Apple Pecan Brown Rice Salad - a healthy brown rice salad with apples, cranberries, carrots, onions and pecans. vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free

Apple Pecan Brown Rice Salad is a healthy Fall salad loaded with whole grains and fresh produce.

Crazy Ingredient Challenge

Today is October 20th so it is our monthly Crazy Ingredient Challenge recipe posting day. A group of bloggers choose two ingredients that may not normally be paired together, create a recipe and all post about it on the same day. This month we have Apples and Chives. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see what the other bloggers have created.

Brown Rice Salad Tips

To cook the rice I used a trick I picked up from Cook's Country (or was it America's Test Kitchen? or Cook's Illustrated?). Boil it like pasta instead of steaming it. It cooks in half the time and it cooks evenly. Have you ever steamed brown rice and had some of it mushy and some crunchy? Blech! Because each grain of rice is surrounded with boiling water all of them cook at the same speed.

The next trick is to splash the rice with vinegar or lemon juice while it is still warm. The rice absorbs the flavor as it cools which is perfect for a rice salad. If you have already cooked your rice, no worries, just be sure to let the salad sit with the dressing on it to absorb the flavors for at least an hour if not longer. I do not like gobs of dressing on my salad preferring it as an accent to the salad ingredients. If you do like more dressing, just keep the ratio of oil to vinegar about 50/50 and make more.

I had part of the salad within 30 minutes of making it and it was fabulous. The rest, I let sit overnight and had for lunch the next day. It was even better! I also threw in some leftover chopped chicken for a bit more protein. You could go with tofu or other vegan alternative, if desired. Or just leave it as a nice side dish.

Apple Pecan Brown Rice Salad

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Ingredients

2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 apple (sliced into thin chunks)
½ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup pecans (chopped)
⅓ cup red onion (chopped)
1 carrot (grated or cut into matchsticks)
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
2 tablespoons fresh chives (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large sauce pan add rice and cover with water at least an inch above the rice level. Bring to a boil, stir, cover and continue to boil for 25 minutes (like you would cook pasta). Add additional water if level gets too low. Test a few grains of rice for doneness, boil for an additional few minutes if needed.
Drain rice. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) immediately and stir rice. Cool rice completely in the refrigerator.
While rice is cooking, chop fruit, nuts and vegetables as needed.
In a small jar (like a baby food jar) add oil, remaining ¼ cup vinegar and chives. Shake to combine.
Combine cooled rice, salad ingredients and dressing and stir thoroughly. Put salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend.

An InLinkz Link-up

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey

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Comments

Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook
October 20, 2015 at 8:57 am

I love this idea, especially with those dried cranberries. This could make for a great side dish alternative on Thanksgiving.
- Audrey
  October 20, 2015 at 9:17 am
  
  Especially with all of the other heavy dishes people tend to serve, this could be a nice lighter dish!
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
October 20, 2015 at 12:15 pm

I love rice salads and this one is a perfect side for a Fall meal.
- Audrey
  October 20, 2015 at 6:41 pm
  
  For some reason I never think to make a rice salad and this was so good.
elaine hodges
October 22, 2015 at 10:53 am

Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing on the Healthy Living Link Party.
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden
October 22, 2015 at 3:47 pm

Such a great recipe for this time of year. A great side dish that's for sure. It's great to be co-hosting with you at the #HomeMattersParty
- Audrey
  October 22, 2015 at 6:00 pm
  
  Thanks Vickie, it came out even better than I imagined.
Alayna @AlaynasCreations
October 23, 2015 at 5:48 am

Interesting combination. I like combining fruit with savory/salad dishes.
Happy to be co-hosting with you again #HomeMattersParty
Sahana
October 24, 2015 at 9:00 am

I love the sweet and savory taste together :). This recipe is perfect . #HomeMattersParty
- Audrey
  October 26, 2015 at 4:21 pm
  
  Thanks! I like to mix things up in my salads.
Chelsea @ The Johnsons Plus Dog
October 25, 2015 at 6:29 pm

This looks so yummy! Perfect for this time of year. Thanks for sharing! #HomeMattersParty
- Audrey
  October 26, 2015 at 4:20 pm
  
  Thanks for stopping by.
Carlee
October 27, 2015 at 6:59 pm

What a fresh and bright looking salad!
Lorelai @ Life With Lorelai
October 28, 2015 at 5:47 pm

I'm always lookinf interesting side dishes. This looks yummy! Thanks for sharing and being a wonderful co-host of the #HomeMattersParty - we love having you on the team! 🙂
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Easy Peasy Life Matters
October 29, 2015 at 6:39 pm

Love how unusual and fresh this salad sounds! Yum! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tiffany
November 01, 2015 at 11:21 am

This looks yummy! Can't wait to give it a try. Thanks for sharing with us at the Merry Monday Link Party! Hope to see you again on Sunday night!

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