Brown Rice and Two-Bean Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

Years of being a vegetarian have taught me the basic essentials of a balanced meal: in rough proportion and description of value, a serving of legumes and whole grains for proteins, minerals and essential fatty acids, and a serving of fresh vegetables for vitamins and fiber, with a few good fats from whole dairy products or olive oil thrown in.

When time is in short supply, it is always nice to be able to combine these essentials into one dish. But flavour never needs to take a back seat to nutrition, ease or convenience, and summer and autumn weather trips down the aisles of fresh local produce always provide inspiration for cool and refreshing salads that can easily be considered complete meals in themselves. This Mexican-style brown rice, chickpea and black bean salad loaded with fresh green beans, pepper and corn and spiced up with a zesty chili and lime dressing is a perfect example of taste, wholesome eating and simplicity in one balanced meal.

Adapted from Canadian Living Magazine.

Brown Rice and Two-Bean Salad with Chili-Lime Dressing

Salad:

1/2 cup dried chickpeas
1/2 cup dried black beans
1/2 cup dried brown rice
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup fresh or defrosted corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 green onions, sliced
small handful fresh coriander, chopped

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
juice from 3 limes
rind from 1 lime
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

Separately, rinse the chickpeas, black beans and brown rice under cold running water. Place in separate bowls and cover the chickpeas and black beans with several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Cover the brown rice with 2 cups of cold water. Let the chickpeas, black beans and brown rice soak overnight at room temperature.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and black beans separately. Add each to separate small saucepans and cover with several inches of fresh cold water. Bring each to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until tender — about 30 to 45 minutes for the black beans and about 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the chickpeas. Drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring the brown rice with its soaking liquid to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, and set aside to cool.

Place the cooled chickpeas, black beans and brown rice in a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetables and coriander and gently combine. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Gently toss to mix.

Serve at room temperature or cold. Serves 6 to 8.

Other salads you may enjoy:
Mexican-Style Black Bean and Millet Salad
Mexican-Style Kamut Berry, Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad
Mexican-Style Potato Salad with Avocado and Jalapeños
Brown Rice with Lime, Cilantro and Jalapeño

On the top of the reading stack: Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood
Audio Accompaniment: Carbon Based Lifeforms

Lomo de Cerdo en Chile Verde (Loin of Pork in Green Chile Sauce)

My mother had been asking if I had Dad's green pork recipe copied down. Sadly no, but I am sure it's genesis was in Elisabeth Ortiz's original The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking. This is from waaay back in the day ... wait for it ... 1967. Yet it is fascinating to look at how authentic the results were that Ortiz communicated in her recipes using canned tomatillos and jalapenos. In fact, looking up the recipe, I was seized with the desire for green pork and also seized with curiosity about making it old-school Ortiz style.

I remembered when I was in the store and saw a pork roast on sale. Then I ran all over the store picking up the ingredients. Turns out this is not actually the recipe my parents favored. (They used the recipe under this one which I may actually get around to sharing one of these days.) They never had access to nopalitos. I actually saw some and threw them in. Not that I could see any difference ... but I was in an experimental mood and going for matching the recipe's requirements.

This was absolutely delicious. We scooped it into flour tortillas. Mmmmm ...

These days pork is not what it was then and I'd use a pork shoulder, though my roast did very well. Also, my ... ahem ... handful of cilantro is actually an entire bunch. What can I say? I'm a fan.

Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz did update her book (The New Complete Book of Mexican Cooking) and making this recipe made me curious as I am sure she now uses fresh tomatillos and the like. I have requested it from the library.

Lomo de Cerdo en Chile Verde
Loin of Pork in Green Chile Sauce

2 tablespoons lard or oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 pounds boneless loin of pork, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 10-ounce cans Mexican green tomatoes [tomatillos]
Handful of fresh coriander [cilantro], chopped
3 canned mild jalapeno chiles, cut into strips
1 8-ounce can nopalitos (cactus pieces), rinsed well
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Heat the lard or oil in a skillet, and saute the onion and garlic until limp. Drain, and place in the bottom of a heavy, flame-proof casserole that has a cover. Add the pork, tomatoes with all their liquid, coriander, chiles, and the nopalitos. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; and simmer over a low heat until the pork can be pierced easily with a fork, or about 2 hours. Serves 6.