Confetti Rice Salad is an adaptable recipe from Jeanne Tennis, a vegan chef and certified macrobiotic health coach, that makes a great lunch dish on its own or a delicious side dish for dinner. Prepare it a day ahead and pack in a thermos the next morning for a lunch to go. This tastes great warm or cold and can be made year round with seasonal vegetables or your choice.
Confetti Rice Salad
Prep time: 1 hour (give or take a few minutes, depending on rice cooking time)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rice: Forbidden black rice, short-grain brown rice, jasmine or basmati
- Water: Enough to cook rice according to package instructions
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 carrot, grated
Additional options: diced red pepper, chopped water chestnuts, minced mango, diced red or daikon radish, chopped blanched green beans
- 1 cup or can of cooked beans or edamame, rinsed
Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce
- ¼-½ teaspoon of ginger root powder or fresh minced
- 1 teaspoon of wasabi paste or powder
- 1/4 cup of Umeboshi plum or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil (optional)
Optional Garnishes:
- Pickled ginger, minced
- Black or tan sesame seeds
- Nori seaweed sheets, shredded*
Directions
Cook rice according to package instructions.
Place cooked rice in a large mixing bowl, fluff and allow to cool slightly.
Prepare vegetables of choice by washing cutting and dicing into bite-size pieces.
In a separate bowl prepare dressing adjusting the seasonings as desired.
Stir dressing into rice salad and stir and toss to coat. Add in beans or edamame if using. Garnish.
*Optional nori sheet may be shredded and used as a garnish or left whole and used as a wrap for the sushi rice salad. (Due to the delicate nature of the nori, your sushi roll should be assembled just prior to eating.)
Chef Jeanne Tennis, a vegan chef and certified macrobiotic health coach who operates The Key to Balance in Farmington, is teaching four-week cooking classes on anti-inflammatory diet at Hartford HealthCare’s Bone & Joint Institute. The next series starts April 3, with classes on consecutive Tuesdays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Another series beings April 5, with classes consecutive Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. To register, click here.