Wild Rice Salad

• 1 cup wild rice (See Red Lake Nation Foods)
• 4 cups water
• 1 pomegranate
• 1 cup salted, roasted pistachios chopped so they are about the same size as arils and rice
• 4 green onions (Some goes in the dressing.)
• 1 cup feta cheese
• 4 cups of cleaned salad greens or Spring Mix (mesclun, spinach, red leaf, frisée, radicchio, and arugula)

Dressing

• Zest from 1 large lemon
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 3 TBSP thinly sliced green onion tops (Save the rest for the salad)
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 TBSP high quality extra virgin olive oil
• Maldon salt flakes to taste
• Pepper to taste

Bring the wild rice to a boil in lightly salted water. Turn down to a simmer, put the lid on, but not completely (I put a wooden spoon in to keep the lid slightly ajar) and let cook for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, remove from heat, put the lid completely on for about 5 more minutes. Dump into a large colander and let it drip dry. Leave it for an hour or more. I made it the day before and just fluffed it up when I was ready to make the salad.

Remove the arils from the pomegranate and clean, removing all the pith. This method I learned on YouTube works well.

How to prepare pomegranate

In a large bowl, add the wild rice and put the dressing on. If you dress the wild rice first, all the rest of the salad gets dressed as it is added. Add the greens and the remaining half of the green onions. Stir a bit, then add the pomegranate and pistachios.

Just before serving, break up the feta cheese and add it.

It’s crunchy, nutty, tart, umami, and ever bite is delicious. Except for the greens, everything is small.

Serves 8.

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Mizuna with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette

Spring is the season for tender, delicate salad greens like the lovely mizuna. Mizuna is a delicate, feathery salad green with a peppery flavor – though not so strong in flavor as arugula. For all its light and delicate shape and texture, it can stand up to a dressing with intense flavor. So, I decided to make a caramelized onion vinaigrette.

Using a mandoline, I sliced two onions as thinly as possible. I heated about 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron skillet and put the onions in to sauté. After they softened, I added 1 tsp of sugar and let it caramelize and blend in to the onions. It was just enough to potentiate the rich sweetness of the onions. I let the onions continue cooking until thoroughly caramelized.

Meanwhile, in my blender (Magic Bullet) I added 1 tsp of oregano, 3 TBSP of balsamic vinegar, 1 TBSP of dijon mustard and 1 TBSP of buckwheat honey (I think it’s not as sweet and much richer in flavor than regular honey, though it is also much, much darker.) I put about half to two-thirds of the onions in with this and pureed until smooth. Scraping it into a bowl, I whisked in about 1 cup of olive oil. I still had the rest of the onions on the stove, getting darker and richer in caramelization. I added the pieces of onion and whisked them in and then added about 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the skillet to deglaze and poured the rich, flavorful vinegar into the salad mix. I whisked it all together and served on the Mizuna.

This makes a sweet and tangy dressing with bright elements from the onions and vinegar and sweetness from the honey and also the onions. The mustard adds some heat. It’s delicious and makes enough for about a dozen salads or so. You can also use it on pork chops, steak or cooked veggies.