About the Recipe
A fresh, hearty wild rice salad made with chewy wild rice, juicy tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, and herbs, tossed in a zesty lemon-olive oil dressing. Perfect as a side or light main dish.
Ingredients
2 cups wild rice (dry, do not use a blend)
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 c & 1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
14-ounce can chickpeas (drained) or sub chicken breast, see notes
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 large bunch Italian parsley, chopped, (at least 1 cup packed)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 lemons, zest and 1/4 cup juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, more to taste
optional additions: 1 tablespoon capers, 1 garlic clove,.
Preparation
Step 1 - Bring 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a large saucepan. Add the wild rice and olive oil. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat to low and simmer gently. Check at 30-35 minutes. Add more time if needed *Wild rice can vary in thickness, so cooking time will vary. Cook until the unburst rice is just tender, but still slightly chewy. Turn the heat off. Drain over a fine mesh strainer and let cool.
Step 2 - Halve the tomatoes and place them in a large bowl. Add the drained chickpeas. Chop the red onion finely, and add them to the bowl. Chop the Italian parsley and mint, and add to the bowl. Once the rice is close to room temperature, add it to the bowl.
Step 3 - Dress: Add the olive oil, lemon zest ( from 1 or 2 lemons -start with 1) and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Give a good toss. Taste. Add more lemon juice, olive oil and salt to taste. (If making this ahead, re-taste right before serving as the rice can soak up the salt. )