Black Bean and Yellow Rice Salad

Larry and I went to a potluck barbecue on Sunday.

I tend not to take vegetables to grill on a communal barbecue - I know that meat juice is going to fly.

So I took this colorful salad - a nutritious combination of rice and beans that looks like a party.

It's good warm or at room temperature, and there's no mayonnaise in it to go bad if it sits outside on a picnic table for a few hours. I made it with white rice so the yellow color would be more obvious, but when I make it just for us I use healthier brown rice.

Best of all, it gets stirred together and cooked in the rice cooker. Easy and fast. If you don't have a rice cooker, cook it in a pot on the stove, but keep an eye on it so it doesn't scorch on the bottom when all the water is absorbed.

Black Bean and Yellow Rice Salad
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
1 bay leaf
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1/3 cup dry beans, cooked)
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (or 2 stalks celery, diced)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in olive oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, tumeric, cumin, salt, pepper and rice. Cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Transfer to rice cooker. Add 1 3/4 cups water and bay leaf. Cook until done.

Put the rice into a large bowl and remove the bay leaf. Add the black beans, bell pepper and tomatoes. Gently toss. Add the dressing ingredients and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serves 6-8