Not gonna lie, we just took your standard wild rice and cranked it up to like a 10!! This orange balsamic wild rice salad is outa this world. The flavors are insanely perfect together and it also has the added bonus of being really filling and easy to make. Winning!! The inspiration for this salad came from ingredients that were on hand and the use of a little imagination. So we had some brussel sprouts and just roasted them in the oven. While that was happening, we prepared the wild rice according to package directions and then added some deliciously tart dried cherries, pistachios and beautifully creamy goat cheese (we already know that pistachios and goat cheese are a match made in heaven, right?)
Next came the piece de resistance…we tossed it all together with an orange balsamic vinaigrette. Yes!! We are all about using up all the deliciously sweet oranges that are growing on the tree out back. (We so wish you could smell the orange blossoms on the tree right now…the backyard literally smells like a tropical island, which is rare in the desert, but not so rare this time of year, when the fruit trees are blooming) Yum. So, anyway, what better way to incorporate some fresh citrus but to blend it into a balsamic? We should add that you most certainly do not need to have an orange tree of your own for this dressing, just grab an orange next time you are at the grocery store and you are good to go! We hope that you love this salad as much as we do!
- 1 C long grain wild rice - cooked according to package instructions
- 1 C brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp pistachios, shelled
- 3 Tbsp dried cherries
- ¼ C goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ C fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 Tbsp chopped shallots
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ C good quality olive oil
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Line brussel sprouts on pan and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt, toss with hands to coat. Spread on pan evenly, roast in oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Cook wild rice according to package instructions. Strain and rinse with cold water. Add rice to a medium mixing bowl. Add brussel sprouts, dried cherries, pistachios and goat cheese.
- Add all ingredients except olive oil. Use an immersion blender or a blender, while blending slowly add in olive oil.
- Drizzle desired amount of vinaigrette over salad and toss to coat. Store remaining vinaigrette in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Toss salad to coat and refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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