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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Harvest Wild Rice Salad

[heart_this] · Nov 10, 2022 · 2 Comments

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

A wild rice salad with harvest apples, butternut squash and plenty of herbs in a maple balsamic vinaigrette!

This wild rice salad is inspired by the flavours of fall and it makes for the perfect side for any meal, including Thanksgiving, or for a light meal! The base of the salad is a wild rice blend with roasted butternut squash and apples! Next up are some flavours taken from stuffing including onions, celery, garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary which bring some pretty amazing aromatics! The final components of the salad are toasted pecans, pepitas, dried cranberries and creamy goat cheese and everything is tossed in a sweet and tangy maple balsamic vinaigrette! Although there are a few parts to this recipe, you can do them at the same time; the rice can simmer while the butternut roasts and you can cook the onions, celery and apples all at the same time!

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Harvest Wild Rice Salad
Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Harvest Wild Rice Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 6

A wild rice salad with harvest apples, butternut squash and plenty of herbs in a maple balsamic vinaigrette!

ingredients
    For the salad:
  • 1 cup wild rice blend
  • 2 cups chicken broth (or water, or vegetable broth, or apple juice, or soft apple cider)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups butternut squash (or pumpkin, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 1 cup apple, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sage, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
  • 1/4 cup pepitas
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup goats cheese (chevre or feta), crumbled
  • For the dresing:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
directions
    For the salad:
  1. Cook the wild rice in the broth as directed on the rice package and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, toss the squash in the oil, salt and pepper, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and cook until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the apple and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic, sage, thyme, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about a minute, before removing from heat.
  6. When everything is ready, mix the rice, butternut, onion mixture, pecans, pepitas, cranberries and cheese.
  7. For the dresing:
  8. Mix everything well and toss with the salad just before serving!
Option: You can cook the apple to make it tender or you can leave it raw for a crunchy texture.
Option: Add 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese for some more savoury flavour!
Note: This salad is great while everything is still warm and it’s also good at room temperature or cool so you can make it just before serving or make it a day ahead!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 279, Fat 20g (Saturated 3g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 174mg, Carbs 42g (Fiber 5g, Sugars 12g), Protein 10g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Similar Recipes:
Traditional Stuffing
Chicken and Wild Rice Kale Salad in a Creamy Asiago Balsamic Dressing
Apple and Pomegranate Quinoa and Kale Salad with Feta in a Curried Maple Dijon Dressing
Spinach Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese in a Bacon Pan Sauce Dressing Topped with a Hard Boiled Egg
White Bean and Spinach Quinoa Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms and Blue Cheese in a Bacon Pan Sauce Dressing
Creamy Asiago Chicken and Mushroom Tortellini Soup
Roast Acorn Squash, Sweet Potato and Beet Kale and Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Feta and Pomegranate in a Cilantro Lemon Tahini Dressing
Harvest Skillet Chicken with Apples, Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes

Food, Gluten-free, Maple, Pumpkin, Recipe, Rice, Salad, Side Dish

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet says

    November 15, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    Excellent dish – made it last night for dinner for friends/ so delicious! Will be making it again for Thanksgiving. You won’t be disappointed! Thank you for this recipe.

    Reply
  2. Kate from Alberta says

    November 20, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    Hands down, one of the BEST recipes/dishes I have ever made. A little labor intensive but totally worth it!!! So GOOD! Amazing! It’s in my top ten favorites. Go make it! 😋

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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