Pears and Blue Cheese in Rice Salad

So now we’re in that little lull between the big Thanksgiving dinner and the next wave of holiday gatherings. If you’re like me, you’ve still got to eat something. I suppose it would be best if that something had a high Whole Food Quotient (WFQ), some whole grain energy and an antioxidant or two. There’s a lot to do and some unhealthy treats between now and the end of the year, and we might as well be nutritionally geared up for that. Of course, it would be nice if it also tasted good too.

Here’s a recipe I think I might be using to fill the gap between cookie snacks and big dinners. It’s a brown rice salad that’s light and refreshing as well as flavorful and nutritious, and it’s got some seasonal ingredients as well. It’s got pears and walnuts and cranberries, and a good punch of blue cheese. I found the original version in an advertisement for a particular brand of brown rice. Since pears are pretty abundant and I had some blue cheese left over from making this pasta dish, I gave it a try.

I couldn’t remember if I’d ever eaten pears and blue cheese together, but it seems to be a fairly popular combination. I have to say I liked it here, even though blue cheese is not my favorite flavor in the world. I think you could also use something else if you don’t like the blue vein-y stuff, like feta or goat cheese or even something milder. I also think you could use apples in place of the pears, dried cherries or even raisins instead of the dried cranberries, and pecans or hazelnuts instead of the walnuts. You could even continue to morph this salad or others like it to match the season as desired.

All I know is that with all the shopping, traveling and cookies I see in my near future, I think I’m going to need a few dishes like this high WFQ salad to keep me going in the right direction.


Brown Rice Salad with Walnuts, Pears and Blue Cheese
Adapted from Lundberg Family Farms

3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon coarse salt, divided
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 large pear, cored and finely chopped
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used a domestic Gorgonzola-style cheese)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Vigorously whisk together until well-combined.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the rice, pear, walnuts, blue cheese and dried cranberries. Pour the lemon juice mixture and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt over and stir until the salad is well combined and the ingredients are well-coated with the dressing. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Makes about 6 servings.

Other recipes like this one: Barley and Wild Rice Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette, Chicken and Rice Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Rice Salad

Why don’t we make more rice salads? Okay, maybe you make them every day, so I’m really asking, “Why don’t I make more rice salads?” You can make just about any pasta or grain salad into a rice salad. You just play swap the starch and you’re there.

Recently, while I was filing some papers, I came across a rice salad recipe with a spicy peanut dressing. I think I had set it aside with the intention of making it to use up some bok choy, which has been really nice from the CSA this year. I only had to change dinner plans a little bit to make this right away, and I’m quite happy that I made that delicious detour. I only used one large stalk from the huge bok choy head, however, so I’m going to have to find something else to do with the rest of it.

The dressing for this salad is similar to other peanut dressings and sauces I’ve tried, but that just makes it more popular around here. I was originally skeptical about the texture of a thick peanut butter dressing on brown rice, thinking it would just be sticky and mushy, but the chicken-and-vegetable to rice ratio is high enough to keep things from getting too stodgy. The dressing is also a bit simpler than others I’ve made. It consists of just peanut butter and liquid ingredients, so there’s no mincing garlic or grating ginger to hold you back. I warmed the peanut butter in the microwave briefly to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients.

This salad is particularly easy if you happen to have leftover rice and chicken on hand. I used grilled chicken breast, but you could use any cooked chicken. The original recipe called for grilled tofu, so you could use that, or even shredded cooked pork. To save time, you could also use packaged grated carrots or a coleslaw mix in place of the bok choy and carrots. Really, as long as you keep a good balance of rice, protein, vegetables and dressing, you could put anything you like in a salad like this. Gee, if that’s the case, why don’t we make more rice salads?

Chicken and Rice Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing
Based on a recipe in Cooking Light magazine

1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
4 ounces (about 1 cup) shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup thinly sliced bok choy stems and leaves
½ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/3 cup chopped peanuts

1. Combine the rice, chicken, carrot, bok choy, green onions and cilantro in a large bowl.

2. Place the peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 20 seconds. (This will make the peanut butter easier to stir.)

3. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce to the peanut butter. Whisk until very smooth and shiny. Add the dressing to the rice mixture and stir to coat completely. Top with chopped peanuts.

Other recipes like this one: Peanutty Noodles, Cabbage Slaw with Spicy Peanut Dressing