This deliciously light and healthy salad makes a great dinner for the hot summer months. It’s also an easy make-ahead lunch for the work week!
My husband was the one who invented this salad, and I’m pretty sure he’d have something to say about it if he didn’t get a shout out. 
It was a couple of months ago, and we were out of romaine lettuce, so I wasn’t able to eat my “normal” salad for lunch. So I called him and was like, okay… what the heck do you think I should eat for lunch today?? And he came up with this idea for me. We had these ingredients on hand and ready to go. The reason he suggested brown rice is because he looooooooves putting rice right into his lettuce salads.
That’s a super great way to add whole grains to your meal. I think a lot of people are scared to eat whole grains because there are so many myths about carbs and weight gain… but in reality, they can actually help you lose weight!!
Pay attention:
Whole grains make you stay fuller longer, eliminating your desire to eat more than you should.
It’s true, really.
You just have to watch the amount you eat. About 1/2 cup of brown rice or pasta is an appropriate serving size.
Besides that, whole grains are so amazing for your heart health…
So EAT UP!
Rachael xoxo
- 1½ cups long grain brown rice
- 1 cucumber, de-seeded and cut into bite-size pieces (peel the skin if desired)
- 2 large tomatoes, cubed
- 8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
- ¼ cup basil, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (about 4 quarts). Add rice and boil for 30-40 minutes, or until rice is tender. Drain and rinse rice under cold water.
- In a large bowl add cooked rice, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, basil, and parsley; set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl add the juice of the lemon (discarding any seeds), vinegar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking to make the dressing.
- Pour dressing mixture over rice bowl and combine. Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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Looks like another winner! Why do you remove the seeds? Just curious.
Thanks Betty! Removing the seeds is a matter of personal preference really. I remove them when I dice up a cucumber, but if I’m just slicing it into rounds I leave the seeds intact.
Looks like the perfect summer salad. Feta, cucumbers and tomato just go so well together. I could eat bowlfuls.