Confetti Rice Salad
March 10, 2006 by Andrea 
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Filed under Salads
Today we received a surprise gift—a warm sunny day at the end of winter. Makes me think of summer days and picnics and salads. This is a delicious and pretty side dish for grilled or baked chicken or fish. It’s super easy and makes a perfect picnic salad since it has no dairy ingredients. There are many, many ways to make a confetti rice salad, this just happens to be a favorite for us. Check out the variations list below and come up with your own!
[Updated May 6, 2008]
Equipment
rice cooker
medium bowl
jar with a lid
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD
2 cups cooked jasmine or brown rice, chilled (leftovers are great)
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimientos, drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup cooked kidney or black beans, drained
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts (for garnish)
cillantro leaves (for garnish)
Preparation
1. Combine sugar, rice vinegar, pepper, and salt in jar. Screw on the lid tightly and shake well. Let it sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature to ensure that the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Add the olive oil and shake again to mix it well.
2. Stir together rice, pimientos, bell pepper, scallions, corn, and beans in a medium bowl.
3. Toss the vinaigrette with the rice salad, then garnish and serve.
Variations
Confetti rice is very versatile and you can come up with a zillion different combinations. You can put one together easily choosing any of the following:
2 cups cooked rice (basmati, jasmine, or brown)
VEGETABLES & FRUIT (choose any three):
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 (4 oz) jar diced pimientos
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced or in strips
1/2 to 1 whole avocado, cut into small chunks
1 cup whole kernel frozen corn, thawed
1 cup edamame, shelled
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
BEANS (cooked, one cup any of the following):
black
kidney
garbanzos
ONIONS, (choose one):
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, diced
SPICY OR SALTY FLAVORS:
1/4 cup diced black olives
1/4 cup diced green chilies
CRUNCHY THINGS, (choose one):
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup pistachios, shelled
GARNISH:
dill
chives
mint
cilantro
parsley
Toss it all with your vinaigrette of choice.
I made this yesterday for a party- I opted to use mint and almonds. It was very good and light, I would up the salt and pepper- just a bit.
Also, your navigation bar made it easy for me to find a recipe that worked for my event. The requirements were- salad, non-dairy, easy. Thanks Andrea.
Great! I’m glad you liked the salad, it’s a favorite of mine.