Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries
This colorful wild rice salad combines chewy wild rice with crisp apples, pomegranate, cranberries, walnuts, spinach, and fresh herbs in a lemon-sumac dressing. Serve it at room temperature as a vegetarian side for holiday dinners, parties, or make-ahead lunches.
Servings: 6 people, as a side
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Salad
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice
- 2 cups spinach
- 2 crisp semi-sweet apples, chopped (I used a combination of Granny Smith and honeycrisp)
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds (from about 1 small pomegranate)
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and honey. Add the garlic powder, sumac, and a large pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk continuously as you slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.
- Cook the wild rice: Cook the rice according to the package instructions. Mine took about 40 minutes. Transfer the cooked rice to a large serving bowl.
- Mix the salad: When the rice has cooled slightly, but not completely, add the spinach, apples, shallots, pomegranate seeds, walnuts, dried cranberries, parsley, and mint.
- Dress and rest: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit The Mediterranean Dish Shop for Greek Honey, Sumac, and Early Harvest Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Dress the salad while the rice is still slightly warm. Warm rice absorbs the flavorful dressing more readily.
- I used water to cook the wild rice, but you can use low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth. Cook until tender but not mushy. The grains should have some resistance when you chew them, with no crunchy or chalky center.
- Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Bring the salad to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 472.2kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.7g | Protein: 10.2g | Fat: 25.8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.7g | Sodium: 18.3mg | Potassium: 476.8mg | Fiber: 6.7g | Sugar: 20.1g | Vitamin A: 1530.6IU | Vitamin C: 18.3mg | Calcium: 61.7mg | Iron: 2.5mg
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