Rice and bean salad for two

thought about chilli con carne but that meant buying a pack of minced beef, which wasn’t on my budget, what with a vet’s bill for one of my cat’s annual check-ups and shots (the other will have to wait for next month), a new battery for the UPS, another for the eMac, a visit to the dentist for a check-up and cleaning my teeth, a check-up on my eyes, valuation for and renewing the car insurance all to be paid for this month . . . you see how it is? So what was I to do with that rice?

I leafed through my cookbooks and recipes downloaded from the Internet looking for one that didn’t require a next visit to my not-so-friendly supermarket.

I found a recipe that almost fitted the bill except for a can of kidney beans that I very soon discovered cost the best part of a dollar more than they did the last time I bought a can, which would be about four or five weeks ago — or may be a little longer.

The recipe made no mention of zaboca — or even avocado — but my kind daughter had brought me a couple that needed using, so I added them, as you can see, and ate this very healthy salad for dinner that night — and the next.

Please note I used cooked Basmatti rice; the next time I make it I’ll cook regular rice and leave it to cool before adding it to the other ingredients. In all the list of ingredients reads as follows:

2/3 cup rice

1 1/2 cups water

2 green onions (escallion, sive) sliced.

1 small carrot, shredded

1 can red kidney beans, well rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup diced sweet pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried or 1/2 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

Hot pepper sauce to taste.

METHOD

Cook the rice as usual.

When cool place the cooked rice in a mixing bowl with prepared celery, sweet pepper, carrot, sive and beans. Mix gently but thoroughly.

Next, make THE DRESSING

Place the oil, vinegar, garlic, salt thyme and hot pepper sauce in a small bowl, whisk all together to combine and pour over the salad.

Toss the mixture well. Cover the bowl and leave to chill for at least two hours.

Serve, if liked, with lettuce or as I did with a slices of zaboca, French bread and pats of butter. Serves 2. Bon appetit!