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 confetti rice salad 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.
One thing I like about this recipe is its versatility. You can come up with a zillion different combinations, just mix and match ingredients and make your own version!
Start with 2 cups cooked rice (basmati, jasmine, or brown) and then add:
VEGETABLES & FRUIT (choose any three)
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 (4 oz) jar diced pimientos
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced or in strips
- ½ to 1 whole avocado, cut into small chunks
- 1 cup whole kernel frozen corn, thawed
- 1 cup edamame, shelled
- ½ cup julienned carrots
- ½ cup currants
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ 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
- ¼ cup diced black olives
- ¼ cup diced green chilies
CRUNCHY THINGS (choose one)
- ¼ cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ¼ cup pistachios, shelled
GARNISH
- dill
- chives
- mint
- cilantro
- parsley
Toss it all with your vinaigrette of choice.
[Updated May 6, 2008]
Confetti Rice Salad
Equipment
- medium bowl
- jar with a lid
Ingredients
VINAIGRETTE
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (or palm sugar)
- 3 tablespoons gluten-free rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD
- 2 cups cooked rice (chilled, leftover jasmine or brown rice is great)
- 4 ounces canned 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)
- ½ cup julienned carrots
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts (for garnish)
- cilantro leaves (for garnish)
Preparation
- 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.
- Stir together rice, pimientos, bell pepper, scallions, corn, and beans in a medium bowl.
- Toss the vinaigrette with the rice salad, then garnish and serve.
Prissy says
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.
Andrea says
Great! I'm glad you liked the salad, it's a favorite of mine.