As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

O boy! Do I have the easiest most amazing saffron rice salad for you for dinner tonight!

I’m not going to lie… I made this vegan salad the other night as a way to use up what I had in my fridge and it turned out to be a gluten- and dairy-free masterpiece. My family loved it, but that doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. They’d eat a sock if it was covered in hummus.

Simple rice is tossed with creamy hummus then jazzed up with pecans, dried cherries, asparagus, saffron, scallions, cilantro and pretty lettuce leaves. If you can believe it, this recipe can be whipped up in less than 5 minutes is you make the rice ahead of time (say, the night before).

Easy, right? Told ya it was simple.

It’s great for a weeknight dinner and leftovers taste twice as good the next day.

O ya and toss in a bit of fresh lemon zest while you’re at it.

When in doubt, add lemon zest, sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.

That, folks, is the secret to my easy ‘clean’ cooking.

Gluten-Free Saffron Rice Pecan Salad

Serves: 6

 

Print

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

25 minutes

Total

30 minutes

 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan

Author: Amie Valpone

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 4 Tbsp. Sabra Traditional Hummus
• 1 bundle fresh asparagus cut into 1/2 inch pieces and ends removed
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/6 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup pecans
• 3 cups mixed salad greens

Instructions

1. Cook rice according to package directions. Add in saffron threads 5 minutes into cooking.
2. Remove from heat, add in asparagus pieces and mix well to combine. Cover and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine rice mixture with humus. Add scallions, cilantro, sea salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, dried cherries and pecans; gently toss to combine.
4. Serve rice mixture amongst six plates atop a bed of fresh salad greens.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Saffron Rice Pecan Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 g)

Calories 247 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Sodium 131mg6%

Potassium 176mg5%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 820IU16%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 1.2mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.