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+ servings
Large bowl of brown rice salad with red and green diced capsicum.

Christmas Rice Salad

A quick easy brown rice salad that is filled with red and green ingredients making it perfect for Christmas, but of course any time of the year as well.
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Course: Salad
Cuisine: New Zealand
Keyword: Christmas rice salad, rice salad, brown rice salad, christmas salad
Servings: 8
Calories: 295kcal

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4.55 from 20 votes

Ingredients

  • 4 Cups cooked brown rice
  • ½ red onion
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 red capsicum
  • 1 green capsicum
  • 1 ½ Cup spinach Leaves 40g
  • ½ Cup dried cranberries 70g
  • ½ Cup pumpkin seeds 70g
  • ¼ Cup soy sauce
  • ½ Cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic crushed

Instructions

  • Finely dice the red onion, place in a small bowl, and cover with the lemon juice.
  • Dice the capsicum, and shred the spinach.
  • In a large bowl place the cooked brown rice, vegetables, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

Dressing

  •  Add the soy sauce, olive oil, and crushed garlic to the soaked onions. Whisk with a fork.
  • Add the dressing to the salad and mix until combined.

Notes

Tips
Take the time to soak the onions in the lemon juice. This decreases their pungency. They stay crunchy and retain flavour, but their flavour becomes more delicate and less overpowering.
This rice salad will last up to 3 days in the fridge. If it does sit out for a long period of time. i.e. over a summery Christmas lunch, I would be inclined to discard the leftovers as rice if not stored properly can be a source of food-borne illness.
Allergens: This recipe is free from dairy, nuts, and eggs. For this recipe to be wheat and gluten-free you will need to select a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. This recipe is vegan.
Substitutes
  • Lemon: This recipe works well with any citrus, orange, or lime work well too.
  • Garlic: You can use crushed garlic or garlic powder if you prefer.
  • Cranberries: These can be swapped out for raisins, sultanas, or currants.
  • Pumpkin seeds: This rice salad works really well with cashew nuts.
  • Red onion: You can use spring onions or regular brown onions instead.

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 413mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1048IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 2mg