Wild Rice Salad with Pecans & Golden Raisins
Wild Rice Salad with Pecans & Golden Raisins is a crowd pleasing side dish that is the perfect combination of sweet and savory!
Wild Rice Salad with Pecans & Golden Raisins
I love a cold wild rice salad with nuts and dried fruit. I could probably eat some form of it every single day and never get tired of it.
This one contains contains golden raisins, dried cranberries, pecans, cashews and green onions. The wild rice gives off a really nice chewy texture that goes great with the crunch form the nuts and onions. I almost didn’t add the green onions to this to keep it mostly on the sweet side, but I’m so glad I did because it gives a really great savory flavor that goes perfectly with the sweetness from the dried fruit.
Oh, and can we just talk about the orange vinaigrette that I made to dress the salad with?! It just sets the whole thing over the top and makes you want to eat the entire bowl in one sitting. Trust me, you’re going to want this orange vinaigrette in your life. It’s so easy to make and goes with just about any salad you can think of.
Looking for more rice dishes?
- Warm Kale Salad with Wild Rice & White Beans
- Greek Style Brown Rice Bowl & Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Coconut Rice & Sweet Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/ 2 cup cashew halves
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- zest from 1/2 of an orange
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- small pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, combine the rice and the water, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 40-45 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.
- Once the rice is done cooking, remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
- Once the rice is cooled, combine the rice, raisins, cranberries, pecans, cashews and green onions in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- To make the dressing, whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
- Carefully pour the dressing over the rice mixture and toss again to combine.
- Serve the salad room temperature or let it cook in the fridge for at least an hour if serving cold.
Oh, this looks so hearty and comforting! I love wild rice salads too!