Vegan Cheddar, Apple and Brown Rice Salad is a filling, flavorful vegan meal! 

I love how versatile grain based salad are. Using cooked whole grains as a salad base makes for a hearty and satisfying vegan meal. I like to switch up the grain salad based on what is in season or what I have in my fridge. To keep this salad gluten-free, I used short grain brown rice as the base.

I normally shy away from vegan pre-made cheeses, but I was a craving cheese and apples together. Cheddar cheese and apples are a classic combination and pair beautifully together. The creaminess of the cheese is so good with the crunch of the fresh apples. I tested the salad with Violife and Daiya cheddar cheese. Both were good. The cheese in the photos and video is the Violife cheddar cheese.

The brown rice, vegan cheddar cheese and apples get tossed with a light lemon dressing. I like to add the dressing to the salad while the warm rice is still warm. This helps the rice to absorb all the flavors in the dressing.

You can serve the salad right away, but I prefer to serve this salad after it has chilled in the fridge.

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Vegan Cheddar, Apple and Brown Rice Salad

Yield: 4 to 6 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A hearty and satisfying whole grain salad with vegan cheddar cheese and apples.

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Ingredients

For the salad base:

• 1 Cup Short Brown Rice
• 2 ounces Vegan Cheddar Cheese Block, cut into cubes
• 1 Cup Apples, diced
• ½ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
• ¼ Cup Green Onion, diced

For the dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 1 Garlic Clove, grated
• ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the brown rice according to package instructions.
2. Once the rice is cooked, cool for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the rice to a large salad bowl. Add the cheddar cheese cubes, diced apples, parsley, and green onion. Toss together.

Make the salad dressing:

1. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together.
2. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Season for salt and pepper.
3. Serve right away or store in the fridge.

Did you make this recipe?

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XO Jeni