Superfood Wild Rice Salad

June 15, 2017

I love combining herbs with grains and nuts or seeds. This dish has a salty sweet taste but with a super fresh citrus twist. Grains are naturally high in protein, fiber, and essential micronutrients. Wild rice, in particular, is a tad higher in protein and the flavor is somewhat nutty.

I chose cilantro as the herb for this dish. I love all kinds of fresh herbs though, parsley, mint, and basil would be amazing as well. Feel free to substitute with any herbs you have available.

Adding nuts and seeds makes the dish crunchy; not to mention it gives the salad an extra boost of even more protein and fiber. Again, sub toasted nuts like pecans or walnuts if you prefer a heartier dish.

The raisins and the orange juice add a sweetness without any refined sugar. Eat this as a side dish, make it for a potluck or store it in the fridge as a quick and healthy snack option during the week.

Superfood Wild Rice Salad Recipe Serves 6 side salads or 4 main dishes Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked wild rice

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 medium size orange, zest, and juice

   

• ¼ cup green onions (scallions), chopped

• ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted or store bought

• ⅓ cup sunflower seeds (raw)

   

• ½  cup cilantro, chopped

• ⅓ cup raisins

Directions

1. Cook the wild rice according to the package.

2. Meanwhile in a small bowl add the olive oil, sea salt, cumin and orange zest and juice. Mix well with a fork.

3. In a large salad bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

4. When wild rice has cooled a bit (just so it’s not super hot) add it to the salad bowl with the other seeds and greens. Add the dressing and mix again.

5. Salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve warm.

Nutrition Facts in one serving

Serving size: 1 cup

Calories 418

Carbohydrates 42 (5.7 grams fiber)

Fat 22 g healthy fats (including omega 6 and 3 with no cholesterol)

Protein 14.6 g

(including all 8 essential amino acids)

In addition to the macronutrients listed above, this salad is packed with vitamins B1, B2, B6, folate, Vitamin E and K. It’s really high in copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.

BIO

Recipe courtesy of Juli Novotny Goddard - Entrepreneur turned information sharing, recipe developer, and food obsessed blogger & journalist.

As a plant-based chef I’m not only cooking and taking photos all day long but I’m teaching the “why” along the way. Why be healthy? Why plants? Why not animals? It’s my passion, my artistic outlet, and my job. Come check out more of my work on Instagram.