Spinach Rice Salad (Vegan) | Full assist

This vegan spinach rice salad is the perfect summer time lunch! Made with brown rice and a lemon French dressing, it is nutritious, filling and easy.

I might in all probability eat a grain salad each day for lunch between the months of June and September.

Grain salads fill me up, however they’re mild and refreshing sufficient to work in the course of the hottest time of the yr. They characteristic entire grains, that are the cornerstone of plant-based diets and one in all my favourite issues to eat. And so they lend themselves to a lot selection.

I created and shared cereal salads for years on this weblog. The spinach rice salad I am sharing at present could also be one of many easiest I’ve written about.

Easy is what’s been working for me these days. I am nonetheless on this section after cookbook writing after I do not need to do something notably advanced. And since I am moving in just some weeks, i am doing my greatest to deplete the entire grains i’ve in my pantry.

This consists of brown rice.

Contemporary rice for warm days

There are a number of styles of brown rice in my condominium always: long-grain, short-grain, parboiled. I in all probability use quick grain brown rice probably the most, however lengthy grain rice can be used rather a lot.

Brown reveals up on so lots of my plates and bowls. I exploit it in easy pan-fried dishes, together with my tremendous adaptable grain, greens and beans skilletmy lemon dill zucchini rice with chickpeasand my lentils and rice spiced with cumin.

Brown rice turns into an accompaniment for jumped up, tofu scrambleand easy vegan proteins, like my baked lemon pepper tempeh cubes. I like to serve it with vegan chili.

It was solely after I wrote Power plates that I noticed how good contemporary rice could possibly be in salads. There is a brown rice tabbouleh recipe on this ebook, and it is one in all my favourite summer time dishes.

I bear in mind how the tabbouleh defied my expectations after I made it. It wasn’t conventional, in fact, however I liked how the cooked rice added a bit of additional weight to a dish normally made with a smaller entire grain.

I used to be additionally stunned how good it was to have chilly rice with crispy greens and good dressing. It was each filling and refreshing, to not point out a intelligent approach to make use of up leftover cooked rice.

This spinach rice salad does the identical. It consists of a mix of crunchy grains and steamed asparagus, juicy grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes and, in fact, rice. A creamy, lemony dijon French dressing brings all of the elements to life.

Ought to the rice be chilly?

I like to consider this as a contemporary rice salad, moderately than a chilly rice salad. The rice doesn’t should be chilly when mixing the elements.

To make the salad, I normally cook dinner my rice and let it come to room temperature. It cools a bit extra when combined with the opposite elements.

When you have leftovers to retailer and the rice salad retains very properly for a number of days, the rice can be chilly the following time you get it.

In different phrases, it may be room temperature, chilled, or chilled grain salad, relying on the way you put together it. It is actually good regardless of the temperature.

Tips on how to make brown rice salad

Fortunately, this salad is a cinch to make.

First step: boil your rice (like pasta!)

You’ll begin by cooking your rice. I am an enormous proponent of cooking brown rice in a big pot of boiling water, like pasta, then draining and steaming after cooking.

I discovered this trick for the primary time Flavor magazine, and I have not cooked rice another approach since then. Boiling rice like pasta ensures fluffy, completely cooked grains each time, with none annoying guesswork as as to whether you may have the fitting rice:liquid ratio.

It additionally ensures that you just will not find yourself with pots of burnt, mushy, or undercooked rice.

Second step: cool your rice

I like to recommend chilling your rice for not less than half-hour, or till barely heat or at room temperature.

It’s also good to chill the rice fully within the fridge. In the event you like, you can also make the rice a day or two forward, retailer it within the fridge, and use it within the salad if you’re prepared.

Step 3: Steam your asparagus (or one other vegetable)

I made the rice salad initially with what I had, which was a pleasant bunch of brilliant inexperienced asparagus stalks.

I gently steamed the stalks earlier than including them to the salad, in order that they have been tender and crisp. And I allow them to cool somewhat, like rice, earlier than chopping them into items and including them to the salad.

When you have one other vegetable at residence, comparable to broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, beets, or the rest, be happy to make use of this product as an asparagus substitute.

Step 4: Whisk your dressing

The dressing for the rice salad is a variation of a brand new factor I made, which is a dressing that comprises tahini.

I make tahini dressings on a regular basis. This web site has many types: green tahini vinaigrette, tahini balsamic vinaigrette, tahini and beet vinaigrette, turmeric tahini vinaigretteand lemon tahini vinaigretteto solely cite a number of.

The dressing for my brown rice salad is totally different. It is a French dressing made primarily with olive oil, however somewhat tahini offers it a contact of richness and creaminess.

I have been loving this jumpsuit these days! The tahini dressing, if you’ll, has the creaminess of an all-tahini dressing, in addition to the creaminess of an oil-based dressing. It is an ideal hybrid, and on this recipe, it coats all of the grains and greens fantastically.

Step 5: Combine and revel in

As soon as the rice and greens are cooked and cooled and the dressing is mixed, you possibly can combine all of your elements collectively.

I used child spinach as the bottom of my salad. I actually like the feel of the spinach with the rice and asparagus, and the darkish inexperienced shade contrasts properly with the intense pink grape tomatoes.

When you have one other inexperienced salad that you just like, be happy to make use of that as an alternative.

Getting ready and storing meals

It is onerous to search out salad recipes that make dependable leftovers. Fortuitously, the spinach rice salad is one in all them.

Since that is primarily a complete grain salad, canned parts will maintain for a number of days within the fridge. The rice salad is a superb possibility for make-ahead summer time lunches (and it was answerable for my very own lunches final week).

Tips on how to Serve Spinach Rice Salad

Talking of leftovers, the salad makes 4 small servings or 2-3 bigger.

If you want, you possibly can add Chickpeas, White beans, LensesThe place Tofu to make it fuller.

You may also serve the salad with chilly or scorching soup. I had it with my sweet potato soup with red peppers, and it was a pleasant mixture. My super simple green soup is one other recipe that goes properly with grain salads.

Extra summery grain salads

In the event you make and love rice salad, and wish to strive a number of different dishes like this, I acquired you. Listed below are a few of my favourite entire grain salads for summer time:

Preparation time: ten minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Complete time: 50 minutes

Yields: 4 parts

• 1 Chopped off lengthy grain dry brown rice (180g; it’s also possible to use quick grain brown rice)
• 1/2 ebook asparagus, onerous ends lower off (225)
• 2 soup spoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon tahini
• 2 soup spoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 espresso spoons Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot (elective)
• 1/2 teaspoon tremendous sea salt
• Freshly floor black pepper, to style
• 2 cups (plentiful) child spinach, coarsely chopped (60g)
• 1 Chopped off grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

• Place the rice in a tremendous mesh strainer and rinse below chilly working water for about 15 seconds. Carry a big pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and boil (like pasta) till tender, 35-40 minutes, then take away the rice from the warmth. Drain the rice and return it to the pot. Cowl and let steam for five minutes. Uncover the pot and gently stir the rice with a fork. Cowl and let relaxation for half-hour. At this level, the cooked rice may be transferred to an hermetic container and saved within the fridge for as much as two days, earlier than persevering with with the remainder of the recipe.

• Fill a big saucepan with a number of centimeters of water and equip it with a steamer basket. Carry the water to a boil. Decrease the warmth to low. Place the asparagus stalks in your steamer basket, cowl the pot and steam till very tender, however nonetheless inexperienced and crispy, 4 to 10 minutes (it will tremendously rely upon the thickness of the your asparagus stalks). Take away the steamer basket from the pot and permit the stalks to chill sufficient to deal with. Minimize them into 2 inch items.

• In a small bowl, whisk collectively oil, tahini, lemon juice, mustard, shallot (if utilizing), salt and freshly floor black pepper to style.

• When the rice is prepared, place it in a big mixing bowl. Add cooked asparagus, spinach and tomatoes. Pour the dressing over the salad elements. Combine properly. Add somewhat further olive oil, lemon, salt or pepper as wanted. Serve or retailer.

Simplicity with meals is all the time a present, however summer time is when easy meals really feel particularly good. The produce is so contemporary, colourful and plentiful that it does not take a lot to make it shine.

I hope this straightforward and contemporary little salad can be a part of your heat climate lunch routine! It is already a part of mine.

xo