Curried Brown Rice Salad (Shrimp or Chicken) and Wave-Jumping in Georgian Bay

A player from Norm's hockey team invited us to his Georgian Bay beach house. Our children were excited to be there because Norm's friend's wife was a well-known children's book illustrator. They soon forgot about books when they saw the view from the house, built on a cliff overlooking the water. It was a long walk down a steep sandy trail to the beach and the waves that day were high and cold. We stayed close to the shore, jumping in the shallows, but were all pleasantly exhausted and excited when we got back to the house. To my surprise, my kids (who were fans of mini pizzas and Kraft dinner) gobbled the curried rice at the buffet. The illustrator was nice enough to write out the recipe and give it to me that day. (No, she didn't draw a doodle on the page.) Here's the recipe.

Serves 6-8

• 1 cup cooked peas (use an 8 oz can of of green pigeon peas or black-eyed peas, or lightly steam frozen peas)
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
• two 4-1/2 oz tins small shrimp OR diced meat of 2 skinless, boneless cooked chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook the brown rice, then toss the cooked rice with the peas, shrimp or chicken, onions, celery, almonds and parsley in a large bowl. Chill in the fridge. Make the dressing:

• 1/2 cup canola, sunflower or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tsp curry powder
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 3 tsp. soy sauce
• 3 tsp. honey

Whisk the dressing in a bowl or blend in a blender.
Chill in the fridge ten minutes, whisk again.
Combine with the rice mixture (use less dressing, to taste, if omitting the shrimp or meat.)
Serve immediately or chill until serving.