Salad Samurai

SERVES: 2

TIME: 50 MINUTES

Red kidney beans and chewy brown basmati rice are drenched in a zesty paprika-laced dressing for a lighter take on red beans and rice, New Orleans–style comfort food traditionally served on Monday nights. Here the rice is prepared pasta-style (using plenty of water, then drained) with bay leaves for long, tender grains of basmati rice. Be sure to slice the celery on a long, thin diagonal and finely dice the green bell pepper to tame any bitter flavors.

BEANS AND RICE SALAD

4 cups water

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup uncooked brown basmati rice

2 bay leaves

1 (14-ounce) can red kidney beans (2 cups), drained and rinsed

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on a diagonal

½ cup finely diced green bell pepper

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

CAJUN PESTO

1 heaping cup lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons coconut sugar or organic brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons smoked paprika, sweet or hot or a mix of both

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon celery seeds

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a rolling boil, then stir in the rice and bay leaves. Cook for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside to cool in the colander, stirring occasionally with a fork while preparing the rest of the salad.

2 Transfer the kidney beans to a large mixing bowl. Add the celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, and cooled rice to the beans.

3 Combine all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse into a thick paste. Spoon over the salad, stir well, and chill for 20 minutes to blend the flavors. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Raw green bell peppers are not to everyone’s taste; they can be somewhat bitter. For a sweeter salad, use a Cubanelle pepper (a tapered light green pepper sometimes called an Italian pepper or frying pepper) or a yellow, orange, or red bell pepper.

This salad improves with some chilling time, so consider chilling overnight for the flavors to blend.