Wild Rice Arugula Salad
This is a great example of how to use inspiration from a recipe from a meal kit and make it your own. We belonged to Martha and Marley Spoon a few years ago, and I always save my favorite recipes and pull them out when I want something gourmet and fun. Their recipe was an Israeli couscous salad, and it was excellent when we had it, but because of my gluten intolerance, I have to change it up. Instead of couscous, I used the Wild Blend Rice from Lundberg. I not only love the flavor of this rice, but I love its color too.
I made a simple salad dressing out of lemon zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. By the way, when you have a nice salad like this with a bowl full of complex flavors, that's exactly what you want. A simple dressing that compliments those flavors instead of competing with them is best.
With any recipe right now, it's been tough to find everything in stock. The original recipe calls for golden raisins, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Next best thing on the shelf? Dried cherries, which really gave it a nice twist.
Recipe for Wild Rice Arugula Salad:
Adapted from Martha and Marley Spoon
Ingredients:
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup wild rice blend, cooked according to the directions on the package
1/2 cup wild cherries, or golden raisins or any other dried fruit
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
3-4 oz baby arugula
Instructions:
Zest and juice the lemon into a large bowl. Whisk in olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper. Add red onion, wild rice, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and arugula. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.