Tag: salad

Vegetarian Wild Rice Salad

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, eating, Health and wellness, Recipes2 Comments

wild rice

Last week when I went with my 12 year old “up north” I had a wild rice salad at the lodge that I thought was pretty good. I liked the textures, with the chewy wild rice and the crunchy water chestnuts. I wasn’t crazy about the honey mustard dressing, but I loved the addition of grapes. This was a true “midwestern salad”, I’m not afraid to admit. I decided I would try to remake it but with a different dressing and the addition of some other favorite add-ins.

One thing I love about wild rice (which actually isn’t rice at all) is that it has far more nutrients than white rice. In one cup of cooked wild rice, there are 7 grams of protein and 35 grams of carbohydrate, including 3 grams of fiber. It’s lower in calories than white rice and the protein it contains is higher quality because it has more of the essential amino acids.

Here is the recipe I came up with, with the help of a different recipe from my local grocery store chain.

VEGETARIAN WILD RICE SALAD

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked wild rice (about 1 cup uncooked). I like to put some Better Than Bouillon in the water to create more flavor.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Fine Herbs (or your choice of favorite dried herbs)

1/3 cup sliced green onion

1 (8 oz can) sliced water chestnuts, drained

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups sliced red seedless grapes

1 cup nuts of your choice (I used a mixture of cashews and sliced almonds)

Instructions:

Make the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, milk, lemon juice and herbs together in a small bowl.

In a larger bowl, combine In larger bowl, combine wild rice, green onion, water chestnuts, salt and pepper. Stir in mayonnaise mixture until blended. Refrigerate, until cooled. Before serving, fold in grapes and nuts. Take to your next potluck. 

You might also like:

Maybe A No Bake Treat Recipe For The Weekend

Maybe You Can Grow Your Own Scallions Super Easily

Maybe Some Rice Noodle Salad For Dinner Tonight?

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, eating, family, Health and wellness, Kids, Nutrition, Recipes, summer, wellness3 Comments

Maybe allergies are kicking my butt. I woke up yesterday with my ears completely clogged and everything sounded like I was underwater. I generally just didn’t feel great. So after I got home from picking up the 12 year old from school and it was time to make dinner, I was thankful I had planned on making this simple Rice Noodle Salad With Cucumber, Peanuts, and Basil. It took about 20 minutes from start to finish and there was absolutely no cooking involved. If you’re lucky, you have a kid that likes to cook and will make the dressing for you while you sit comfortably. This would make for a perfect summertime supper when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove. The recipe also fits with our Meatless Monday plans, which I would say we adhere to about 90% of the time. Going meatless once a week can reduce your risk of preventable diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce our carbon footprint. Plus, it’s generally cheaper to make a meatless meal. Win/win!

Asian Noodle Salad Meatless Monday

The original recipe came from Redbook Magazine but I made some changes to the recipe and adapted it, so here’s my version:

Rice Noodle Salad With Cucumber, Peanuts, and Basil

THE SALAD:

6 oz pad thai rice noodles

1/4 medium purple cabbage

1/2 sliced english cucumber

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

4 scallions, white and green parts sliced

1/2-1 cup fresh basil and cilantro, chopped

1 cup chopped peanuts, cashews or almonds

Sesame seeds

THE DRESSING:

1/4 cup lime juice (I love buying Santa Cruz organic bottled lime juice. It’s just so much easier)

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

HOW TO:

Pour hot water over noodles to cover and let sit for about 5 minutes, until softened. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, cut all the veggies up into thin slices, place the nuts in a baggie and whack them with a rolling pin to “chop”, and whisk together the dressing ingredients. Assemble the salads, drizzle dressing over the top, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. ENJOY!

NOTE: If you want more protein in your salad, it would be very easy to add rotisserie chicken, tofu, shrimp or any leftover meat you have. Maybe it’ll become a new family favorite.

You might also like:

Maybe I Need To Make Rosa Parks’ Peanut Butter Pancakes

Maybe I Found A One Pot Meal I Love

 

NEW RECIPE! Easy Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, eating, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness3 Comments

garlicky mustard vinaigrette

Good quality salad dressing is one of those recipes that is just so easy to make, and so darn expensive to buy at the store.  Most store-bought salad dressings have unnecessary ingredients and fillers, not to mention lower quality ingredients than what you probably have on hand in your kitchen and pantry.

This Easy Garlicky Mustard Vinaigrette is a great recipe to start with if you are new to making salad dressings or you just feel like having a simple vinaigrette.  It’s almost always in my refrigerator.

Every ingredient in this dressing is healthful, and it is full of good fats (olive oil) and possible cancer prevention (garlic, mustard seeds and vinegar).

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar (you can substitute any vinegar you like here)

1 teaspoon whole grain mustard

¼-1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1 clove garlic smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

Black pepper to taste

METHOD:

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously until combined.  When the dressing has the intensity of garlic taste you desire, remove the piece and discard. When you refrigerate this dressing, it will likely turn into a solid.  Simply remove from the refrigerator about 1/2 hour before using, or run under warm water. It will last about a week or so in the fridge.