Rice Salad with Oranges, Olives and Almonds

Print the recipe card! rice salad with oranges

This light rice salad is a great one for when the weather starts heating up. I really like the flavors and textures this salad includes; it’s something different for a potluck that everyone will enjoy!

To get the rice to remain light and fluffy (instead of heavy and clumped) for use in a salad like this you’ll want to try out this {unusual} technique for cooking rice. It’s great for when you’re wanting rice to taste like it was “just cooked” even after being cooled for a while. The trick here is to begin by toasting the rice and then boil it in a full pot of water (like you would with pasta), drain it and then spread it out on a baking sheet to cool and dry off. It works! No more clumpy rice 10 minutes after cooking time.

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For boiled rice:

1 1/2 cups regular long grain rice or basmati rice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

For the salad:

2 TBS olive oil

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 TBS orange juice (small individual cans) or juice from mandarin oranges

2 tsp. sherry vinegar (red wine vinegar or balsamic would also work)

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 (5 oz.) jar green olives, chopped

1 (29 oz.) can mandarin oranges

2/3 cup slivered almonds

2 tsp. dried oregano

Other:

foil or parchment paper

Instructions:

For boiled rice, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat until hot (about 3 minutes) to toast the rice, stirring frequently about 5 minutes. Add salt to the boiling water and stir in toasted rice. Return to boil and cook, uncovered, until rice is tender but not soft (about 8 minutes for regular long grain rice, 15 minutes for basmati). While the rice is boiling, line a cookie sheet with either parchment paper or foil. Drain the rice in a large fine mesh strainer and spread on the baking sheet to cool and dry.

To make the salad, begin by toasting the almonds over medium heat until fragrant and golden (about 2 minutes). In a small bowl stir together the oil, garlic powder, orange juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine rice, olives, oranges, almonds and oregano. Drizzle the oil mixture over top and toss to combine. Let stand 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend and serve.

Start by toasting the rice…

Boil rice until cooked through but not soft. Be careful not to overcook the rice.

Drain the rice then spread on a lined cookie sheet.

While the rice is cooling, prepare the other salad ingredients. Once cooled, combine the rice, oranges, olives and almonds in a large bowl then drizzle the oil mixture over top.