Make yourself this sweet and savory rice salad for dinner tonight and you’ll get a bonus—delicious lunches for days!
Start by rinsing wild rice under running water then simmering it in a pot of water (about 1:3 rice to water ratio) with a couple pinches of salt—it’ll be puffed and ready to go in about 40 minutes. (According to my friends at North Bay Trading Co, “…do not overcook. For full flavor and chewy texture of this wild rice, stop cooking when the rice looks like an opened hot dog bun—not exploded like popcorn.” Check out their site for excellent freeze dried blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, even spinach.)
A riff on the Cranberry Kale Salad I posted a few years back, I took my friend’s suggestion and used orange juice and plain olive oil instead of flavored oils and vinegars. I think you’ll agree, the fresh citrus works really well with the wild rice and cranberries. Tonight, I served it with roasted delicata squash rings and “optional chicken”, my strategy for our “blended family” of carnivore/part-time carnivore/plant-based. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw wild rice rinsed and cooked (should yield about 6 cups cooked)
- 1 bunch dino kale leaves (discard hard stem) thinly sliced
- 4 green onions thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup cashews or pecans roasted and salted (or raw, it's up to you)
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup orange juice or tangerine juice (freshly squeezed is extra nice)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Edmond Fallot brand
- 1/2 teaspoon flake salt Maldon or Jacobsen
- several grinds of fresh black pepper
Instructions
Cook the wild rice
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Rinse the wild rice with water, then put in pot with 6 cups fresh water and a couple pinches of salt. Cover pot and bring to boil, reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, and cook until just tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from heat, rinse with cold water, and drain.
Stir together the salad
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Put the wild rice in a large bowl and add the sliced kale leaves, green onions, cranberries and nuts.
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In glass measuring cup, whisk to combine the orange juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the wild rice and things. Mix to combine. Good room temperature or chilled.
Recipe Notes / Tips
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The nuts get soft over time, so if you're making a big batch in advance, add the nuts just before serving
