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Curried Rice and Quinoa Salad

For a salad to make a meal, it should contain something more substantial, like grains, beans or potatoes, or protein-rich ingredients like cheese, fish or eggs. Poach an egg, place it atop a generous serving of frisée salad tossed with croutons, herbs and a tart vinaigrette, and you’ve got lunch or a light dinner. A spinach salad with green beans can be transformed into a comforting and nourishing meal when warm potatoes tossed with vinaigrette and feta are added to the mix. I’ve made this mixed-grains salad using both regular brown rice and brown basmati rice. I like the lightness of the basmati brown rice, but I also enjoy the chewiness of regular brown rice.

Ingredients

For the curried rice and quinoa salad

  • ¾ cup basmati brown rice, or 1 cup regular long grain or short grain brown rice, cooked
  • ½ cup quinoa, preferably red quinoa, cooked
  • ¼ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large stalk celery, diced
  • 1 apple, cored, cut in small dice and tossed with 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the dressing

  • ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons Hellmann’s or Best Foods Mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil

For the garnish

  • ½ pound broccoli florets, steamed for four or five minutes and refreshed with cold water
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

      278 calories; 12 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 3 milligrams cholesterol; 70 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

Serves six

Preparation

For the curried rice and quinoa salad

  1. Combine all of the salad ingredients.
  2. Whisk together the yogurt or buttermilk, mayonnaise, lime juice, Dijon mustard, curry powder, cayenne and salt to taste. Whisk in the oil, and toss with the salad. Garnish with the broccoli florets, and serve.
  • Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving, and keep in the refrigerator. Leftovers keep well for a few days. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

10 minutes

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