This salad goes well at gatherings. It has a colorful contrast of colors with a variety of textures and garnished with mandarin orange.
Yield: about 6 servings
Ingredients for Wild Rice Salad
- 3-4 cups cooked wild rice, instructions how to cook wild rice
- 1½ cups cauliflower rice
- 1 cup carrots, julienned
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup dried cranberries (could use chopped dried apricots, raisins, or fresh diced apple)
- ½ cup sunflower seeds, dry roasted
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, dry roasted
- ½ cup sliced green onions/scallions
- Mandarin orange segments
Ingredients for Salad Dressing
- ¾ cup orange juice
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar, or rice vinegar
- 1½ Tbsp maple syrup, or add more to taste
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard, (any fancy mustard, not hotdog mustard)
- ½ tsp pure orange extract, optional/will enhance orange flavor/DO NOT over use
- a few drops of hot sauce if you like a bit of zing (sriracha hot chili sauce)
Instructions for Salad Dressing
- Add chia seeds to orange juice being sure to whisk a few times during first 2-3 minutes, as this will prevent seeds from clumping.
- Add remaining salad dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. It is ideal to allow dressing sit at least 45 minutes or leave overnight as chia seeds take longer to hydrate in juice vs water.
Putting it Together
- In a large bowl, toss together the wild rice, cauliflower, carrots, peppers, your choice of dried fruit, pumpkin and sunflower seeds and scallions.
- Add salad dressing and toss to combine.
- Can be served immediately or chilled. Leftovers keep well for 4 to 5 days.