This Kale and Rice Salad with radishes and dill is a full of color, texture and flavor. Every bite has the crunch of radishes and pistachios mixed with tender beans, olives and kale. Red jasmine rice makes it super filling and dill plus the lemony onion and dijon dressing makes all the flavors pop.
What is Red Jasmine Rice?
Red jasmine rice is a whole grain rice that has a chewy texture and slightly nutty taste. Some call this type Wahani rice or Thai red jasmine. It is versatile, and hardy which makes it perfect for dressed salad recipes like this one, plus it's great for curries, stir fries, soups and pilafs.
The nutrition profile is quite impressive for red jasmine rice. It is higher in fiber and antioxidants than white rice. Plus it is lower on the glycemic index, which makes it a great choice for balancing blood sugar. The slow burn of whole grain rice is the perfect pairing for veggie packed salads as it will help to keep you full longer.
Why you'll love this Kale and Rice Salad
- Easy recipe that is beginner friendly
- It's chock full of vegetables
- Impressive Fiber, Iron and Protein content in a vegan recipe
- Super filling! The beans, whole grain rice and veggies will satiate your hunger without making you feel too full or heavy
- Full of heart healthy fats like pistachios, olives and extra virgin olive oil
- Perfect Spring recipe: utilizing radishes and fresh dill
- The bright lemony dijon dressing with marinated red onions is delicious and super flavorful
- Versatile: customize it according to your preferences easily. Don't like olives? Skip them! You don't have kale? Use another green vegetable instead. Roasted chopped broccoli would taste great here!
Radish Tip
In Spring the bevy of colorful radishes that you can find is awe-inspiring. For this recipe I used a large watermelon radish and a large purple daikon. If neither of them are available, you can use smaller easter egg radishes, or regular table or French Breakfast radishes. They vary more in visual esthetic than they do in flavor or texture. We just want that crunch and color in this salad recipe.
Kale and Rice Salad Ingredients
This recipe has a slightly longer list than some of my salads. But most of the items should be easy to find, especially in Spring.
- White Beans: Use Cannelini, Great Northern Beans or Butter Beans
- Red Jasmine Rice: AKA Wehani, if you can't find it, sub brown rice, jasberry or forbidden black rice.
- Red cabbage and Red Russian Kale: These two make the base of the salad hardy and hearty. They both stand up to being dressed for a couple of days. Feel free to use green cabbage and regular kale, but the purple makes this dish so romantic.
- Pitted Castelvetrano Olives: These green Italian olives are firm, buttery and fragrant. You can sub any olive you like as long as it is pitted.
- Pistachios: These sweet green nuts are perfectly crunchy and taste great in salad
- Radishes: we are using 2 large radishes here but you can sub 6 small ones instead. This is watermelon radish and Daikon radish
- Fresh Dill: Dill has a distinct flavor that is such a Spring vibe. Sub parsley or mint if you don't like dill.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: for massaging the kale and giving the dressing that silky mouthfeel we all love.
- Lemon, Dijon, Pure maple syrup: These give the dressing a citrusy brightness plus a little sweetness to balance out the tang.
- Red Onion: The bite of red onions, chopped small and marinated in the dressing is the prefect flavor booster.
Rice tip: The secret to making fluffy rice every time is to trust the process. Rinse the rice, measure it and the water and put it in the pan to boil. There is no need to stir the rice. When the water starts to boil, cover it, and turn the heat to a low simmer. Set the timer and don't disturb it until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn it off and let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff it gently with a fork rather than using a spoon.
How to Make Kale and Rice Salad with Radishes
This is actually a very easy recipe. The most difficult part is cooking the rice properly and the rest is chopping.
- First cook the rice according to the package directions. There is no need to use stock, oil or salt in the process as the rice will be seasoned afterwards by the dressing. Once it is cooked, use a fork to fluff it and spread it gently onto a plate or a sheet pan to let it cool.
- Make the dressing by adding the chopped red onions, lemon, dijon, pure maple syrup and salt to a jar and whisking or shaking it until it is well combined.
- Next massage the kale in a large salad bowl with a drizzle of oil and pinch of salt using your clean hands until the leaves have relaxed.
- Assemble the salad by adding the ingredients to the massaged kale: cooled rice, cabbage, dill, olives, radishes, beans pistachios and then pouring the dressing over everything and tossing until mixed.
Tips for Making the Best RECIPE
- Be careful not to under or overcook the red jasmine rice.
- Don't skip the kale massage!
- Get creative and add more color. Roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, beets, cucumbers, any veggies that you can think of will be delicious
- Switch out the rice for other grain varieties. Quinoa, Farro, Freekah, or Orzo will taste delicious.
- Pump up the protein and/or iron by adding crumbed tempeh, lentils or your favorite vegan (or not) meats and cheeses.
FAQs
Rice is a perfect gluten free food. White rice and brown rice, any rice is naturally gluten free which makes it ideal for celiacs. Dijon mustard is usually gluten free but be sure to check the label.
Massaging the kale is an optional but seriously recommended step for any kale salad. Adding a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and salt or a squeeze of citrus and rubbing it into the leaves does something magical. It transforms the leaves of kale from a woody, hard to chew food, to a sweet and tender green that is easy to love. Trust me, this is how we make you into a kale lover.
If you are allergic to nuts, please omit the pistachios. To replace them, I suggest substituting pumpkin seeds or sunflower seed so that you can still enjoy the crunch! The little crunchy bits really make every bite filled with wonder!
Other Delicious Rice Recipes
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Kale and Rice Salad with Radishes and Dill
Ingredients
- 1 bunch bunch purple kale stems removed and cut very small
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 2 radishes large chopped small
- ¼ cup green olives chopped
- 2 cups purple cabbage shredded
- 1 cup red jasmine rice cooked according to practice
- 15 oz white beans rinsed and drained
- 4 tbsp fresh dill feathery leaves and tender stems only chopped
- ¼ cup pistachios chopped
Dressing
- 1 lemon large, squeezed
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the package. No need to add oil or salt. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and spread out onto a plate or sheet pan to let cool quicker
- Make the dressing by adding the chopped onion, lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, pure maple syrup and salt to a jar and shaking until mixed.
- Add the kale to a large salad bowl and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. With clean hands massage the oil and salt into the kale until it is tender.
- Next, to the bowl of kale, add the radishes, olives, cabbage, cooled rice, beans, pistachios and dill. Pour the dressing over the top and toss until all is well combined.
- Enjoy within 2-3 days for best quality.
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