Southwestern Bean and Rice Salad

Those of you who follow the facebook page for this site know that I scored five rotisserie chickens on sale this past week, although I was so embarrassed to be a nine-month pregnant woman pushing a shopping cart of five chickens that I made my husband do it and I walked a few steps behind. I'm not sure why I was worried the chickens would make people think I was weird but buying seven jumbo bags of Twizzlers for my husband a few days earlier didn't bother me. (My husband is in a Twizzler food rut. Have you ever had a family member do this? It's like the only thing he wants to eat is Twizzlers. And Fruity Pebbles.) 

I shredded all the chickens to freeze so that I could make easy meals like quesadillas and chicken salad when the baby comes. Yes, all of you experienced mothers are probably smiling and shaking your heads because in reality I bet that chicken will stay in the freezer while we eat cereal and frozen pizzas (and probably Twizzlers, too) as I trudge around like a zombie. Still, a girl can dream, and in my dreams I'm still showering and functioning like a regular person and my baby will sleep on a cloud with a halo around her head.

Not all the chicken ended up in the freezer, because I saved out a few cups of the shredded chicken to make this salad. Its one of my favorites and makes a large batch that keeps us eating it for days. It's also easy and fast to make, which doesn't hurt either. It has a mild Southwestern flavor from the cumin, chili powder and lime juice that goes well with just about any taco or burrito type meal. A lot of the time I just eat it on its own as a lunch or put it on some lettuce for a dinner salad. It's also a great potluck dish since it makes such a large batch and tastes great at room temperature. Just be prepared to share the recipe if you do bring it to a potluck because it's a definite crowd pleaser. 

Southwestern Bean and Rice Salad

Ingredients

• 5 cups cooked rice, warm or at room temp
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
• 1 can corn, drained
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 T packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 4 pickled jalapeno rounds (sold in glass jars near the taco sauce)
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin

Directions

1. Combined the rice, beans, chicken, corn and onions in a large bowl.
2. In a blender, combined the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Prep Time: 10 min Serves: 8-10

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from melskitchencafe.com