Mexican Rice Salad

Tabbouleh-like composed salad fits in well at potlucks. This is the basic version. You may dress it up with a host of other goodies. Avocado and lime-marinated shrimp come to mind. Or grilled and chilled chicken breast. Of course if you do that it stops being a side dish and becomes a main course, but why not? The longer it's chilled the better.

• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 216 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 green onions, minced
• 1 ¼ cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 1 (2.25 ounce) can sliced black olives
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ cup diced carrot
• ½ bunch chopped fresh parsley
• 1 jicama, peeled and diced
• ¼ green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• ½ cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1 (3.5 ounce) can sliced jalapeno peppers
• ¼ red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can black beans
• ¼ bunch cilantro, chopped

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil; cook diced carrot in boiling water briefly, about 2 minutes. Drain immediately and plunge into a bowl of ice-cold water; drain.

Step 2

Mix jicama, black beans, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Stir blanched carrots, jalapeno peppers, vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a bowl; cover bowl with plastic wrap. Store both bowls in refrigerator 8 hours to overnight.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir rice in hot oil until opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour chicken broth over rice; bring to a boil, cover the saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the liquid is absorbed completely, 20 to 25 minutes. Spread cooked rice onto a large platter and cool completely in refrigerator.

Step 4

Stir chilled rice with jicama mixture and carrot mixture in a bowl; add black olives, green onions, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, and seasoned salt to the rice mixture and toss to combine.