c Thinly sliced red pepper

-- (sweet) 1/4 c Minced onion

1/4 ts Garlic powder (optional)

1/8 ts Italian seasoning (optional)

3/4 lb Snow peas

-- tips & strings removed 1/2 lb Fresh mushrooms

-- thinly sliced In a heavy casserole, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the rice and saute for about 5 minutes or until the rice begins to darken; stir often. Stir in the vegetable stock, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed about 1 hour. When the rice is cooked, toss it while still warm with 1/4 cup french dressing. Let rice mixture cool. Add the water chestnuts, red pepper, onion, mushrooms and desired seasonings to the rice, then add another 1/4 cup of dressing and toss. Chill 1 hour. Meanwhile, cover the snow peas with boiling water. Let them stand 1 minute, then drain. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Cut the snow peas into 1" pieces and toss them with 1/4 cup dressing with rice mixture. Source: Arrowhead Mills "Hearty Main Dish Meals without meat" tri-fold Reprinted by permission of Arrowhead Mills, Inc. Electronic format courtesy of: Karen Mintzias