Wild Rice

It’s not all about brown rice!  Think about whole grains that are rich in protein -second to oats in fact with quinoa ranking third.  I’m talking about wild rice, with its pretty combination of red, brown and black grains.  It’s also packed with the lysine and the best thing about it – it’s low in fat.  Thanks to Wiki for the nutritional info which is like the icing on the cake because I’m loving wild rice already with just its nutty flavor and chewy-soft texture.  So wild rice has become omnipresent in our meals at times replacing good old white rice but it can be prepared in many ways one of which is as a salad mixed with all the good stuff like this: 

WILD RICE AND EDAMAME SALAD

 recipe adapted here

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds

4 cups cooked wild rice

3 medium green onions, thinly sliced

2 cups shelled cooked edamame, thawed if frozen

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced into small pieces

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar, plus more as needed

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

Toast almonds in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring often for 8-10 minutes or until light brown

Transfer to a large bowl. 

Add wild rice, green onions, edamame, carrots, and cranberries to the bowl with the almonds and toss to combine.
Whisk together olive oil, rice vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until well incorporated

Drizzle over the rice mixture and toss to combine. Taste and season as needed with more salt, pepper, and vinegar. Top with chopped cilantro, cover and chill for at least one hour before serving

This is a happy union of flavors, textures and freshness. Crunchy carrots and almonds; chewy-soft wild rice, cranberries and edamame; the acidity in the rice vinegar tamed by a little honey; a little salt and a little freshly cracked black pepper make up the dressing then topped with green onions and chopped cilantro for freshness. I added toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil when I made it for the first time which is really good but this is a nice little deviation.