L&B Blueberry Wild Rice Salad
This week we cooked up a summer salad so fresh, juicy and crunchy that we couldn’t wait to tell you about it. It’s a cinch to make and a treat to eat. What makes it so wonderful? Let us count the ways!
There’s the wild rice, of course, which is slightly sweet, nutty and filling. It’s healthy, too, which puts it in that rare and magical category of “foods that do a body good while also being d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.”
The Mandarin oranges are sweet and juicy, perfectly balancing the hearty wild rice, and fresh blueberries add a pop of tart flavor. Roasted almonds seal the deal by giving this salad a satisfying crunch.
Bonus! You can prepare all the ingredients in advance. Boil the rice, mix it with the dressing and store it in the fridge alongside the other prepped ingredients. When it’s time to eat, mix it all together and enjoy!
Serves 6 to 8
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 cup wild rice
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
4 cups water
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 pint blueberries
1 (11oz) can Mandarin oranges, well drained
¾ cup L&B Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
½ teaspoon orange zest
Black pepper to taste
½ cup roasted almonds
Directions
- In a saucepan, combine the wild rice, salt and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until kernels are open and tender but not mushy, around 45 to 55 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine wild rice, onion, blueberries and oranges.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the dressing and orange zest. Drizzle the dressing mixture over the rice mixture and stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in almonds just before serving.
Time-Saving Tip: Purchase prepared wild rice. You need 3 to 4 cups of cooked wild rice for the recipe.
