Black Rice Salad
Black Rice Salad
This is such a nice grain salad to have at any time of the year. The combination of black rice and brightly colored veggies makes this dish just pop on your plate.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice, about 3 lemons, or organic bottled lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced and mashed with salt
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint
- ½ teaspoon salt – or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salad
- ½ cup black rice – Forbidden rice is my favorite
- 1 cup water
- Pinch of salt
- ½ lb frozen haricot verts, cut in half
- ½ cup frozen sweet corn
- 1 red bell pepper, small dice
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, small dice
- ¼ red onion, small dice
- ½ bunch parsley stems removed and chopped
- ½ cup chopped nuts: either roasted walnuts, pecans, or almonds
- Optional: ½ cup crumbled feta. If you have vegans at the table it's nice to have this on the side for those who would like it, rather than adding it into the salad.
Directions
Make the rice
Start with making the rice. Put the rice in a very small pot - 1 quart would be great. Add the water and a pinch of salt. Put a lid on, bring to a boil, and then turn to low so it simmers. The rice should be done in about 30 minutes at the most.
Make the dressing
While the rice is cooking make the dressing and put it into a bowl large enough to contain all the ingredients.
Prep the veggies
Prep your veggies while the rice is cooking and after you have made your dressing.
Method
Using a 4 quart pot bring about 2 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil and add the haricot verts. Bring back to a boil and cook to the desired consistency. Remove from the water and put into a strainer or colander to drain. Then do the same with the frozen corn. (yes, cook it for a minute – it’ll taste better.)
When the green beans and corn have drained, put them into a bowl with the peppers, onion, cooked rice, parsley, nuts of your choice, and if you’re not vegan, the feta.
Allow the salad to sit for about a half hours before serving to let the flavors meld into the rice and veggies.
Theme Variations
Do you follow a low sodium diet?
If so, leave the salt out of the rice and dressing and definitely no feta since that’s salty. It will still be delicious. Enjoy!