Greek-style rice salad

Flavorful and healthy Greek-style rice salad makes a perfect picnic or BBQ side-dish. You’ll love how easy it is to make this tasty and savory salad. It’s gluten free and can be served as a side-dish or topped with your favorite protein for a full meal.

There is nothing more delicious and healthy for you than the flavors of the Mediterranean. And this simple Greek-style rice salad makes a perfect picnic or BBQ side-dish.

In fact, I often pack a light rice salad just like this one and head down to the beach for a picnic with my kids. It’s refreshing, light and pairs nicely with grilled chicken or shrimp.

Olives and extra virgin olive oil certainly make this dish amazing. I used pitted Kalamata olives because I love their intense flavor. However, to mix things up, consider using a mix of other olives like green or black as well.

Did you know that olives are technically a fruit? They grow on beautiful olive trees throughout the Mediterranean in often harsh hot climates along the sea. They are very bitter if eaten straight off the tree. So they must be “cured” to reduce this bitterness. They are also incredibly good for you and offer many cardiovascular health benefits.

Greek-style rice salad

You’ll be picnic or back-yard cookout perfect with this delicious Greek-style rice salad. Makes a great accompaniment to grilled chicken or shrimp.

1. 3/4 cup long grain rice (cooked)

2. 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3. 1/4 to 3/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)

4. 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (chopped)

5. 1/2 English cucumber (sliced and quartered)

6. 4 tbsp fresh oregano (chopped)

7. 1 1/2 medium sized tomatoes (chopped into bite sized pieces)

8. 1/2 cup plain feta cheese

9. 2 tbsp champagne vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

10. 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

11. juice of half a small lemon (seeds removed)

12. Place the hot just cooked rice into a large bowl and mix in 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside to cool.

13. Once cooled, add the olives, cucumber and oregano and toss. At this point, the rice can be covered with plastic wrap and placed into the fridge until you are ready to finish the salad.

14. Just prior to serving, add the tomatoes, feta, vinegar, 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and toss.

Serve with grilled chicken breast on the side or mixed into the salad.

Source: northwestspoon.com

#greeksalad #ricesalad