Forbidden Rice Salad with Bell Peppers

Forbidden rice is one of my favorites.  Maybe it's the nutty flavor?  Or, perhaps, it's just the dark purple color?  Either way, this healthy Whole Foods Market salad mixes forbidden rice with sweet potatoes, bell peppers and scallions, resulting in a beautiful mixture of bright pops of color and deliciousness.  Served chilled, it's perfect for summertime!  Sign me up!

As a forewarning, this recipe makes quite a lot (8-10 servings), so be prepared to share or eat a few times throughout the week.

Ingredients

2 cups forbidden rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons unrefined, expeller pressed sesame oil (not toasted!)
1 pound sweet potatoes, roasted and diced
3/4 cup diced red bell peppers
3/4 cup diced yellow bell peppers
1/2 bunch sliced green onions (3-4 onions...I use the green parts only)
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Cook rice with water and a pinch of salt.  (I use my rice cooker and put the machine on a setting for brown rice since forbidden rice is a variety which takes a long time to cook.)
Meanwhile, prepare your sweet potatoes.  (You can roast these however you like.  I usually just peel and cube the potatoes, and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil.  Bake at 375-degrees for about 25 minutes or so.)
When rice is done cooking, whisk together sesame oil and tamari in a small bowl.  Once mixed together, toss over the warm rice.  Let cool.
Once rice is cool, add sweet potatoes, bell peppers and green onions.  If desired, use salt and pepper to taste.
Chill the entire salad and then enjoy!

*Recipe via Whole Foods Market*