Broccoli Rice Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

I needed a salad for a Father's Day picnic yesterday, and I kept envisioning something with rice and broccoli in a sesame dressing. I looked around for a recipe but couldn't find one, so I wound up throwing this together. It turned out pretty well, if I do say so!

I used a combination of black glutinous rice and brown rice, but it would taste just as good with straight brown rice. I also used seasoned rice vinegar, which contains some sugar and salt. If you're cutting down on either of those ingredients, you can use regular rice vinegar and just add sweetener and salt to taste.

Broccoli Rice Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
(serves 6-8 as a side dish)

1 cup uncooked rice
1 pound broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. water
2 tsp. ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cook the rice in whatever way you choose. I cooked it in the rice cooker with a few drops of sesame oil. Since I used half glutinous black rice, mine turned out very sticky, so I rinsed it in a colander. If you use just brown or white rice, you shouldn't have to rinse it. Just set it aside to cool.

Steam the broccoli until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add it and the chopped red pepper and almonds to the cooled rice.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

Notes for next time: If I make this again, I think I'll increase the amount of rice slightly and cut the broccoli into smaller florets. Some sliced water chestnuts might also give this salad more crunch.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free