One-Bowl Wild Rice Salad With Crumbled Walnuts, Dried Organic Cherries, Crunchy Greens in a Lemon Balsamic Dressing a.k.a. Your Plant-Based Protein Grains-In-A-Salad Dreams Come True!

Hi again babes!

<3

So as you guys know, when it comes to meal prep, I’ve been LOVING making some sort of plant-based grain & adding it to a salad with tons of crunchy veggies & some organic dried fruit (cranberries have been my fave lately, but today I opted for dried cherries!). 

I’ve done the quinoa & buckwheat & today, I went for wild rice!

The main ingredient in this salad is Lundberg Farms’ CountryWild Wild Rice blend. This blend of long grain brown rice & Black Japonica rice has tons of colour, flavour & amazing texture! It’s gluten-free, sugar-free, full of fibre, protein & good carbs!

Wild rice is slightly higher in protein than most whole-grains and is a great source of fibre, folate, magnesium & other beneficial nutrients. Some of its benefits include:

• High in antioxidants (phenolic acid & phytonutrients), so it’s useful in fighting chronic disease, such as coronary heart disease, stroke & even some forms of cancer.
• Very high in folate (a member of the B-vitamin family), which is good for rapid cell division & growth (& may help reduce birth defects for women who are pregnant).
• High in phosphorus, which makes it good for helping eliminate the weakness of bones & reduce the risk of stress fractures.
• Contains magnesium, which helps the body create & boost energy levels by activating adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This can help prevent fatigue, from day-to-day activities & even when exercising because it’s usually harder for the cells to get oxygen.

Once the rice was ready to go & cooled off, I added it to a bowl & threw in some fresh parsley, celery, green onion, dried organic cherries & crumbled raw walnuts! Then, I whipped up a very simple lemon balsamic dressing & this is one that you don’t have to make separately. You can simply season all your ingredients in… JUST ONE BOWL BABY! 

Oh & in case you were wondering, by dried cherries, I mean DRIED TART CHERRIES. And y’all know how freaking good those are for you, right? In case you don’t, check out all the benefits listed here: 6-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Tart Cherry Banana Soft-Serve Ice Cream a.k.a. Ben & Jerry Who? (P.S. Yes, This Ice Cream Will Soothe Your Muscle Soreness!) (OH &, if you know what’s good for you, MAKE THE ICE CREAM TOO!). 

As for walnuts, they have the ability to improve heart function due to their rich omega-3 content & are an ample source of monounsaturated fatty acids, like oleic acid (also found in olive oil). They may also help boost bone health, metabolism & control diabetes, prevent certain types of cancer, reduce inflammation, provide skin health benefits & regulate sleep!

My loves, YOU WILL NEED:

FOR THE SALAD:

• 1 cup of Lundberg Farms CountryWild wild rice;
• 3 cups of water;
• 1/4 cup of dried organic tart cherries;
• 1/4 cup of raw organic walnuts;
• 3-4 stalks of celery, DICED;
• 3 green onions, CHOPPED;
• 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, CHOPPED.

FOR THE DRESSING:

• The juice of 1 lemon;
• 2 tbsp. organic balsamic vinegar;
• 2 tbsp. organic natural (no sodium/no sugar) organic rice vinegar;
• splash or two of pure organic maple syrup (swap for honey if you prefer);
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder;
• black pepper & sea salt for seasoning!

Now, for that HOW-TO?

• MAKE THE RICE! Follow the package directions: Bring 2 cups of water to a bowl. Once boiled, add 1 cup of the wild rice to the skillet, lower the heat to a simmer & cover for about 30-35 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed & the rice is cooked through (BUT NOT MUSHY!).
  • If you find the rice is too hard in texture after the water has been absorbed, worry not! Simply add a bit more water to the pot & continue boiling it until it reaches your desired texture.
• Once the rice is cooked, remove from the heat & let cool completely before making the salad.
• While the rice is cooling, cut up your veggies, a.k.a. MULTI-TASK!
• Once the rice is cooled, add all your ingredients to a medium mixing bowl & season with the dressing ingredients. Toss to combine until all rice & veggies are coated & well-seasoned!

• DEVOUR!
  • Store in an airtight container & refrigerate!