Tuna and red rice salad recipe

The last two months, I've tried out fantastic cookbooks, so this month's book has big shoes to fill.  I wanted The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook since the day I read about it almost a year ago, and luckily I won a copy of it (and 9 other books) when I received first prize in the Whole Grains Council photo contest in the fall.  Immediately upon opening the book, I was excited to find that many of the recipes have alternate instructions for the crock pot (it finally hit me that the author, Judith Finlayson, has written numerous slow cooking cookbooks).  Unfortunately the book and I got off to a rocky start.  I tried the recipe for gluten-free pizza crust, and it had a really weird texture and was a bit tough (it wasn't horrible, just disappointing).  However, this salad has redeemed the book for now.

I always have a few cans of tuna in my pantry, but almost never eat it.  Occasionally I'll have some if I'm desperate for a protein-packed post-workout snack, but I usually work out in the morning and the thought of eating tuna before noon is repulsive.  I also have a bag of Bhutanese red rice hanging out in my pantry (right next to the tuna, by coincidence), so I was excited to find this salad that combines the two.  The salad was really tasty, especially the next day when the flavors had blended.  It's more of a summer salad, but I still enjoyed it.

Tuna and red rice salad (adapted from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook)

(Printable version)

1 cup Bhutanese red rice (or use brown rice, and adjust cooking instructions)

1 1/2 cups water

1 can (6 oz.) tuna, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, grated or smashed

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Place rice and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until rice is tender (about 25 min).  While rice is cooking, combine tuna, bell pepper, green onions, tomatoes, and parsley in a large mixing bowl.  In a separate small bowl, stir together vinegar, oil, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper.  When rice is cooked, let it cool for a few minutes and then stir it into the large mixing bowl.  Pour dressing on top and mix well.  Serves 4.