Tag Archives: Salad

Tangy Red Rice Salad with Apricots

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This Tangy Red Rice Salad with Apricots is a great side dish or a perfect light lunch for those hot summer days when warm leftovers just don’t seem that appetizing.

Tangy Red Rice Salad

Ingredients for the salad:

1 cup red rice (we like to use Ruby Red Rice from Thailand, but whatever you can find will work)

3 ripe, but firm, apricots, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/4 cup dried currants, soaked for 5 minutes in 1 cup boiling water

Ingredients for vinaigrette:

1 bunch green onions (about 5), finely chopped

1/4 – 1/3 cup canola oil (depending on your preferences)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp orange marmalade

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp honey

juice from half a lemon

Method:

1. Cook the red rice according to directions on the package. Drain excess water and spread the rice out on a baking sheet to cool quickly.

2. While the rice is cooking, toast the pecans in a pan over medium heat, shaking pan frequently. Cook until pecans are lightly browned and fragrant.

3. Next, prepare vinaigrette by whisking all ingredients together. Set aside.

4. When the red rice has cooled to room temperature, toss with remaining salad ingredients and the vinaigrette. Serve cold or at room temperature.

We hope you enjoy this amazing summer salad!

Summer Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

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With all the great produce that summer has to offer there is nothing better than a delicious salad full of crunchy veggies and sweet berries topped with an amazing blueberry vinaigrette.

Summer Salad:

1 English cucumber, sliced

1 red bell pepper, quartered and then sliced

1/2 pint blueberries

12 ounces strawberries, quartered

1 bunch of radishes, sliced thinly (use a mandolin or V slicer)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 package of baby spring greens

Once you have cut all the produce just through all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

The different colored radishes used here all taste like regular ones, but they are so much cuter

The best part of this salad is the amazing blueberry vinaigrette. We discovered this recipe after we came back from our local you-pick blueberry farm and realized we needed something to do with six pounds of blueberries. A Veggie Venture blog recipe came to our rescue. We have changed the recipe a tiny bit, for the original just click here: Blueberry Vinaigrette Recipe.

Blueberry Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup fresh blueberries (freshly picked is best)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced onion

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons blueberry juice (POM blueberry juice is good)

In your blender, mix the blueberries, garlic, onion, red wine vinegar, and juice together. Once the mixture has been liquified drizzle in the olive oil, whip in blender until combined. That’s it, the best dressing you will ever make, seriously. A word of warning, the vinaigrette will turn into a jello like mass if you don’t use it right away, if this happens just add more juice and spin it up in the blender, or eat it with a spoon while your husband is distracted.

Blueberry vinaigrette drizzled over a crisp summer salad

Drizzle the vinaigrette onto the summer salad and enjoy! This salad pairs perfectly with our Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings.

The perfect summer meal