Southwestern Rice and Bean Salad

Number of Servings: 4-6

Salad Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 mL) long-grain white or brown rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon (5 mL) oil

1 can (540 mL / 19 fl oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) corn, minimally cooked and cooled
1 cup (250 mL) chopped fresh tomatoes
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped red onion
1 poblano or Anaheim pepper, diced

¼ cup (60 mL) chopped fresh cilantro

 Avocado Cilantro Dressing:

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup (60 mL) cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) ground cumin
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) chipotle chili powder
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
Sea salt; freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Pour rice into a pot of boiling salted water. Cook 15-20 minutes (or as directed by the package) until soft and tender. Drain, give a quick rinse in cold water, and place in a large salad bowl.   Stir in 1 teaspoon of olive oil.   Set aside to cool.
2. Prepare the remaining salad ingredients, except cilantro, and add to the rice.
3. Make the dressing: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place the garlic, cilantro, lime juice and zest, cumin, chipotle, and olive oil. Process until very finely chopped. Add the avocado and some salt and pepper to taste; pulse until it is pureed and the mixture is smooth. Add a little drizzle of oil if the mixture seems too thick.   Pour ½ of the dressing over salad ingredients and gently stir to incorporate. Add more dressing as needed. If you have too much dressing, save it for another day, or use it as a dip.
4. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving. Just before serving, fold in more dressing, if needed.  Fold in the ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro.   Adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Questions and comments are always welcome     alex@chilipeppersandpears.com ^[1]