Cinco de Mayo Salad

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Cinco de Mayo Salad with Rice, Beans, and Spring VeggiesInspired by California Home Cooking, by Michele Jordan Celebrate the fun Mexican holiday on May 5 with this festive salad, hearty enough to be a meal all by itself, but wonderfully light and healthy. The foundation of the dish is rice and beans, those nutritious and inexpensive staples of so much world cuisine, while fresh garden vegetables add crunch and taste. Perfect for all of us who want to include more colorful vegetables in our diets, with low fat but very big flavor, this salad is a quite a fiesta: INGREDIENTS 2 cups cooked or canned black beans, cooled to room temperature2 cups cooked long-grain wild or brown rice, cooled to room temperature1 cup frozen corn, thawed1 cup Lime Dressing (see below)2 teaspoons ground cuminCayenne pepper, to taste3 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro leaves3

scallions, white and green parts, diced2 small zucchini, diced4 spears asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths1/2 cup broccoli florets1 red bell pepper, diced1 orange or yellow bell pepper, diced1 poblano chile, diced finelySalt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste 1. Place rice, beans, and corn in a large bowl, tossing lightly to combine. 2. Make the Lime Dressing, adding the cumin, cayenne, and half of the cilantro, stirring to mix. Drizzle the rice mixture with half of this dressing and toss. 3. In a medium bowl, place scallions, zucchini, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, and chile. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss. Allow both mixtures to sit for 30 minutes, then combine, tossing well, with salt and pepper to taste. 4. To serve, scatter the remaining cilantro over the top of the salad and serve immediately. Serves 6 to 8. Lime Dressing 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

(about 4 limes)1 teaspoon Dijon mustard2 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon minced cilantro or flat-leaf parsley3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste 1. Whisk lime juice and mustard together in a small bowl. Add the garlic, herbs, and olive oil, whisking to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Suzi What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. health/ http://suziesgoats.wholefoodfarmacy.com/ http://360./suziesgoats

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