Black Bean and Rice Salad with Lime-Chilli Dressing

​I love when you have leftovers that can be reinvented into something fabulous. Last night I made a huge pot of rice and had leftover rice. I knew I would use it for something and after digging into my produce drawer this afternoon and seeing the bell peppers, red onion, cucumber and celery I knew what this dish would become.

Salads like this one are great for meals on the go. The dressing is already mixed in and and because there isn't any lettuce to wilt it will stay fresh and tasty for hours. Bonus: you don't even need to bring a messy salad dressing container! It is loaded with fresh vegetables and because of the beans you get a hit of protein and fibre!

In fact, this salad is so versatile the next time you're having a BBQ or heading to a potluck think about taking this great Black Bean & Rice Salad.

​Be sure to make a big batch so you can have it as your lunch, as a side dish or as a healthy snack.


INGREDIENTS

- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced red and yellow bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime
- fresh cilantro
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tsp white sugar (optional)
- 1 clove grated fresh garlic (optional)


DIRECTIONS

1. Put rice, black beans, celery, peppers, red onion and chopped cilantro in a large bowl and stir
2. In a small bowl or in a small jar with a tight fitting lid, combine olive oil, vinegar, juice of 1/2 lime, chilli powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and if it suits your taste add sugar and/or garlic. Shake or stir!
3. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
* the flavours of the dressing will develop over time so if you have time pop the salad in the fridge for an hour or more before serving
4. To serve, scoop 1 cup of salad in each bowl and top with 1/8 lime wedge and avocado and enjoy!

serves 4

Tip! The rule of thumb for making salad dressing is to mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. But this ratio isn't a fixed rule, if you prefer your dressing a little more tart you can add a splash more vinegar