Brown Rice Greek Salad
Crunchy, salty and delicious, this is a terrific side dish for summer. Loaded with fresh vegetables and fiber, you'll enjoy every bite. Add some garbanzo or other white beans to up the protein on this yummy salad.
Ingredients
The Vinaigrette
- 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil use the good stuff
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 sprig fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
The Salad
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 3 small cucumbers
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup feta chese crumbled
- 4 leaves fresh mint optional
Instructions
Mix up the Vinaigrette
- Press the clove of garlic, or chop very fine
- Add the juice of the lemon, the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper to a jar
- Finely chop the fresh oregano leaves (doesn't that smell amazing?) or grab your dried oregano
- Add the oregano to the jar and give it all a good shake. Set aside
Make the Salad
- Place the cooked brown rice into a large bowl
- Chop the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes into small pieces. I usually just cut the cherry tomatoes in half. And add to the rice
- Give the salad a stir and add the Kalamata olives
- Add the crumbled Feta
- Add about 1/2 of the vinaigrette and give the whole salad a stir. Taste and adjust the seasonings
- If you are using fresh mint - grab the leaves and pile them on top of each other
- Roll them up and cut cut to get tiny mint ribbons - also know as Chiffonade
- Add the mint to the salad and stir again. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the flavors meld
- Give it one last stir, taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more dressing, if needed
- Serve with your favorite summer meals - we love it with burgers. The leftovers are wonderful the next day too!
