Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! Today I’m sharing another delicious and simple summer side dish that I made over the weekend. This Mediterranean arugula & rice salad is packed with so much flavor (you could even skip the dressing!). You can serve it as a side dish or top it with a protein to have as an entrée. Also, you can make this dish ahead of time and keep refrigerated until you are ready serve. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 cup organic long grain rice
- 2 cups (2 handfuls) arugula, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 3/4 cup cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 3/4 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
- juice of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup Greek olive oil
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rice, cover and let simmer until all the water is absorbed. (Note: I usually drizzle about 1/2 tsp. of olive oil to the water for some extra flavor.)
- Once the cooked rice has cooled completely, add the arugula, olives, cucumber, green bell pepper, red bell pepper and tomatoes.
- In a separate bowl or jar, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano and basil. (I like to use a canning jar with a lid – it’s easy to shake and mix, and is perfect for storing any extra dressing). Add salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and stir, coating the salad to your liking.
- Top the salad with the crumbled feta cheese.
