I first had this particular salad a number of years ago, and I thought the concept was brilliant. Rice salad? Why hadn't I thought of that? The closest I ever came to something similar was a shrimp and orzo pasta salad that I dressed with vinaigrette - exceptionally good, I might add. Anyway, red bean and rice salad lends itself to culinary creativity, lime and cilantro, oregano and feta, and onward. Use your favorite flavor combination and you'll have a winner.
Red onion would have been gorgeous alongside the green onions and parsley, but there were no non-disgusting-looking red onions to be found at the grocery. Vidalias were everywhere, but I wanted the color and spice of a red. C'est la vie. With or without, it was delicious!
Many thanks to Reeni from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice for suggesting that I submit this to her June Side Dish Showdown-Anything Goes!
Red Bean & Rice Salad Printable recipe
1 cup dried red beans
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 cups basmati rice, uncooked
3 2/3 cups water
1 cup sliced green onions
1-2 cups celery (I used 2, as I like a lot of crunch)
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup minced parsley
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add beans and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower heat and simmer beans until tender; drain, set aside and allow to cool.
In another pot, combine 2 cups of rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3 2/3 cups water. Bring to a boil, stir, and lower to a simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes, or until water has evaporated. Remove from heat and spoon rice into serving bowl.
Add green onions, celery, red onions, and parsley to warm rice.
Pour vinaigrette over rice mixture, and gently mix in beans.
Serve at room temperature.
Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon dried savory (use dried thyme if unavailable; I order mine from here)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 teaspoons grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (you can use less or leave it out completely)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Mix together savory, lemon juice, cider vinegar and salt together until salt has dissolved. Add garlic, cayenne and black pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil.
Blogger Tips - Get This Gadget
Posts
I have tried this recipe before and it is so yummy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! It would be great for the Showdown! And do you know I never use savory in my cooking? Not even sure what it tastes or smells like. I do love thyme though, use it religiously!
ReplyDeleteMissy - I brought it to Sally's birthday lunch on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteReeni - thanks for the suggestion! I sent it over to you and managed to goof-up the mclinky.
I've become a recent rice salad fan and am now on the lookout for new recipes. This one looks fabulous! Definitely a nice change from the traditional salads.
ReplyDelete