Tomato Rice Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups water
1 cup long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon spice essence or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 small diced jalapeno (optional)
1 clove garlic, minces
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large cucumber, peeled,seeded and diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced (red/green or yellow)
1 cup green onion, sliced
1 cup radish, thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring water to a boil, stir in rice and 1/2 tsp salt.
Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat and let stand, covered 5 minutes.
While rice is cooking, combine remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, lemon juice, cumin, garlic and olive oil.
Stir into hot cooked rice.
Chill for 30 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and chill several hours before serving.