Description
This Wild Rice Salad with Orange and Cranberries is a delightful combination of flavors and textures that make for a refreshing and satisfying dish. The nutty wild rice, sweet cranberries, juicy orange segments, and crunchy nuts come together beautifully in a zesty orange dressing.
Ingredients
Scale
Salad:
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend
- 2¼ cups water or broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup orange segments (fresh or canned, drained)
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (toasted)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and Cook Wild Rice: Rinse the wild rice blend and cook it in salted water or broth according to package directions (about 45 minutes), until tender but not mushy. Drain any excess liquid and allow the rice to cool completely.
- Prepare Salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooked and cooled rice, dried cranberries, orange segments, celery, green onions, toasted nuts, and parsley.
- Make Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the orange juice, olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
- Combine and Chill: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Notes
- This salad can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
- Add feta or goat cheese for a creamy twist, or use pomegranate seeds instead of cranberries for variation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 180mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
