Black Bean, Rice, and Cilantro Salad
(Black Bean, Rice, and Cilantro Salad is a recipe I created many years ago for the wedding of my friend Jeanne. Now this recipe has been archived on the site, but I am keeping the printer-friendly recipe here so that people who enjoyed the recipe can still find it.)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice (see notes)
- 1 T fresh lemon juice
- 4 C chicken broth (see notes)
- one 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained well
- 2 red peppers, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 green pepper, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces (Use any combination of colors you prefer for the peppers)
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro (or more!)
DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
- 1/3 cup peanut oil (see notes)
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T ground cumin
- 1 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1 T Spike seasoning (see notes)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put canned beans in a colander and rinse well until no foam remains.
- Let beans drain well while you cook the rice, chop ingredients and prepare dressing. (If beans still seem wet, blot dry with paper towel.)
- In heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid, bring chicken stock and lemon juice to a boil, stir in rice, bring back to a boil, then cover and cook on very low heat for 25 minutes without lifting lid. After 25 minutes, check to see if all water is absorbed.
- As soon as the bottom of the pan doesn’t have any stock remaining when you stir the rice, turn off heat and let rice sit about 10 minutes. Then remove lid and let rice come to room temperature before proceeding with recipe. (It can be cooled in refrigerator if you’re in a hurry.)
- Mix dressing ingredients.
- Chop peppers, green onions, and cilantro while rice cools.
- When the rice is at room temperature, combine all ingredients and chill 1-2 hours before serving.
- This salad will keep fairly well in the refrigerator for a day or two, but it probably won’t last that long.
NOTES
I would use Ben’s Original Converted Rice (affiliate link) for this recipe, which is the lowest-glycemic variety of white rice, but any long-grain white rice will work. You can use two 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth and a little water to make four cups. If you don’t have Peanut Oil (affiliate link) use any vegetable oil, but not olive oil. Use any all-purpose seasoning blend if you don’t have Spike Seasoning (affiliate link).
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
42 Comments on “Black Bean, Rice, and Cilantro Salad”
Kalyn,
I love this rice salad recipe. It is so flavorful and can eat it all by itself! How do you suppose I could use rice cauliflower instead?
Thanks!
You could definitely make this with cauliflower rice! (I actually just thought of that myself a few days ago.) I would follow this cauliflower rice recipe to make the cauliflower rice. Then let it cool a bit while you chop the peppers and cilantro and drain the beans. I would omit the green onion from this recipe since there is a lot of green onion in the cauliflower rice recipe. I’d love to hear how it works if you try it.
Pingback: Meal planning and food prep can set up for a healthy week of lunches
Tampagirl, thanks for the suggestion.
This is fabulous, I have found a spice blend called Smoky Paprika Chipotle which is wonderful in this recipe!! I used it in place of the Spike, cumin, and chili powder and it was wonderful. The spice blend is from a company called Victoria Taylors Spices, they can be pricey but so worth it!!
Anthony, hope they like it. This is one of my favorites.
This sounds delicious and looks great too! Thanks for the idea, I am going to try to make it myself and hopefully my family will enjoy it, which I know they will.
Gail, so glad to hear it was a hit at your house!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! This is heaven! I am a cilantro lover, but not usually fond of vegan type dishes, but this is amazing! Even my husband (cilantro neutral…yes, there are those too who can take it in small doses) likes it! He said it will be on our summer party buffets.
Glad you are enjoying the blog. I would use canola oil if you can't use peanut oil.
Hi Kalyn,
I just happened upon this blog last week and am thrilled! (I've already made the West African Stew and the Mexican Red Lentil Stew, both of which were delicious.) I'd like to make this salad for someone who's allergic to peanuts. What mild, healthful oil would you suggest?
Thanks,
Martha
Anonymous, I don’t think there is evidence that one single gene makes people either love or hate cilantro, just a the fact that people from certain parts of the world tend to like it, while people from other parts of the world don’t like it, therefore the specualation that it may be a genetic tendancy. As for my own use of the phrase “cilantro gene” that’s just a joke I made; if I was talking about people who hated it I would have said the “anti-cilantro gene.” But to me it doesn’t matter what you call it, I am clear that there are people who hate it who will perceive the taste as pleasant. You are obviously one of those people.
I seem to disagree with everyone here that the “cilantro gene” makes people like cilantro. It is the very fact that to some people it tastes like soap or detergent that has given the rise to the term “cilantro gene.” Therefore this term should be used to describe folks for whom the herb tastes like soap or detergent. I am one of those people for whom it does taste exactly like having someone squirt a liberal dose of dishwashing detergent into my mouth. Believe me when I say that there is no way someone for whom it tastes this way could ever acquire a taste for it. Like Lea I find it to be extremely, extremely vile. Those of you who do not have this aversion gene just don’t have any idea!
hands down… cilantro is my fave herb!!! I’ve been looking for a good site with lots of cilantro recipes to bookmark and it looks like my search is over!!! Thanks!!jtkdwqb
Anonymous, good question! Of course you could use olive oil if you wanted. I guess I just felt that the strong flavor of the olive oil would take away from the other flavors of the dressing, so I wanted a more neutral flavored oil.
If you try it with olive oil, let me know how it works.
Why not olive oil?
Forgot to say. I made this Saturday morning. Had it for lunch today (Monday) and it was stil great.
Elizabeth, thanks so much.
Foodies Hope, Cilantro chutney is one of my favorite way to eat it. All those people in India can’t be wrong.
Lea, I take it you don’t have the gene!
Evil.
Vile.
Putrid weed!
*spat spat*
WOW!! So many recipes, delicious too! Cilantro indeed is very popular in India, cannot do without it in our cooking and coriander seeds too,a base spice for all curry pds!! :))
I know some people donot like the strong smell ,it’s aroma fo us!:D
Great recipes, thanks!!
I love this blog.I am a cilantro lover and could eat it every day. My husband on the other hand would not care if he ate it ever again.I am always looking for new recipes using cilantro and these are some great ideas.I really enjoy reading your blog.
Susan, I was so sad to hear about your cilantro disability, lol! It’s funny because I thought of you when I posted this because without the chicken stock, this would be vegan (and gluten-free too!) showing how much connection there is among everyone who loves good food. I’d use curly parsley in place of cilantro, although there is really nothing that tastes like cilantro. I also think basil or mint either one would taste great in this, but that’s just a guess. The parsley for cilantro replacement is something I used to do at Lake Powell when I had clients who didn’t like cilantro. Both for this salad and another salad with black beans and lentils (hmm, I don’t think I’ve posted that on the blog either.) For both of those I would make two batches of salad, one with cilantro and one with parsley. Both versions were popular.
I prefer the curly parsley for some reason, maybe because I grew up with it, but both types of parsley would work.
Kalyn, this salad looks incredible, and I’d like to make it, but being cilantro-disabled myself, I would need to substitute something for it. What would you suggest? I always used parsley for small amounts of cilantro, but I just realized that since I don’t know what cilantro tastes like to people who like it, I can’t really know what to use instead. So my question is, what herb tastes the most like cilantro?
Chrispy, thanks for the tip about keeping the cilantro fresh.
Gattina, thanks. I admit, I do love basil and probably eat it more often than cilantro, especially when I have it in my garden.
Nupur, can’t wait to meet you.
Katie, welcome to WHB. Your entry was great.
Everyone, I just updated the totals with the overnight votes. I may or may not update again, depending on how busy I get today. For sure I will stop updating at 3:00 when the WHB entries are due (although of course people can still vote in the comments if they want to.) No one is more surprised than I am at the results so far.
I’m a newbie to this but how fun! I knew basil would head the list and if this was August and I still had my tomato glut I would be there. But, it’s not and I don’t so I picked sage.
I wasn’t certain how to participate…hope you got my e-mail
Well, I am fairly certain that all the billion people in India have the love-cilantro version of the gene! Cilantro is part of the weekly vegetable basket in every household in India (only we call it coriander).
Kalyn, I will be meeting you very soon…YAY 🙂
Kalyn,
oh I’m wrong!!! I thought basil was your very favorite, ha! I’ll try to grow cilantro again next spring, I had one doing quite well (planting in very sandy soil) until one rainstorm and got killed.
Kalyn, all your dishes with cilantro are done so well!
Wow I do love cilantro but I already put my vote in for another herb.
Kayln, I regularly keep cilantro for up 3 weeks in my fridge. The glass of water thing works, but I prefer to keep it in a plastic zip bag with a paper towel to absorb moisture and expell all the air. If you need it to perk up after being stored. Soak it in cool water with stems still attached for a few minutes and it will perk up and have great flavor.
This method works well with parsely (up to 4 weeks) and basil (leaves only for about 2 weeks but that is cuz it gets eaten before I can try for longer.)
I can’t wait till tomorrow night.
Ah, Jo slipped a vote in there while I was leaving the comment. I tallied it Jo. Will add it either tonight or tomorrow.
Maybe it’s not fair that all these votes for cilantro are coming on my cilantro post? Basil needs to get going on their get-out-the-vote campaign.
Ruth, thanks. It’s been fun.
Jedediah, loved your video about cilantro. I hope people will watch it.
Anonymous, I said it doesn’t keep well in the fridge. Haven’t tried your in-a-glass-of-water method. Worth a try though.
Two more votes just added to the tally for cilantro and who would have imagined it would pull in the lead like this. There are quite a few herb blogging regulars who send their posts on Sunday, so anything could still happen.
I did not like cilantro at first…it overpowered all the other flavors. However with time and very good Vietnames restaurants I grew accustomed to the flavor and now enjoy it and use it
You say cilantro does keep long in the fridge? How do you keep it? I ususally clean it, then use a jar as a vase, and put just a little water in the bottom. This way it should keep for over a week. I know I’ve kept it that long anyway.
Nice choice, by the way. I definitely have the cilantro gene myself.
As a cilantro documentarian, I have to remain cilantro agnostic (or at least present myself as such), but I just discovered your blog and it’s becoming a contender for my favorite food blog!
I can’t wait to try this salad!
Great photos and great choices to show off cilantro – my SECOND favorite herb.
Thanks for such a fun contest.
Although Kalyn, I do feel sorry for those without the cilantro taste bud in their mouthes.
Coriander as we call it in Sweden (but with a K) gives the excellent finish to any asian dish or the perfect spark to a sallad. Oh how i miss constant consuming of it, I think I’ll run out and purchase some, maybe make a sallad or a springroll filled with it. Delicious!!!
Karina, who knew indeed? I would have NEVER predicted it.
Sher, thanks! You’re a good volunteer in the campaign to make cilantro the favorite herb. (Ok, so there really is no such campaign, and basil could still win. Ok, all you basil lovers better get organized. Organization is everything in politics.)
And with Lexi’s vote, cilantro surges into the lead!! Thanks Lexi. My condolences on the cilantro-haters in the family. It’s a real disability.
(That was a joke if you’re reading this and hate cilantro. We know you were just born that way.)
MMMM Cilantro is definitely my favorite, although I hardly use it as neither my friends or boyfrined care for it at all.
I on the other hand go nuts by it.
So when the cats away….
Hee!! Upsie is so proud to have her vote counted!
Kalyn, I’m just SHOCKED that you chose cilantro. I sure didn’t see that coming. :):) I love your post–all those wonderful cilantro recipes. The vote is so exciting. I feel like I’m in a political election. I admit I was just browbeating someone by e-mail to post their cilantro recipe, even though she’s exhausted. (Ahem, Glenna?) Cilantro lovers–the polls will close soon!!!!!!!)
I love it that [so far] basil and cilantro are neck and neck. 😉
Who knew?
And Babycakes, your cilantro recipes are fab. The rice salad [aka Kalyn’s Favorite Herb Salad] sounds yummy – my kind of salad. And gluten free!
Mimi, I don’t think there is a substitute for Spike, since I’m a Spike lover. It’s a blend that combines so many different flavors that it’s quite unique. You should be able to find it in Wisconsin, maybe near the natural foods in a grocery store or at a health foods store. If not, follow my link and order it from Amazon.com. You won’t be sorry. It’s good in so many things, I predict you’ll become a fan. (Although I know one well-known food blogger who is Spike adverse, so maybe it’s like cilantro. If so, everyone in my very large extended family has the Spike gene. That’s saying something because they definitely don’t all have the cilantro gene.)
A neck-and-neck race (is this the right expression?) between basil and cilantro, no chive! Where are the herbs of the old world ;-)?
Well. I am just delighted. I knew that cilantro was a love-it-or-hate-it herb, but I did not know there was a cilantro gene. Must be right up there with the genes for artichokes, mustard, beets and eggplant, all of which I have.
What can I use as a substitute for Spike. Kalyn? I am hot to try this one.