Rainbow Salad

One of my absolute favorites!!! Way back when I was vegan (not the kind of vegan that just has soy processed everything but the kind who realized that there are tons and tons of unprocessed and delicious food options out there), I discovered this little recipe. I lost the original recipe long ago, but still make this salad over and over again.

This week I got lemons, parsley and green onions in my Imperfect Produce delivery so I knew the were going in this salad! It’s super forgiving so use what you’d like!

I use lemon or lime, throw some cayenne in there occasionally, add more olive oil if the rice soaks a lot up, use the zest of the lime for more citrus flavor. I even use fresh corn when it’s in season! No cooking needed… the fresh corn gives an extra crunch that’s delicious!

Perfect cold or at room temperature… this is a great summer dish! There’s no dairy so it can sit out for a party.

I think this vegan dish is perfect on its own but you can add some protein too… blackened shrimp or shredded rotisserie chicken would be tasty!

Rainbow Salad

By Lindsay Gosselin Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 package of Trader Joe’s frozen Brown rice (just do it and thank me later!)*
• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz. frozen sweet corn**
• 8 oz. jar of roasted red peppers (or homemade ones if you want to get fancy), drained
• 3 green onions
• 1/4 cup parsley or cilantro
• 1 lime (or lemon if you prefer)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 c olive oil

Instructions

1

Slit and microwave the rice as instructed on the box. Let cool slightly on a sheet pan or in a shallow bowl (or you can just throw it into the vinaigrette warm and it'll soak up some of the flavor).

2

Squeeze the juice of the lime into a large bowl. Add chili powder and a pinch of salt. While whisking, slowly add extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream. Whisk until incorporated.

3

Add black beans and corn (I just use the can from the beans to measure out the same amount of corn) to the vinaigrette. Roughly chop the roasted red peppers, thinly slice the green onions and add them both to the bowl. Roughly chop the parley/cilantro and add to the other ingredients. Once rice has cooled slightly, add to large bowl and mix to combine. The warm rice will defrost the frozen corn when combined.

4

This can be served at room temperature or chilled. Store unused salad in an airtight container. Will keep in the fridge for a week.. but mine never lasts that long! Enjoy!

Notes

*You can substitute 2 c of your favorite cooked brown rice here. **If corn is in season, I ALWAYS use it in this recipe... raw! Clean 2 ears of corn and slice the kernels off the cob and right into the bowl. The fresh corn gives great flavor and crunch.