Leftover Rice Salad

It looks like spring has finally sprung here in Strasbourg! This little branch was trying to sneak in my dining room window today...

In celebration of the coming of spring, most of my groceries this week were fruits and veggies, and I was inspired to make a salad with leftovers from the last couple nights' dinners and some of those veggies I bought today. I have to confess that I tend to let food go to waste more than I'd like. I always save that little bit of leftover rice, pasta, half of tomato, etc., but then forget about it. I'm working at trying to be more creative in how I use those leftovers up, and between that and the promise of spring, I thought that a salad would be the perfect vehicle for the leftovers in my fridge--namely a little brown rice (from Joie de Vivre's Moroccan Minestrone--a later post), a half of a rosemary balsamic chicken breast, and a small handful of arugula.

The result was a very yummy and filling cold rice salad to which I added a handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped red bell peppers, and a simple homemade honey mustard dressing (equal parts Dijon mustard, honey and red wine vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper mixed with olive oil to taste). I think that maybe next time I'd add some sliced green onions (if I have any on hand), but I'm definitely making this again. It would be especially good as a lunch to pack for work once I return in the summer...