one green planet
one green planet

When served warm, this salad is hearty enough to eat during even the coldest winter months – but it's equally as nice served chilled at a picnic or other warm-weather gathering! Crunchy almonds, chewy cranberries and sun-dried tomatoes, tangy olives, and hearty wild rice provide an interesting mix of textures that will have you craving more!

Green Bean and Wild Rice Salad [Vegan]

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Serves

8

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • About 6 cups water
  • 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, chopped (reserve some oil for dressing)
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 large radishes, julienned or thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives, seeds removed, quartered
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, lightly toasted

For the Dressing:

  • 2 small cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar

Preparation

To Make the Salad:

  1. In a 3-quart saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add green beans to water and cook for 3-4 minutes, until crisp-tender.
  2. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath. In a medium bowl, add 2-3 cups of ice and equal water.
  3. Transfer green beans to the ice bath with tongs or a slotted spoon to halt cooking and preserve their bright green color.
  4. Add rice to the green bean water and stir. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes with lid slightly askew to allow steam to escape. Strain water from the rice, return the rice to the pot, cover with a lid, and set back on burner with the heat off for 20-30 minutes. Rice will steam and soften during this time.
  5. Remove green beans from the ice bath. Dry them with paper towels. Cut green beans into bite-size pieces and transfer them to a large bowl.
  6. Add sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, red onion, kalamata olives, dried cranberries, and Italian parsley. Toss to combine.

To Make the Dressing:

  1. Combine garlic, shallot, mustard, salt, pepper, oil from sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, and sherry wine vinegar in a small bowl. Briskly whisk to emulsify the dressing. Set aside.
  2. Add wild rice to the green bean mixture. Toss to combine. Add dressing, toss to combine.
  3. Just before serving, sprinkle salad with toasted almonds.

Notes

- This salad will hold up for several days in the refrigerator – even with the dressing. - To maintain the crunch of the almonds, garnish this salad just before serving.



About The Author

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Lisa Lotts

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Lisa is a South Florida-based food blogger who derives inspiration from a diverse family food background, which includes southern comfort foods, traditional French and Caribbean cuisine. On her blog, Garlic and Zest, she explores fresh, innovative flavors and the inexorable link between food and family. Her approachable fare tastes like home.

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