Wild Rice Salad with Cashews and Lemon-Mint Dressing

I took this amazing cooking class instructed by Omid Roustaei, (who is also a personal chef) a few weeks back. As healthy and nutritious as all his creations that day were, there was one particular dish that caught my attention "The wild rice salad".
It was a sensual burst of flavors in my mouth, almost like a perfect medley of sweet, bitter, nutty and every bit pleasantly Herby.

Wild rice is a different variety of rice that grows in water, and only the flowering part is above the water. It is black in color and high in protein, amino acids and dietary fiber, and low in fat. Gluten-free like every other rice.
They are normally used in sync with other rices and sold like a medley, but they can be brought separately too, and can be used in salads like these. They are harder than normal rice, and thus takes longer to cook.
I don't use wild rice on a regular basis, so got what I needed in the bulk section of the grocery store, that works out cheaper too.

The original recipe called for cranberries which I omitted, added green bell peppers, and subtituted zucchini with raw mangoes. And it turned out just the way I liked it.
Mangoes did add its own magic to the whole salad. It is a must try. And super healthy too.

Wild Rice Salad with Cashews and Lemon-Mint Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:
Wild rice -1 cup
Vegetable broth - 2 1/4 cups
Raddichio/any bitter greens - 1/2 cup
Raw mango - 1 small (diced) (Could substitute this with zucchini)
Red pepper - 1 (diced)
Green bell pepper - 1 small (diced)
Carrot - 1 (diced)
Roasted salted cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
Salt - To taste

Dressing:
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Lemon juice - From 2 large lemons
Garlic - 4 cloves (finely chopped)
Mint - 1 bunch chopped
Pepper - 1 tsp
Salt - To taste

Method:

In a cooking pot, combine wild rice, salt and broth and bring to to a boil. Simmer, and cover. Cook for about 40 - 60 min or till the grain is soft.
I used a rice cooker to cook the wild rice, so did not have to keep checking.
Cool completely.

In another large bowl, mix all the ingredients listed in the dressing section.

To this add the cooled wild rice, the rest of the vegetables, (except cashews), salt and pepper and let it sit for an hour in the refrigerator.

Just before serving add the roasted cashew nuts and serve.

Yields 4 to 6 servings.



This goes to:

Sangeeth's Eat Healthy Fight Diabetes event
Srivalli's Rice mela event
Kimi's Nourishing Holiday Food event
Ivy's World Food Day event
Suganya's Vegan Ventures event

Jicama Salad

This one is for Liz, one of my best friend. It is her birthday today (Sep 2). She is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. One that has a solid head on her shoulders, and she is like a perfect glue that holds people together, and never says "no" to a friend in need.
She taught me how to make this, Jicama (pronounced: hee-kah-mah)salad, so I thought it would make her happy to do this one thing, among many others I learnt from her. I know, I know! A cake would have been ideal, but I tacked together what I can for the moment :)
I never even knew what a Jicama was until last year. She made a very simple salad out of it. On a hot summer day, it was the best thing that my senses could ask for. The cold crunchy taste of the Jicama with fresh lemon squeezed on top of it! Hmm.

Jicama is also called as the "Mexican potato" or the "Mexican turnip" and is basically a tuberous root. It is exactly something you would pass by in a grocery store and never notice if you are not familiar with it. The salad that I was taught is made with cooled/chilled Jicama and the lemon juice just balances off the slightly sweet nature of the root.
Involves very few steps and is the most easiest thing you can spend your time for.

Jicama Salad:

Ingredients:

Jicama - 1 medium sized
Salt - To taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Method:

Peel the skin off the Jicama root with a peeler or knife.
Cut into one-inch thick strips.
Squeeze lemon juice over it.
Sprinkle a little salt and chilly powder or serve separately for people to use as needed.

There you have it... I told you, it is that simple!



I am sending this off to Easy crafts: WYF: Salad/Starter/Soups Event, and this files under the Salad category.

Lentil Salad

Sadly, my knowledge of Lentils dont extend beyond the dhals/sambars/idlis/gravies, and seasonings that I normally use them in.
I have only heard about Lentil salad before but it never striked as something that I need to try out. Until when I was at the "Ekal Incredelicious" cooking competition and one of the entries was a Lentil salad. I have no idea how the original recipe was made, but how wrong can one go with salads as long as you keep the flavors in sync? And it turned out wonderful.
I have used a combination of vegetables that I know will taste well together. But if you care to be different, I would definitely like to hear from you.

The lentil I have used in this salad is a French green lentil, which holds its shape well when cooked and is perfect for salads adding a unique bite. As hard it maybe to overcook, do pay attention to package instructions.

Lentil Salad:

Ingredients:



French Green lentils - 1.5 cups (cooked according to package instructions)

Finely chop the below:
Red onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 small
Green pepper (Capsicum) - 1 small
Carrots - 2 small
Green olives - About 10 halved

Mix all the above gently. It is best served at room temperature.



I am sending this recipe to the WYF:Colour in Food event
What better way to bring out colors than with raw food!
The colors my salad represent are: Dark green (from the lentils), Red (from the tomatoes), Orange(from the carrots), Purple(from the red onions), Green (from the bell peppers), and Olive&Red (from the olives and capers)