Sketching Out Blog: Sketches of art, watercolor, photos, recipes, books, interviews, Jewish topics, and Highland Park, New Jersey

Crunchy Vegan Rice Salad Recipe

rice salad with blue background

I often make more brown rice than I need, so I was inspired to create a rice salad to use up my leftover rice. There was a recipe for a crunchy vegan rice salad in a Molly Katzen cookbook that I had made long ago. I didn’t reconsult her cookbook to work on this recipe, but I had some of idea of what I wanted to attain based on her sweet and sour crunchy rice salad recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked rice (you can certainly use more – just use more of the other ingredients)
  • 1 zucchini, chopped into half moons, sauted in coconut oil (I’ve tried it with olive oil – I strongly prefer the coconut oil)
  • 1 handful sunflower seeds (you can also try cashews, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds and/or sesame seeds)
  • 1/2 cup orange juice or juice of 1 orange (or a combination of both)
  • 1 tsp. tamari sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 chopped red radishes (or chop up a red pepper – the idea is to get the color red – you could also try chopped carrots)
  • 1 handful chopped fresh parsely (or cilantro)
  • 3 chopped scallions

How to Make the Rice Salad

Assuming you already have cooked rice, coat the rice with olive oil. Add sesame oil, tamari and orange juice. Saute the zucchini (chopped into half circle shapes) until tender. Add chopped radish, seeds and chopped parsley. Toss together. Refrigerate and serve one day later.

About the Crunchy Vegan Rice Salad Recipe

This recipe can be altered as you please. The idea is to add sweet, salty and sour flavors to a grain. Toss in crunchy foods, and you have a delicious, healthy salad. What would you add to a rice salad?

Thank you to everyone who responded to my images of rice salad. Appreciate the feedback.

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Hannah says

This looks good. If/when the weather remembers to look at the calendar and get warmer, I'll try this. It looks very good. I cannot purchase tamari sauce here, so I'd need to fid a substitute. I'd try lime, instead of orange. I like tuna and eggs but then the salad is no longer vegan!

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Leora says

Tamari is a kind of soy sauce with little or no added wheat. I try to buy the one that is labeled Gluten Free. So maybe you have soy sauce with different names.

Personally, I think it needs a sweeter dressing than lime, but that's up to you!

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Hannah says

I think I got Tamari and Tamarind sauce mixed up!

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Leora says

Tamarind might be interesting, too, but yes, Tamari is basically soy sauce with a different name.

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Ramblingwoods says

How clever.. I never thought of a rice salad,,,

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Leora says

Wish I could cook some for you, Michelle!

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Lorri says

The recipe sounds delicious and easy to make. Love the photo!

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Leora says

It is easy, though as usual with vegan recipes, lots of chopping.

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Susan Cooper says

I really like this salad recipe. I am on my way the grocery store and plan on picking up the ingredients to make this. Thanks for sharing. :-)

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Leora says

Love to hear what you think once it's done ... my taste isn't always the same as others, but if you can tell from the ingredients that you might like it ...

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Batya says

This post has been included in me-ander: Kosher Cooking Carnival, Sivan 5773.  Thanks for your participation. Please visit, comment and share, thanks.

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Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you.

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