Summer Citrus Rice and Bean Salad
Nothing tastes like summer quite like a fresh and cool salad. Whether you’re looking for a side to take along to a summer picnic or a delicious, fresh lunch that will sustain you through a busy work day, this is the recipe for you. Our Summer Citrus Rice and Bean Salad is full of the macro nutrients you need and the flavor you want!
All you need are a few fresh ingredients and a Cuban Chef Soraya bowl. In our recipe we used two bowls for a larger serving to share with friends. It’s best for the bowl to be cool or room temperature so we advise that you make your bowls a little bit in advance in order to allow them to cool. All you need to do is add your hot water to the fill line, stir, and set aside to allow them to rehydrate. Refrigerate after rehydrating.
The proportion of each ingredient may vary depending upon the number of bowls you plan to use or the size of the citrus fruit you choose. Generally, we used about a cup of slivered almonds. You can also use sliced almonds, and if you have a little extra time, toast your almonds for a special gourmet touch! In order to toast your almonds, simply heat a dry pan to medium heat and add your almonds. Keep a close eye on them, they will start to brown and toast in about two minutes. Make sure you stir or toss the nuts often in order to toast them on all sides and prevent burning. When they’re ready they will be golden brown color and fragrant. Allow the almonds to cool before chopping and adding them to the salad.
We also chose a cup of dried cranberries to add to this salad. When choosing dried cranberries, look out for a lot of added sugar. Because cranberries are so tart, many companies will add sugar to sweeten them. Look for a natural, unsweetened dried cranberry if you’d like to avoid added sugar. A ½ cup of finely diced celery and a ½ cup of finely diced scallions add flavor, texture, and color to the salad.
In this recipe we chose to add half of a large grape fruit and one medium, ripe naval orange. However, there are several varieties of oranges and citrus you can try to make this recipe uniquely yours! Substitute the naval orange for a blood orange for a splash of color and a slightly stronger flavor. If you’re not a fan of grapefruit, try a tangerine instead! After peeling and sectioning the fruit you choose, you should have 1 ½ - 2 cups of fruit. Try to remove as much of the membrane as possible when processing the fruit.
By using a Cuban Chef Soraya bowl as your base, you don’t need to worry about added spice and flavor in the dressing. We simply juiced one lime and two tablespoons of olive oil. You may also add salt and pepper to taste but generally, we don’t think you’ll even need it! Combine all your ingredients, gently stir your salad and you’ll be ready to serve. Give it a try with your own variations and flavor combinations! This Citrus Rice Salad is such a fun and simple recipe, it’s our go-to dish for the summer.
Ingredients:
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced scallions
Juice of one lime
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium naval orange
½ large grapefruit
Leave a comment