SAFFRON RICE AND BEAN SALAD

SAFFRON RICE AND BEAN SALAD image

Categories Salad

Number Of Ingredients 8

10 oz. yellow (saffron or Mexican) rice
15 oz. canned black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum or Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup total)
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil, or more to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
6 large flour tortillas (optional)

Steps:

Cook the rice according to the package directions. While the rice cooks, put the beans, tomatoes, and onions in a large serving bowl. Add the warm rice to the bowl, and top it with the vinegar, oil, and cilantro. Toss thoroughly. Serve warm or cold. To make your own tortilla chips, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a small bowl, and, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and bottom of one corn tortilla with the oil. Put the tortilla on a cutting board, and brush the top of the next tortilla with oil, putting the non-oiled side on top of the first tortilla so they share any extra oil. Continue with the remaining tortillas, brushing only the top side and stacking them (use 8 - 10 tortillas in total). Cut the tortillas into eighths, cutting across the middle so they are triangle shaped, and spread them on one or two large baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle them evenly with 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste. Bake them for about 15 minutes until they are lightly browned and crisp, but remove them before they get dark brown.