Brown Rice and Black Bean Salad

An awesome event took place in our town today. It is the day for the Annual Princess & Papa's Ball, a dance for elementary age girls and their daddies. What a great way for girls to feel special, on the arm of their dad, the guys who first sees her as precious. I wish this would have been going on when my girls were growing up. The girls would have loved it and their dad would have done it for them even though he would have been way out of his element until he realized he was enjoying it! It would have been a special time as I'm sure it is for many tonight. Time to get back to what I sat down to write about!

Enter The Fairy Godmothers . . .

A group of young women saw the need for helping girls get ready for this evening and they have helped in a bigger way each year. They have dresses, shoes, nail polish, glitter and more. They set up the most wonderful beauty salon just for the girls and all day long the army of Godmothers create hair wonders, polish nails, spray perfume, add sparkle and glitter, and dress girls! I walked in to the sights, sounds, and smells of beauty! It was a wonder to behold. 

I simply made a couple of salads for the Godmothers' lunch and in delivering them I saw the magic. I had a request for one of the recipes and I thought I better share it before I forget what I did. So here we go . . .

Brown Rice & Black Bean Salad

It sounds a big drab, but trust me, it isn't!

There are lots of colorful veggies and a zesty dressing along with the rice and the beans and here is the recipe.

1 cup brown rice, cooked

1 cup frozen corn, cooked

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 c. purple onion, diced fine

1 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

Cook the rice according to package directions and cool it completely. Cook the corn; do not overcook, then cool it completely.

Place cooled rice, corn and beans in a large bowl. Add vegetables and lightly mix together. 

Combine lime juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, and salt in a screw top jar. Shake to combine and pour over salad. Lightly mix to combine and serve at once or refrigerate till time to serve. 

A Little Bit More . . .

If you haven't cooked brown rice, it takes longer to cook than white rice, about 45 minutes. Cook the rice and the corn the day before or at least a few hours before. It needs to be cold. It will cool faster if you spread it out on a plate or a pie plate. Get it thin, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Do the same with the corn. It will take FOREVER to cool if you leave it in the cooking pan. Not only does the pan have to cool, too, but the deep mass holds the heat. So spread it out and give it time. 

A recipe like this is a guideline. Let your taste be your guide. Add what you like and leave out what you don't. Avocado or cilantro would be a delicious addition in my opinion. Today I had some cauliflower and some cucumber on hand and they made their way into this salad. 

If you don't like brown rice, use white. Brown has more fiber and a few more vitamins and minerals. I have learned to love its nutty flavor. 

Another Great Salad

I also made a fruit salad for the Godmothers today. This salad has made its way to many of our family dinners. I wrote about that recipe a couple of years ago and you can find the fruit salad recipe here.

I hope you enjoy these salads!