Nourishing Brown Rice Salad | Elizabeth Rider
If you’re looking for a delicious and nutritious way to kick off the new year, then look no further than this nourishing brown rice salad bowl recipe.
I like to call this my “Self-Care Salad” because it’s chock-full of nutritious ingredients that make it healthy, satisfying, and delicious.
It’s the perfect way to get some much-needed vitamins and minerals while still enjoying a tasty meal. Plus, it’s super easy to make! So get ready to whip up this delicious dish and enjoy the benefits of healthy eating.
Ingredients
- Brown rice: You’ll need 1 cup of pre-cooked and cooled brown rice. Brown rice is a nutritional powerhouse. Not only is it high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but it’s also great for weight loss and keeps you satiated for a long time. Brown rice is also vegan-friendly and gluten-free, making it a great choice for many dietary preferences. You can make it at home, or grab a cup of cooked rice off the hot bar at your local grocery store.
- Kale: I used 2 cups of chopped kale. Kale is full of nutrients like fiber, iron, vitamin K, and C. It also adds a delicious earthy and nutty flavor to your brown rice salad bowl.
- Broccoli: Broccoli is a great antioxidant and if you’re looking to lose weight it’ll help you get fuller faster. You’ll need 1 cup of broccoli cut into florets and sliced. It also adds great texture and flavor to salads like this.
- Avocado: This is another fruit that will keep you fuller between meals. It’s creamy, delicious, and full of healthy fats. For this recipe, you’ll need one avocado, cut into cubes.
- Cucumber: I feel like cucumber is often overlooked even though it’s full of nutrients and great for heart health, hydration, and weight loss. You’ll need one sliced and quartered cucumber.
- Red cabbage: Add some color and crunch with ½ cup of thinly sliced red cabbage.
- Walnuts: You’ll need a ¼ cup of toasted walnuts to add some texture to your detox salad. Walnuts help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
- Beetroot: Another colorful and nutrient-packed vegetable, beets will add a deliciously sweet flavor to your salad. You’ll need a ¼ cup of roasted and cubed beets. You can also use julienned raw beets, or any beets you like in this brown rice salad.
- Cilantro: I use one ⅛ of a cup of chopped cilantro, not just as a garnish but also because its peppery flavor seals in the flavors of the salad beautifully. If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out.
- Lemon Olive Oil Dressing: This dressing is really easy to make and works for most salads. It’s a quick mix of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper, honey, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
Check out the printable recipe card below for the recipe and detailed instructions.
Saving on Ingredients
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How To Make A Great Big Detox Salad
- Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss them together.
- Combine your salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake it well until everything is combined.
- Toss the dressing and salad together.
- Serve and enjoy!
If you’re a huge fan of salads like I am, and are looking for salads that are delicious and will fill you up, check out these 11 Awesome Salad Recipes here.
Cooking Time
50 to 55 minutes if you need to cook the rice.
10 minutes if your rice is already cooked.
Most ingredients in this recipe don’t need to be cooked, which makes it a great quick lunch to whip up. The only element that’s gonna take a bit of time and needs cooking is the rice, which will take around 35 to 40 minutes to cook.
Storing
I don’t recommend storing salads with greens for a long time since they tend to get soggy quite fast. But you can store this salad for up to 24 hours in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.
Yield
This recipe yields 2 large portions, or 3 depending on your preferred portion size.
Variations & Substitutions
- Salt-free: You can omit the salt for a low-salt diet.
- IBS-friendly: You can omit the broccoli and cabbage, and just add more of the other greens like kale and cucumber.
- Rice: You can replace the rice with whichever grain you prefer, like quinoa, barley or black rice.
- Vegan: You can replace the honey with maple syrup or molasses to make this recipe vegan.
Brown Rice Salad Bowl
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 (for rice)
Total Time: 50-55 minutes
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
This delicious brown rice salad bowl (aka Self-Care Salad) is the perfect way to get some much-needed vitamins and minerals while still enjoying a tasty meal. Plus, it’s super easy to make!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup brown rice, pre-cooked and cooled
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 1 cup broccoli, cut into florets and sliced
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 cucumber, sliced and quartered
- ½ cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup toasted walnuts
- ¼ cup roasted beets, cubed
- ⅛ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Lemon Olive Oil Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss.
- Combine salad dressing in a jar with a lid and shake until combined.
- Toss dressing with salad
- Serve and enjoy!
