Cowboy Rice Salad Recipe

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Avocado, chopped kale, canned jalapeños, Dijon, shallot, cilantro, maple syrup, lime, orzo rice, sweet corn, and black beans.

Rice or orzo rice
Jalapeño juice is the liquid from caned or jarred sliced jalapeños. I used the La Morena brand, but any brand will work. This is a cheap and easy ingredient for packing in flavor and warmth into a dressing.
Black beans are an excellent source of fiber, which helps promote digestive health, regulate blood sugar levels, and support weight management. They contain complex carbohydrates that are digested slowly, in addition to protein, antioxidants, iron, and magnesium.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🥑 Substitutions

Rice - instead of rice, use Orzo Rice, quinoa, farro, couscous, or barley

Black beans - use chickpeas or white beans instead

Corn - use thawed frozen corn, or fresh corn from the cob

Shallots - substitute with chopped red onion as desired

Juice of canned jalapeños - use sweet pickle juice instead

Cilantro - substitute with fresh parsley or fresh herbs you have on hand

Try these Quinoa Black Bean Burgers on my site for the ultimate vegan burger recipe! Visit my Vegan Bean Recipes page for more salads with beans.

📖 How to Make Cowboy Rice Salad

Cooked orzo rice in a large white nonstick skillet with a wooden handle.

Step 1. Cook the rice, orzo rice, or a different grain of your choice.

Salad dressing in a grey bowl with a silver whisk beside a jar of opened pickled jalapeños.

Step 2. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix the jalapeño juice, lime juice, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard.

Salad dressing with sliced shallots in a grey bowl with a silver whisk beside a jar of opened pickled jalapeños.

Step 3. Transfer the shallots to the dressing. Mix and set aside.

Black beans, avocado, corn, shallots, cilantro, kale, and orzo rice in a glass bowl.

Step 4. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, kale, parsley, rice, and dressing. Mix well to fully incorporate the dressing. Add avocado for serving to make Black Bean Salad with Corn and Avocado.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

How nutritious is white rice?

You will get slightly more fiber from this salad by choosing brown rice made from whole grains instead of white rice. While white rice is a low-fiber food, it is fortified with thiamin, niacin, B6, folate, iron, and zinc. Plus, when paired with high-fiber foods, such as black beans, kale, and avocado as in this Cowboy Rice Salad, white rice can be a part of a healthful diet.

Are black beans healthy?

Black beans are naturally gluten-free, vegan, and high in protein and iron. They also pack in more magnesium and fiber than their counterparts.

How long do jalapeños in juice last?

An opened jar of jalapeños will last up to two months in the refrigerator. You can also freeze jarred jalapeños for up to six months and thaw them before using. (Freezing might give the canned peppers may give them a bit of a mushy texture.)

📖 Recipe