Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices.
I’ve wanted to do a half marathon for quite a while now, but just keep putting it off. First, it was a heel injury. Then, it was a knee thing. Then, I was too busy with the new job, and yadda yadda yadda.
Honestly, I just want to get it done and say that I did it. I want to have that accomplishment checked off my list.
But when I really think about it, now is probably the worst time to be training for a half marathon, with everything going on. It’s freezing cold, we’re planning a wedding, I’m writing, and we’re traveling the day after the event.
I’m always going to find an excuse to keep putting it off. But instead of waiting around for that perfect moment (which we all know life is NEVER perfect), we’re just going to do it now!
The thing about training for anything, or even just trying to get through the workweek alive, is that food needs to be eaten. Healthy food.
And if you want to keep yourself and your family relatively well, that food should probably not come from a restaurant every single night.
Eating healthy takes time, and prep work. So dishes that can be made ahead are absolutely essential!
Take this amazing salad, for example.
This simple, tasty wild rice recipe uses bell pepper, jalapeno, and fresh herbs like mint and cilantro. A Thai-style dressing pulls it all together. You can make it fresh, or you can prep ahead.
Cook the rice the night before, then refrigerate it overnight. You can also choose to cook it in the electric pressure cooker, thanks to this helpful tutorial!
When the time comes for dinner, simply re-warm the rice, chop up some veggies, mix up the dressing, and toss it all together.
Dinner in 5 minutes!
Print
Wild Rice Salad with Thai-Style Dressing
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
For a simply prepared healthy dish, try this vegan wild rice salad. Enjoy the mix of fresh herbs and veggies, with a zesty dressing.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegan margarine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup chopped mint
For the Dressing:
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Melt the margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Stir in the rice. Continue cooking, stirring often, until any white grains turn translucent and start to crackle and pop.
- Carefully pour in the vegetable broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook according to the rice package directions, or until all the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
- Once the rice has cooked, remove from the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes with the lid on before stirring.
- While the rice cooks, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Toss the red bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno pepper, and herbs together with the warm rice. Pour the dressing over, and stir until completely mixed together.
- Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: vegan, gluten-free, rice salad, healthy recipes, wild rice
Enjoy a Hearty Salad, Warm or Cold!
You have the option of serving this dish hot or cold. For cold prep, simply cook the rice ahead of time, then refrigerate overnight. Toss the chopped veggies and herbs with the cold rice, and then mix in the dressing.
I’m not sure which I liked better – warm or cold. They were both delicious!
And feel free to use your favorite rice instead of wild. White, brown, or black varieties would all work well.
So, wish me luck in this half marathon training business, because I’m going need it! I see many salads in my future to help get me through it…
Have you guys ever done a half marathon? How was it your first time? What healthy dishes helped you through training? I’m scared and excited – it’ll definitely be an experience!
If you like this recipe, be sure to rate it. And give me a holler in the comments below and let me know what you think!
For more healthy grain salads, try these:
- Lemon Parsley Rice Salad
- Brown Rice Salad with Apples
- Lentil and Brown Rice Salad
- Einkorn Berry Sunday Salad
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on January 15th, 2015. Last updated: April 26, 2021 at 18:57 pm. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
