3 Rice Salad Recipes You Must Try
Rice is a versatile and nutritious food. For this reason, we suggest you use it as a basic ingredient for your salads. In this article, we share 3 options with you.
Rice is a very versatile food because you can eat it both in hot and cold dishes. In addition, it has significant nutritional benefits. Do you want to add it to your diet? Here we show you how to prepare various rice salad recipes!
To prepare these recipes, we recommend that you mainly use brown rice. Indeed, it is the one that offers the greatest nutritional properties. You can also use long rice for its texture and lightness, or basmati rice for its flavor and aroma.
Rice salad recipes
Before teaching you the delicious recipes with rice, we want to do a brief review of the benefits of consuming this food. The properties of rice may vary depending on the type of rice.
Nutritional properties of rice
White rice is made through a process called blanching, in which the husk and outer layers are removed. Therefore, brown rice provides more fiber, vitamins and minerals. In addition, as a study published in the journal Antioxidants concludes, brown rice contains certain bioactive phytochemicals that are associated with important nutrigenomic implications .
- Great source of energy : it is a rich source of carbohydrates and therefore acts as a source of fuel for the body.
- High nutritional value : brown rice is rich in minerals like calcium and iron, it is also rich in vitamins, like niacin, thiamin and riboflavin.
- Controls the onset of disease : brown rice acts as an anti-diabetic. In addition, according to a study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, its fibrous and antioxidant properties protect the heart, helping to control blood pressure and cholesterol.
1. Rice salad with figs and feta cheese
See how delicious the rice is in the Fig and Feta Cheese Salad recipe. It’s a quick and easy dish that you will surely love ! But the best part about this salad is its balance of ingredients, the sweet fruit, like fig, which is in season twice a year!
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
- Long rice (320 g)
- Feta cheese (150 g)
- Spinach (80 g)
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (80 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of mustard (15 g)
- 1 tablespoon of honey (15 g)
- 8 figs
Elaboration
- To start, boil a pot of water and cook the rice in it. Drain it and let it cool under cold running water.
- Then cut the feta cheese into cubes and the figs into quarters. Wash the spinach and drain it well.
- Next, prepare the dressing by mixing the olive oil, honey and mustard in a bowl using a few sticks.
- Toss in a bowl with the feta cheese, figs, dressing and spinach leaves.
- Finally, divide the salad into individual bowls and it will be ready.
2. Among the rice salad recipes: lettuce tacos with rice, lentils and avocado
This recipe is ideal for making an easy, healthy and delicious appetizer for any occasion. You can include this vegetable dish in a daily or holiday menu, and your diners will be satisfied.
- Ingredients (4 servings)
- Cooked basmati rice (140 g)
- Cooked lentils (140 g)
- Avocado (100 g)
- 2 piquillo peppers
- 1/4 chives (optional)
- 2 heads of lettuce
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil (20 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar (20 ml)
- Salt
- Sesame seeds
Elaboration
- First, boil the rice and lentils in advance. You can buy pre-cooked potted lentils. Put them in a bowl
- Then peel and dice the avocado. Drain the piquillo peppers as well and cut them into small squares as well. Peel and chop the onion into brunoise and add all the ingredients to the bowl.
- Then wash the leaves of the lettuce heads and drain them well. Prepare a classic vinaigrette with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and salt, season the filling of the lettuce heads and proceed to the filling of the leaves.
- Finally, place the stuffed lettuce leaves on plates and garnish with sesame seeds.
3. Among the rice salad recipes: rice salad with smoked fish
Smoked fish, such as salmon and cod, are ideal for supplementing salads. On this occasion, we have chosen to include them in a rice salad which also incorporates very tasty smoked herring roe.
- Ingredients (4 servings)
- Brown rice (320 g)
- 3 large sweet and sour pickles
- 8 radishes
- 1 peach
- 1 small bunch of fresh chives
- 8 slices of smoked salmon
- 8 slices of smoked cod
- 4 tablespoons of smoked herring roe
- Freshly grated lime zest
- 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (80 ml)
- A little soy sauce (optional)
Elaboration
- As in the previous recipes, first cook the rice and let it cool.
- Later, chop the pickles into small cubes, wash the radishes, remove both ends and chop them too. Peel the peach, pit it and cut it in the same way as the previous ingredients. Finely chop the chives and put all these ingredients in a bowl, next to the cold cooked rice, to mix well.
- Prepare the vinaigrette with the olive oil, soy sauce and lime, combine all the ingredients and beat until emulsified.
- Finally, make a few cylinders with the slices of salmon and smoked cod, place them on the rice and spread the herring roe over them.
Are you looking for another way to include rice in your diet? You will surely love these three delicious fresh rice salad recipes for hot days!
