This Easy Easy Wild Rice Harvest Salad with Maple Tarragon Vinaigrette features crisp Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, celery and scallions in a delightful dressing. Although I typically think of this as a fall salad, I do provide a spring, early summer alternative that uses fresh cherries in place of the dried cranberries.
Best served chilled, this simple fall salad recipe makes a nice stand-lone side dish, or it can be served over a bed of baby greens as a main course. If you’re looking for a perfect fall meal, this salad pairs nicely with a little grilled pork or roasted chicken.
I have made this simple salad for years; however, and for whatever reason, it has remained a draft post on the back-end of my blog for nearly four years. I don’t know why I never published it until now, but when a craving for this old favorite came to me, I knew it was time to finally, make it again, snap a few pictures and post it here on the blog.
This is actually more common than I care to admit. When I first started the MOstly Bakes blog in 2019, one of my primary motivations was to capture all the recipes that were in my head or on random pieces of paper and compile them in one, backed-up digital space.
Although I have made amazing progress in whittling down my folders of recipes ( I started with three one-inch thick folders), I still have one to go. This last folder continues to get thinner with time, but there are still a few classics – like my beef stew recipe – that have yet to be posted. Like this one, they will come when either my muse in the kitchen (or my daughter) dictates the timing of their release.
In the meantime, here’s one more family favorite that you can now add to your collection of fall salad recipes.
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Why I Chose Wild Rice for This Recipe
For this simple fall salad recipe, I wanted something that would compliment yet stand up against the fresh elements in the dish. Wild rice has a firm, chewy texture and nutty flavor that made it a clear choice for me.
Surprisingly, wild rice isn’t rice at all. It’s actually an edible grain of an aquatic grass that is native to the Great Lakes Region. In addition to being delicious, it’s also nutrient rich – making it a nice alternative to other grains. It boasts a slightly higher protein content than even brown rice and is rich in several essential vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, zinc, niacin, Vitamin B6 and Folate.
From a purely aesthetic perspective, I just like how it looks. I’m drawn to the beautiful, dark color of this grain. Although this salad can be enjoyed any time, I find it typically calls to me in the early fall months when my thoughts and taste buds turn toward harvest flavors.
How to Prepare Wild Rice
You cook wild rice the same way you would any other rice. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the rice, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until cooked. However, the thick hull of this grain requires a little extra cooking time. On average, I find it takes 45 – 60 minutes to cook completely. However, how tender you like it is completely up to you. For this recipe, I reference 60 minutes, but I typically cook my rice for approximately 45 minutes.
When making wild rice for this dish, I bring 2 1/2 cups of water to the boil in a pot. I then add the 4 oz. of uncooked wild rice to the pot and give it a quick stir before covering the pot and reducing the heat to a simmer.
Because stoves can vary in temperature, I advise setting a timer for 45 minutes. Taste a few grains to see if it’s tender. If it’s too tough, allow a few more minutes to cook until it reaches your desired texture.
If you’re looking to incorporate this delicious grain into your fall recipes rotation, you may also enjoy this recipe for Creamy Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup. It’s a delightful way to warm up on a sweater weather day.
Inspiration and Options for Preparing this Wild Rice Harvest Salad
I used to live in Chelsea, Michigan for a brief period. I loved Chelsea and still go back to spend an afternoon a couple times a year to shop its main street stores, and stop at one of my favorite restaurants, The Common Grill.
If you only went for the fresh-baked bread brushed in garlic and herb butter, you’d find yourself in good company. The restaurant has a back-entrance pick-up area where many people pick up bread. In fact, I’ve done it myself more than once. Another long-standing menu item at the restaurant is its Raspberry Maple Vinaigrette. I could eat salad 24-7 if this dressing were being served. It’s truly that delicious.
People who know me well have seen me go nearly tonic like a shark when I’m deconstructing my food. When I find something that good, I become obsessed. I have to figure out the ingredients – to understand better the interplay of the flavors, textures and even the temperature of the food.
The dressing for this salad is my humble homage to the lovely Raspberry Maple Vinaigrette at the Common Grill.
Switch Up the Fruit for a Seasonal Twist
In the late spring, early summer when fresh cherries are in season, I will often substitute fresh cherries for the dried cranberries. I like to use 1/2 cup each of the Rainier Cherries and Sweet Cherries. I like the juxtaposition of colors the two varieties bring. As long as you have 1 cup of fresh, pitted cherries, you can mix and match to your taste. I like the addition of the fresh, sweet cherries here because I find they add another layer of freshness to this hearty salad.
But as far as fall salad recipes go, dried cranberries are the way to go.
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Thank you for visiting MOstly Bakes! I hope you have enjoyed this simple fall salad recipe using wild rice. If you’re looking for other delicious fall salad recipes, including this one for Butternut Squash and Farro Salad, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media via Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you again, for visiting, and I look forward to connecting with you there!
Blessings & enjoy!
Wild Rice Harvest Salad in Under 1 Hour
Course: SaladsDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes45
minutesWild rice, crisp Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, celery and scallions in a delightful dressing.
Ingredients
- For the salad
4 oz. Long-grain wild rice, cooked according to directions and well drained.
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup Granny Smith apples, diced
1/2 cup toasted pecans, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
- For the vinaigrette
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp. White Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp. light olive oil
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions
- Cooked 4 oz. of long-grain wild rice according to directions. Remove the rice from the heat. Drain completely and allow to cool.
- While the rice is cooling, in a small container, mix the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the apples, dried cranberries, pecans, celery, and onions.
- Using a cloth or paper towel, blot away any remaining moisture from the rice as much as possible. Add to the fruit mixture and toss lightly.
- Add the vinaigrette to the salad mixture.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
- Serve well chilled as a stand alone side dish or on a bed of baby greens as a main course.
- Mixing the vinaigrette first allows the dried tarragon and mustard to open up and release their flavors. It also improves the texture of the dried tarragon.
- When cooking wild rice, I find the cooking time averages between 45 – 60 minutes. Don’t overcook the rice however. You don’t want the grains to split. It will still taste good, but the appearance of the grain will be less striking.
