Who else is ready for colorful spring and summer salads like this Colorful Chopped Rice Salad?! Me, me me!!
I’ve gotten into the groove of making a bright and colourful rice and veggie based salad at the beginning of the week and eating it with lettuce for a delicious and vibrant lunch every day. This Colorful Chopped Rice Salad has been my favorite lunch so far and I can only imagine how perfect it would be alongside a summer BBQ.
I’m ready for summer… like yesterday. Anyone else with me? We had a storm this week that made it feel like winter was coming back for another run.
And then there’s me, inside in my yoga shorts enjoying my bright Colorful Chopped Rice Salad for lunch.
I love salads like this Colorful Rice Salad because at the beginning of the week you do all your chopping at once which makes for very easy lunches. Making a nutritious salad in advance means that I’m guaranteed to have a nutritious and hearty lunch every day of the week! Am I the only one who doesn’t like cutting up a whole bunch of veggies for lunch midweek? #LazyGirlProblems
This is the kind of salad that tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to marinate. You can switch the vegetables up and use what you have on hand as well. I used lots and lots of cilantro in this salad but if you hate cilantro you can always substitute basil or your favorite fresh herbs of choice. You really can’t go wrong with this Colorful Rise Salad. A pre-made, customizable, easy meal that gets better over time I can enjoy all week?! Yes, please!
- 2 cups wild rice blend
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cucumber
- 1 avocado
- ¾ large red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can kidney beans
- ¾ cup corn
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed)
- ½ cup lime juice (juice from 3 limes)
- Sea Salt + Pepper to taste
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Additional Avocado
- Cook and Prepare: Cook wild rice blend in 3 cups of vegetable broth or water in a large pot (or as per the direction on the package). While the rice is cooking, chop all the vegetables (tomatoes, red bell pepper cucumber, avocado and red onion) into small pieces. Minse the garlic or cut into very small pieces. Chop the fresh cilantro. Rinse and drain the beans.
- Assemble Salad: Once the rice is cooked leave it to cool for 20 minutes before transferring it to a large bowl and adding the vegetables. Add the chopped vegetables, kidney beans and corn to the large sized bowl with the rice. Add ¼ cup of fresh cilantro and lime juice to the bowl and combine all the ingredients together. Taste test and add the additional ¼ cup of cilantro if you are a cilantro fan. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: To serve for a party, garnish with fresh parsley, cilantro, and red pepper flakes. I enjoy this during the week for lunches in lettuce of burrito wraps for a quick lunch.
2) Salad tastes even better the next day.
3) Feel free to add in or substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand.
4) If you are not a cilantro fan add in fresh basil or chives instead.
5) I used a Wild Rice Blend in this recipe that is a mix of both brown and wild rice. Substitute with preferred rice of choice.
If you do try this Colorful Chopped Rice Salad Bread or any other recipes from my Kitchen it makes my week hearing about it! Insta it to me @CearasKitchen with hashtag #CearasKitchen (so I don’t miss it!), Tweet it to me @CearasKitchen or Facebook it to me via the Ceara’s Kitchen Facebook Page! <3
30 comments
Made it – husband loved it and then shared the rest with our 10 and 13 year old nephews and one of their friends. I received a video of them finishing the bowl and telling me that it was “fabulous”, they seriously used that word. Used black beans as that was what was on hand. The rice salad was a nice change and the flavors complement any protean.
I made this delicious salad last night along with a cauliflower/ chickpea burger from the first mess. Both items looked yummy in my picture, that I posted on Instagram, but the colorful salad stood out! So full of nutritious items and no oil! I love it. Can’t wait to taste again today after it rests overnight. We will be enjoying the salad for several days. Also, it seems perfect to take for a potluck or in my backpack when we’re hiking.
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed the chopped rice salad, Charlyn! 🙂 It’s one of my favorites as well! Thank you for leaving your feedback here and sharing on insta!
This would be a perfect BBQ side. All of the flavors we love! We will definitely have to give it a try!
ME!! I am so ready for summer, too!! I am a self-proclaimed ‘crazy salad lady’ and this salad is totally my type 🙂 Looks so fresh and delicious, and something that will actually keep you full. Love it!
You totally are the crazy salad lady, Denise!! You have so many colorful and delicious salad recipes on your blog!! 🙂 This salad is totally something that will keep you full thanks to the rice and all the veggies!
This is like a rainbow in a bowl!! It is so bright and pretty and needs to be in my stomach soon! I’m so ready for fresh salads like this! The weather has been ok here lately but I know it is going to get really hot here soon and I will be living off of salads like this!
Thanks so much, Izzy! I can’t wait for the hot weather and when I’ll be living off bright, fresh salads like this tooo!!! 🙂
So pretty! Thank goodness for sunny weather and fresh salads 🙂
Thank you so much, Kate!! <3 Thank goodness for sunshine and bright salads!!
So ready for salad and spring and all the sun that comes with it! Love that this tastes better the second day! Sometimes I make too much and most salads don’t keep well. Thanks Ceara.
Thank you so much, Lori! I know, a lot of salads do not keep well at all but this one gets better once it marinates 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend!
Looks great! Cannot wait to make it.
Yay!! <3 Can't wait to hear your results and to make this salad this summer for a big family BBQ!
I love salads with rice and corn, but mine were just that simple! Yours looks so exotic and, yeah, wild! Thanks for sharing, Ceara 🙂
Thank you so much, Lily! 🙂 Rice + Corn do make such a delicious comb! The addition of fresh veggies, cilantro and lime take this salad to a while new level 😀
Wow, Ceara, looks so delicious. Colorful, full of energy and vitality. Love it. 🙂 <3
Thank you so much, Florian! 🙂 What a great way to put it – this salad is SO full of energy and life! Have a great weekend!
I am totally ready for summer after the long cold winter we had! I love how bright and beautiful this salad is! This is definitely gearing me up for the warmer weather that we are starting to get 🙂
Thank you so much, Kelly!! I know, it was SUCH a long winter – bring on the summer!! I’m so ready for the sunshine and bright salads 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Looks so bright and beautiful Ceara! I love big salads like this! I love rice too and eat it quite often, it is so filling and so high in protein and good carbs…love the stuff! Just perfect for Spring!
Thanks so much, Brandi! I know, rice is a big staple around here too 🙂 I love how many different kinds there are to experiment with as well!! Big salads like this are the best 🙂
I like how you showed the ingredients seperately and together. I love seeing what goes into it and the amounts. This is so beautiful to look at, deliciously/visually appealing. What a great salad!
Thanks, Kelsey! I’m like that too – I love seeing what goes into veggie-filled dishes like this, it’s a lot harder to see all the veggies once they are all mixed in! Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
I am so ready for summer, Ceara! Bring on the warm weather and delicious salads! This one looks fantastic! I love the pretty colors and flavorful veggies. And that’s such a good idea to use rice! I’ve never thought of adding that to a salad before, so I love it! Pinned! Hope you have a great day, friend!
I hear ya!! Bring on the warm weather 😀 Thank you so much my friend! Have a great weekend 🙂
Ceara – This salad is gorgeous. I have to bring a gluten-free and dairy-free appetizer to my dad’s for Easter and I was thinking of bringing something like this. 🙂 Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much, Erin!! 🙂 Let me know if you end up making it! It would be the perfect addition to Easter dinner!
Woop woop! This looks awesome, lady. Look at those colors. Did Levan tell you about his aversion to Mexican now? He’s making it so annoying in terms of what I can or cannot make for his dinner…a lot of the time I wanna make things like this and he’ll go…BEANS..MEXICAN…NO!
So I guess I’ll have to make this one for myself -.-
Thanks so much!! 🙂 LOL, Levan did not tell me about his aversion to Mexican! I totally hear ya, I am on a HUGE Mexican kick lately too and have been putting beans and cilantro in EVERYTHING! I’m sure J might be getting tired of it too soon if I don’t start cooking up some other cuisines! 😀