Recipes & Food Styling

Fridge Dump: Mid-Summer Wild Rice Salad

Studies have determined that whole grains – like wild rice – help inhibit the growth of mammory tumors in mice. What’s more, the dark color in a grain of wild rice are phytochemicals.

I keep a good stash of wild rice and brown rice in the pantry all of the time, and rely on it for days like today when I am cleaning out the fridge. I found three two-week-old carrots, some shallots, lemons, and even some walnuts and raisins that were still in the cupboard from Christmas baking. Here’s how I brought everything together in a nutritous and light, tasty summer wild rice salad like my mom used to make:

Fridge Dump: Mid-Summer Wild Rice Salad

Makes 4 servings

Salad

3 cups wild rice, prepared according to ingredients on the package

1/2 cup raisins or craisins

1 cup carrot, sliced into coin-size pieces

1 cup roasted rutabaga, diced

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (recipe below)

Mix all of the ingredients together, blending the dressing well into the salad.

Salad Dressing

4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon shallots, diced

Juice of 1 fresh lemon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground multi-color peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt

Place all of the ingredients in a salad shaker and shake until well blended, about 20-30 revolutions

Toasted Walnuts

1 cup walnuts

1 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, toss all of the ingredients together until the walnuts are thoroughly covered with the butter and brown sugar.

Spread out the nuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toast them in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Toss the walnuts lightly and place them back into the oven until crunchy all around, about another 5-7 minutes.

Remove nuts, and set them aside to cool. When the nuts are room temperature, they can be added to the salad.

Roasted Rutabaga

1 cup rutabaga, diced

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Dash of pink Himalayan sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the ingredients together until all of the pieces of rutabaga are covered with the oil mixture.

Place the rutabaga on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When the rutabaga pieces reach the point that they are firm on the outside and still tender inside, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.