Black Rice Salad Bowl with Tahini Dressing

Ahh salads. This one, in particular, is absolutely delicious. Black Rice Salad Bowl with Tahini Dressing, I mean, doesn't that sound totally scrumptious? You have to try it, you'll love it, I promise! It's super easy to make and you can prepare a bigger batch in advance and just throw it all together on busy days!

I'm been obsessed with tahini dressing lately. For a while, I only used balsamic vinaigrette on my salads but lately, I've been trying to create different flavors. Two weeks ago I posted the Brown Rice Salad Bowl with Roasted Veggies & Tamari Dressing, which I love, and after this brown rice salad, I definitely need to share with you my delicious baked falafel salad as well as this delicious Mexican style salad I made the other day. I still can't believe there's so little salad recipes on my blog considering how much I like them!

I've been really liking using a mandoline to shred carrots and beets for my salads lately. It gives more diversity and color to the salads plus you can do more at once and then use it for salads for 2-3 days!

Do I need to even talk about all these pictures? They speak for themselves, don't they? Ahh, I wish I had that bowl of delicious salad right now. I actually need to make a salad for my work lunch for tomorrow, hmm. Maybe I'll make a version of this salad? I do have all the ingredients and it's the perfect work lunch because it fills you up and keeps your energy high. One little tip, though — if you want to eat this at work, I'd leave out the raw garlic and sub it with a pinch of garlic powder because you know why. I do love me some raw garlic in dressings lately, though! It's so spicy and delicious (maybe just don't kiss anyone afterward).

If you don't have black rice on hand, you can use regular brown rice or red rice if you have that (or even quinoa!). I chose black rice because it has a stronger flavor than brown rice which I thought went well with this salad. Also, it holds its shaped better than brown rice. You can even skip the grain altogether — make it yours and enjoy!

Black Rice Salad Bowl with Tahini Dressing

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: The Healthful Ideas
• Yield: 2-4 1x
• Category: Main Course

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

TAHINI DRESSING:

• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp maple syrup
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ⅛ tsp onion powder (optional)
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp water (start with 1 and add more if needed)

SALAD BOWL:

• 1 cup uncooked black rice (makes 2 cups), use red or brown rice if you don't have black
• 1 cup shredded carrots (2-3 carrots)
• 1 cup shredded beet (1 beet)
• 1 cup diced cucumber (½ cucumber)
• 1 ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes (or 4 regular tomatoes, diced)
• 5 cups chopped lettuce of choice
• to serve: tahini dressing, hummus and sesame seeds for decoration

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Instructions

TAHINI DRESSING:

1. Start by making the dressing.
2. Place all the ingredients into a small mason jar or a bowl and mix with a spoon to combine. It should be creamy and somewhat thick. Add more water to thin it out if desired.

SALAD BOWL:

1. Start by cooking the rice according to package information. While that's cooking, shred and dice the vegetables.
2. Let the rice cool down a bit before serving.

Plate it:

1. Divide the lettuce between the bowls and add about ½ cup of the cooked rice into each bowl.
2. Drizzle each salad with 1 teaspoon or so of the dressing and mix.
3. Start adding all the vegetables into the bowls in any order you like.
4. Add a spoonful of hummus to each bowl if desired.
5. Drizzle each salad with the dressing and decorate with sesame seeds.
6. Best enjoyed immediately.

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Notes

- The tahini dressing will thicken when you put it in the fridge. Add a tablespoon or so of water to thin it out.