Everything to Grain: Wild rice salad with celery and walnuts

by Caitlin Saniga

This salad gave me a great excuse to buy an ingredient I’ve been eying curiously for months: walnut oil. A great source of omega (3, 6 and 9!) fatty acids, walnut oil can usually be found in the olive oil section at the grocery store. I can definitely foresee doing some creative experiments with the oil later, but for this dish it provided a nice, Earthy undertone for the otherwise tart dressing.

Salad:

• 1 quart water
• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup lightly toasted broken walnut pieces
• 3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

I didn’t know this before I cooked it, but wild rice is actually a water-grass seed, not a true rice. Wild rice is high in protein, lysine and fiber.

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan, add salt to taste and the wild rice. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender and splayed. Drain and toss in a large bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.

Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk in the walnut oil, olive oil and yogurt. Toss with the wild rice mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings, and serve.

Make 4 to 6 servings.

Recipe adapted from: The New York Times

Rice makes such a nice palette that we decided to explore the many varieties in chilled salad form. Expect to see salads featuring brown rice, basmati, jasmine and more during the month of April. All of the Everything to Grain recipes can be found here.