This colorful, good-for-you wild rice salad with juicy cherries and crunchy hazelnuts is fresh and hearty, and it combines salty and sweet just right. Delicious on its own as a vegetarian lunch or served as a side dish to grilled meat or salmon.
⅓cupcrumbled goat's cheese or feta cheese,or to taste
Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Cook the wild rice according to the manufacturer's instructions. Let cool completely to room temperature. To allow the rice to cool faster, you can spread it over a baking sheet.Make-ahead tip: To save time, you can cook the wild rice up to 2 days ahead of time. Cool to room temperature then refrigerate in an airtight container. Return to room temperature 1 hour before assembling the salad, or take a shortcut by reheating slightly using the microwave.
To make the salad: In a large bowl, combine the wild rice, spinach, and 2/3 of the hazelnuts. Toss to combine.
Make the cherry dressing: In the container of a stand blender, add 1/3 of the cherries, the olive oil, the vinegar, and the salt. Blend until smooth. (You can also use a hand blender or a mini food processor to make the dressing.) Add a generous splash of the dressing to the salad and toss to combine.
Stir the remaining cherries into the wild rice salad. Season with freshly ground black pepper and fleur de sel or flaky sea salt. Add more dressing if needed. Transfer the salad to a large serving dish or bowl. Garnish with a drizzle of the remaining dressing, the remaining hazelnuts, crumbled cheese, and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
STORAGE: Because baby spinach holds up well even after being tossed with dressing, this wild rice salad can be made up to 1 day in advance. Refrigerate in an airtight container, but make sure to return to room temperature at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with the cheese and fresh basil just before serving.
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE & VEGAN: Omit the cheese.
NOTES
Rice Substitution Tips: You can use any whole-grain rice in this salad, and medium- to long-grain varieties work best. Black rice and red rice create striking salads, but long grain brown rice works too. You can also use a wild rice mix. Because the cooking times or whole grain rice varieties vary widely, always make sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions to get perfectly cooked rice.
How to Toast and Peel Hazelnuts: To roast and peel hazelnuts, spread them over a baking sheet and bake at 350°F (170°C) for 15 minutes, giving the tray a good shake every five minutes. When the skin of the hazelnuts is shiny and crackled, remove from the oven and transfer to a clean dish towel. Close the towel up into a bundle and rub the hazelnuts against one another vigorously to remove the skin. Open the towel and pick up the peeled hazelnuts. Some bits of skin will remain and that’s ok, simply make sure to discard all the loose papery bits. Keep the roasted hazelnuts in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
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