Home » Recipes

Mediterranean Rice Salad

spirit2soleWritten by spirit2sole
Mon, 04/11/2011 - 11:30am

This is a great side salad or a main dish meal. I love taking this side dish to family gatherings, church events and other public events, seems the vegetarians always seek me out to see what I have brought, that they can eat.

Ingredients: 
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
  • 3 cups cold water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 cups spinach leaves, washed, stemmed, and chopped (To save time you can use prewashed baby spinach)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions or chives
  • 1/2 cup chopped Kalamata or regular black olives
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts OR 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds (toast on a flat baking pan for 10 minutes at 325 degrees)
  • Optional: To boost the protein, add 1/2 cup black beans, and-or 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions: 

Rice Salad Directions:

  1. Make rice several hours ahead of time or the make night before and refrigerate
  2. Rinse rice until water runs clear
  3. Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil
  4. Add 1/2 tsp of salt, cover, and turn rice down to medium low
  5. Cook rice until done, about 45-60 minutes
  6. Fluff rice gently with a fork and set aside to cool to room temperature. Setting the pan in a sink full of cold water will help it cool quickly
  7. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, basil, 1 tsp of salt, and pepper in a large bowl
  8. Toss the rice with the olive oil mixture
  9. Stir in spinach, bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, olives, and pine nuts
  10. Serve chilled or at room temperature
Yield: 
6 servings
Bookmark/Search this post with:
No votes yet
Posted in

Delicious

By: DanaG on Thu, 04/28/2011 - 12:59pm

It absolutely sounds delicious!

I bet the vegetarians really wish they could check it out.

I am sure some of them secretly do. I cannot wait to see what other recipes you have to share.

Recipe

By: SurpriseAzGirl on Wed, 09/21/2011 - 2:45pm
Trying to see the recipe but can't see it. Sounds good.

Kitchen Gardeners Unite!

We're planting a new website which will sprout in February 2012. In the meantime, you can join our community by signing up for mailing list here:

Member login

Like Us On Facebook

Got Tasty Recipes and Photos?

Are you a "garden variety" food writer or blogger with great photos? If so, we'd love to have you share your recipes with our thousands of readers who are hungry for delicious foods and a healthier way of life. All you need to do is join our site (or log in, if you've already joined) and click on this link to add your recipe.

Connect with Us Here: