I love a hearty grain salad for lunch or a light weeknight dinner. This one uses nutty, chewy wild rice, crunchy raw veggies, salty cheese that gets tossed in a simple apple cider vinaigrette. Generously top with nuts, more cheese, and whatever else you like for a hearty salad meal!
Ingredient Highlight
Wild rice! Did you know that it’s actually a type of grass and is one of the only grains native to North America? It’s higher in protein than most other grains and has a delicious, unique nutty, earthy flavor and chewy texture. It’s also loaded with fiber, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, zinc, Vitamin B6, and niacin.
It is more expensive than other grains because it’s difficult to harvest. You can easily substitute any other grain to bring down the cost, but I highly recommend trying it!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 1 hour Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice (2 ½ cups cooked rice)*
- 4-5 cups loosely packed arugula
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced or quartered (about 1-1 ½ cups)
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, chopped (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
- ½ cup toasted almonds or walnuts chopped
- Black pepper
For the dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Easily sub short grain brown rice or a wild rice mix!
- *Save on dishes! Whisk the dressing together in the bowl you want to keep or serve your salad in. Then add all of the prepped ingredients and toss!
- Note: increase the protein by adding boiled or fried eggs, beans, or other cooked protein (chicken, steak, fish, etc…)
Instructions
- To cook your wild rice, add it to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover by 3-inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer/low boil for 40-60 minutes, depending on the rice. You’ll know it’s cooked by tasting it and seeing some of the rice burst open. Drain and transfer to a large bowl to cool off.
- Once the rice has cooled off, add the arugula, scallions, radish, cucumber, and cheese to the bowl.
- In a jar with a lid, add the oil, vinegar, syrup, mustard, and salt and shake to combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Taste and add more salt or vinegar, if needed. When salads taste flat, it’s usually because it’s not acidic or salty enough!
- Serve the salad topped with nuts, black pepper, and some more cheese if you have it!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 1 cup wild rice
- Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions
- Slice or quarter 1 bunch radishes (about 1-1 ½ cups)
- Peel, remove seeds, and chop 1 cucumber (about 1 ½ cups)
- Toast ½ cup nuts
- Make the dressing
Substitutions:
- Easily sub short grain brown rice or a wild rice mix!
- Use any combination of raw crunchy veg in place of radish and cucumber.
- Any leafy green can be used in place of arugula.
- To make vegan, skip the cheese and add and extra ¼ teaspoon of salt. Top with chopped avocado.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Enjoy this salad straight out of the fridge or at room temperature.
- Leftover grain salads can usually benefit from a glug of vinegar and sprinkle of salt tossed in before serving.
- Top it with fried or boiled egg or add chopped or shredded chicken.
