Southwestern Rice Salad

By mvjpfoley

Ingredients

• 1-1/3 cups water
• 2/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 3/4 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup salted peanuts
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 to 1 -1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

Step 1

In a large saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes or until rice is tender. Rinse rice with cold water and drain. Place in a large bowl.
In a small skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and carrot in oil until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add to rice. Stir in the corn, beans, tomatoes, peanuts and cilantro.
In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, cayenne and cumin. Pour over rice mixture; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 12 servings.