As warmer weather arrives, I love to have an oversized bowl of grain salad in my fridge to serve up whenever hunger strikes. Otherwise, I find myself lapsing into my natural state as a closeted lunch skipper, despite being a Registered Dietitian who touts the importance of maintaining a consistent meal schedule. This salad is leagues better than the alternative: scarfing an apple with peanut butter at 3 p.m. when I realize lunch is long gone and I need to tide myself over to dinner. The keys to a good grain salad are: lots of fun textures, bursts of zesty flavor, and an absurdly abundant portion so you don’t have to ration it throughout the week—you can just luxuriously heap it into a bowl and dig in.

This grain salad, a nostalgic concoction inspired by my recent ladies’ trip to Mexico, is packed with crunchy jicama, green onion, corn and bell pepper, with luscious nuggets of mango and tomato adding the right amount of sweetness to cut the tangy lime dressing. The base of black beans and chewy brown rice makes it a filling meal in and of itself, but it would also make a lovely accompaniment to grilled fish or shrimp.

This keeps well in the fridge for about four days, and packs well in Tupperware for lunch on the go. Feel free to swap in other fruits and vegetables, like cucumber or pineapple. Still, I think the combination specified here is a winning one. If you want more spice, throw in another jalapeno or serrano chili.

Rice Salad with Beans, Mango and Jicama

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:

1 3/4 cup brown rice

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 mangos, peeled and chopped

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced

For the dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

DIRECTIONS

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Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rice to the boiling water as you would pasta. Cover and cook in the boiling water for about 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drain the rice in a colander and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

Place the cooled rice in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients. Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake to mix well. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately, or store covered in the refrigerator. Consume within four days.

Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.

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