Healthy Black Bean And Rice Salad

Black Bean Salad Ingredients

Picante / canned salsa sauce – 1 cup
Black beans – 15 ounces or 1 can rinsed well and then drained.
Rice – 2 cups of Brown or long grain rice cooked and chilled.
Tomatoes – 2 cups, well diced
Peppers – 1 cup of red and yellow bell peppers chopped fine or sliced.
Cilantro – 2 Tablespoons ground fine and/or fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
Corn – 1 cup of frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
Scallions / green onions – 2 onions chopped fine or sliced thin
Sour cream – 1/2 cup light or fat-free cream
Cheese – 4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese cut into 1/4-inch cubes. Alternately, you can use Monterey Pepper Jack. You can also add 2 teaspoons each of grated Parmesan cheese and chopped Jalapenos for a more cheesy spicy salad.
Lettuce – 4 crisp leaves

Method

Mix the Picante or salsa sauce along with the cheese in a large bowl. Add the chilled rice, bell peppers, corn, scallions, black beans, tomatoes and cilantro and mix well. After that toss the salad for a few minutes to ensure that the vegetables and rice are evenly coated in the cheesy salsa sauce.
Line 6 salad plates or bowls with lettuce leaves. Divide the rice-veggie mixture into six equal portions and place them on top of the leaves. Add a dollop of sour cream as topping to each portion and serve. This salad is an excellent side dish for a main course consisting of grilled meat or chicken.

Health Tips

Black beans are extremely high in folate, antioxidants, fiber, protein and vitamin B. They also contain numerous other essential vitamins and minerals. Combined with brown rice or other whole grains, black beans provide a high quality protein meal that is practically fat-free. Salsa, Black Bean, and Rice Salad is a delicious and nutritious combination of both brown rice and black beans.
If you choose to buy a bottle of homemade salsa or make your own batch, make sure that you prepare and store it correctly. Improper storage often results in the increase of several types of bacteria including E.Coli.
People who suffer from migraines are generally advised to not eat cheese as it contains an organic compound called Tyramine which is thought to trigger migraine headaches. However, unlike other cheeses, Monterey Jack cheese has a very low Tyramine content and is often recommended for people suffering from migraines. When you prepare this salad, make sure that you exclude the parmesan cheese from the recipe.