Wild Rice Salad

Salad is definitely a love-hate food for most people. It is certainly not one of those foods that makes you stop and cry out, “MMM, delicious”– unless of course you are like us, and have come to really embrace and enjoy life as a chunky salad eater. However, this particular recipe takes a carb-rich approach to the salad, making it truly MMM, delicious and healthy, all in one.

For this recipe, our key ingredient is: Wild Rice

Here’s why we care about this recipe:

• Wild rice has ~30% less calories than cooked brown rice, making it a nutritionally savvy choice if you are watching your calorie intake. Wild rice is actually a grass, so it is richer in protein than other types of rice. Not only does it have fewer calories, but it also packs roughly  40% more protein than brown rice! Does that make your heart swoon a little?
• After reading our post last week on colonics, you probably could have guessed that we struggle with digestion. Wild rice has 3 grams of fiber per cup. This means that it will help the food in your body digest faster, and will help fight against serious issues such as hemorrhoids and colon or rectum cancers.
• The fiber content also helps flush your body of LDL cholesterol, or the ‘bad kind’. This means that wild rice is a heart healthy choice when it comes to grains.
• Wild rice is also a sneaky way to get in more antioxidants. The rice will help fight cell degeneration, as well as signs of aging and damage from free radicals. This is especially enticing given that white rice contains no antioxidant capacity.

Wild Rice Chicken (or Chicken-less) Salad

INGREDIENTS

For the salad:

• 2 cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
• 3 artichoke hearts, drained and diced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted*
• 2 cups chicken, shredded (we recommend using rotisserie chicken)**

For the dressing:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ¼ teaspoon paprika
• 1 garlic clove, minced

*To toast, place slivered almonds on baking sheet and pop into toaster oven for 2-3 minutes. Watch closely, they go from toasted to burnt very quickly!

**For vegan option, replace with 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained & rinsed.

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Add wild rice and stir well. Reduce to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes or until water is fully absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing. Fully combine all dressing ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Once rice is cooked, add to a large bowl with artichoke hearts, green onions, cherry tomatoes, almonds and chicken (or chickpeas).
4. Toss with dressing. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Yield: 6 Servings; Serving Size: Approximately ¾ cup

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 280, Total Fat: 12.6g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 257mg, Total Carbohydrates: 23.9g, Dietary Fiber: 3.4g, Total Sugars: 2g, Protein: 19.2g

Enjoy!! We hope you love this recipe as much as we did- we both meal prepped it this week, and cannot get enough. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

XO,

Amanda and Christina