Rice, Beans and Corn Salad

I’m always looking for high protein, low fat, flavorful salads that aren’t boring. Here’s a recipe we like. The neighbors like it too, so you have to be a keeper. We brought our neighbor Tim a bowl and he ate both servings before his wife got home to try it. When Barb finally got home, he was asked to walk to get the prescription. She made another full batch the next day. Here is the prescription:

Rice, Beans and Corn Salad

or ½ cup long grain brown rice

o 3 ears of corn o ½ large bag of frozen corn

or 3-4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

or 1 small red onion, finely chopped

o 1 fresh tomatillo, finely chopped (recipe called for green chiles, but I’ve noticed that green bell peppers and the bell pepper family cause some major signs of fibromyalgia for about 4 days after eating them, so I substituted Mexican husk tomato (tomatillo).

or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

or 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

or ¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Cilantro

or 14 ounces Chickpeas, cooked and drained

or ¾ cup lean Black Forest ham, diced

o Salt and Celtic Sea Pepper to taste

For the Rice: Bring a large saucepan with lightly salted water to a boil. Add the rice and return to a boil, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes until rice is tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water; drain again and reserve. You can use white rice which takes less time to cook, but I like brown rice because it has more fiber and B vitamins and is healthier for you.

For the corn: Scrape each ear of corn with a knife to remove the kernels. Place in a bowl and reserve. Scrape along each ear to remove the milky residue and transfer to another small bowl. Now heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the corn kernels and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until just tender. Add the red onion and tomatillo, then stir over low heat for about 1 minute until combined. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool slightly.

Place the lemon and lime juices in a large bowl and mix together the Tabasco sauce, 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining oil, and the milky corn liquid. Beat in the chopped cilantro until well combined.

Using a fork, fold in the cooked rice, corn and onion mixture. Add the Beans, Ham and season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately. It keeps in the fridge for several days, if not gobbled up before taking it there.