Strawberry Wild Rice Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing
Strawberry Wild Rice Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing is everything you could want in a spring salad - the flavors of citrus, fresh herbs, and vibrant colors come together in a satisfying, hearty dish that can stand alone as a meal or an elegant side dish.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs20 minutesmins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Strawberry Rice Salad
Servings: 6as side
Calories: 307kcal
Ingredients
For the salad:
4ouncesfeta cheesecrumbled
The zest of 1 Cara Cara orangereserve the orange for juicing in the vinaigrette
¼cupfresh basilchopped
¼cupfresh mintchopped
1teaspoonextra virgin olive oil
¼teaspoonfreshly cracked black pepper
1 ½cupscooked US-grown red wild rice - cooked according to package directionssuch as Wehani rice
6cupsbaby arugulaabout a 5 ounce box of lettuce
1cupdiced strawberries
⅓cuproasted unsalted pistachiosshelled and chopped
For the dressing:
Juice from 1 Cara Cara orangeabout ⅓ cup
1tablespoonhoney
1teaspoonapple cider vinegar
½teaspoonDijon mustard
2tablespoonsgrapeseed oilor neutral flavored oil of your choice
1teaspoonpoppy seeds
Instructions
Combine the feta, orange zest, herbs, olive oil, and pepper in a small, airtight container. Toss to combine and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors marry. This would be a good time to cook your rice and let it cool while the cheese marinates!
Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar or other sealed container and shake vigorously until thoroughly incorporated. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Dressing will keep up to 3 days.
In a large salad bowl, add the rice to the bottom, then the marinated feta, strawberries nuts, and finally the arugula to the very top. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and toss to combine thoroughly. Serve at room temperature.
**Note: I like to prep these salad ingredients and store them separately in my fridge so I can throw individual servings of the salad together as I need them. This is a great salad to layer in a Mason jar to pack for lunch in the following order from the bottom: dressing, rice, cheese, nuts, berries, greens, and seal with a lid. Dump contents of jar out onto a plate and toss lightly - lunch is served!
Notes
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories 307, Total Fat 13.1g, Saturated Fat 3.8g, Cholesterol 17mg, Sodium 225mg, Potassium 394mg, Total Carbohydrates 39.5g, Dietary Fiber 4.0g, Sugars 7.9g, Protein 10.8g