Crunchy Wild Rice Salad

Today was Open House Night at my new school and boy am I tired. I could hardly begin to think about we were going to have for dinner, but thankfully for me, Pat made dinner! Even better, he made a new recipe that I had wanted to try, BONUS for the blog! This wild rice dish was delicious and is very healthy for you. I am very excited to bring it to my first day of school for lunch tomorrow. Hopefully I will get into a routine and get better about posting and cooking.

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad
Serves 6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar (a really nice one, otherwise it can be bitter)
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup wild rice, rinsed well
1 can low-sodium chicken broth (14 oz.) plus enough water to equal 4 cups liquid
3/4 cup chopped celery
3 green onions sliced, white and green parts
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Whisk together olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, Kosher salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Bring rice, chicken broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and turn down heat to a simmer. Cook rice for 45 minutes (if you want your rice a bit more tender, you can cook it another 5 minutes). Fluff the rice. Let sit for 5 minutes and then drain in a colander.

Carefully mix the sherry vinaigrette with the rice and all the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Taste for seasonings. I added a few pinches of sea salt and a few generous turns of fresh ground pepper.

Chill and let the flavors blend. It is best made ahead (either early in the day or the day before).

This recipe and others can be found at www.bunkycooks.com