A wild rice salad with harvest apples, butternut squash and plenty of herbs in a maple balsamic vinaigrette!
This wild rice salad is inspired by the flavours of fall and it makes for the perfect side for any meal, including Thanksgiving, or for a light meal! The base of the salad is a wild rice blend with roasted butternut squash and apples! Next up are some flavours taken from stuffing including onions, celery, garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary which bring some pretty amazing aromatics! The final components of the salad are toasted pecans, pepitas, dried cranberries and creamy goat cheese and everything is tossed in a sweet and tangy maple balsamic vinaigrette! Although there are a few parts to this recipe, you can do them at the same time; the rice can simmer while the butternut roasts and you can cook the onions, celery and apples all at the same time!
Harvest Wild Rice Salad
Prep Time:15 minutes Cook Time:45 minutes Total Time:1 hour Servings: 6
A wild rice salad with harvest apples, butternut squash and plenty of herbs in a maple balsamic vinaigrette!
ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water, or vegetable broth, or apple juice, or soft apple cider)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups butternut squash (or pumpkin, or sweet potato), peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup apple, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sage, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon rosemary, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup goats cheese (chevre or feta), crumbled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
For the dresing:
directions
- Cook the wild rice in the broth as directed on the rice package and set aside.
- Meanwhile, toss the squash in the oil, salt and pepper, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until tender, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and cook until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the apple and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, sage, thyme, and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about a minute, before removing from heat.
- When everything is ready, mix the rice, butternut, onion mixture, pecans, pepitas, cranberries and cheese.
- Mix everything well and toss with the salad just before serving!
For the salad:
For the dresing:
Option: You can cook the apple to make it tender or you can leave it raw for a crunchy texture.
Option: Add 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese for some more savoury flavour!
Note: This salad is great while everything is still warm and it’s also good at room temperature or cool so you can make it just before serving or make it a day ahead!
