Ingredients

1 x 450g pack Sunrice Long Grain White Rice in 2 1/2 Minutes
250g haloumi cheese
1 large red capsicum, cut into 2 cm pieces
2 -3 small zucchini, cut into 1 cm slices
1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
12 small button mushrooms, stalks trimmed
2 tblspn olive oil
2 tblspn lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pesto sauce
1 cup firmly packed basil leaves
1/5 cup slivered almonds
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tblspn lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

• To make pesto sauce, place basil, almonds and garlic in a small food processor (see tip) and process until finely chopped. Add lemon juice and process again. Add oil gradually, continuing to process. Cover and set aside.
• To make skewers, slice haloumi lengthwise, then dice into twenty-four 2cm cubes. Thread capsicum, zucchini, onion, haloumi and mushrooms evenly onto 12 skewers.
• Whisk together oil, lemon juice and garlic. Brush oil mixture over skewers.
• Heat a chargrill or barbecue plate over a medium-high heat. Cook skewers for 4 minutes each side, or until vegetables are cooked, brushing occasionally with oil mix.
• Cook rice as per directions on pack. Serve skewers with rice and pesto sauce.

Tips

• if using bamboo skewers, soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then drain before using.
• alternately, use the enclosed chopping attachment of a stick blender to process pesto sauce.
• pesto sauce can be made several hours in advance. Cover and stir just before serving.

Variations

• use 1 x 450g pack SunRice Brown Rice in 2 1/2 minutes for a wholegrain alternative.
• use eggplant in place of zucchini.