Description

This healthy, beautiful salad compliments any meal any time of the year, but is especially good in the fall and makes a great dish for holiday meals.

Ingredients

• 1 c. wild rice, rinsed
• 1/4 c. raw pecan halves
• 1/4 c. whole raw cashews
• 1/4 c. pistachios
• 1/4 small red onion
• several small inner stalks of celery, with leaves
• 3 green onions
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• Dressing:
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 T. vinegar, your favorite
• 1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 t. Dijon mustard
• 1 t. honey
• salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. Do the day before, if time allows: soak the rice in plenty of water for 8 hours; drain and continue. This step will help keep the rice from splitting, which makes it a prettier salad.
2. Bring 1 quart of water and a teaspoon of salt to boil in a saucepan; add the rice. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and cook for about 30-40 minutes, or just until the rice is tender. Wild rice always has a little bite to it, so don't try cooking it until completely soft.
3. While rice is cooking, put cashews and pecans in a large skillet and toast, over medium heat, until you can smell them and they start to turn slightly brown. Remove them from the heat and let cool before rough chopping them.