Description
This salad is refreshing and light – and easy to put together: nine ingredients and a quick dressing. It’s the perfect vegan side option for a dinner party or a weeknight meal.
Ingredients
For the Salad:
2½ cups cooked and cooled wild rice (I use a bought mixed pack of rice containing long grain brown; black and red rice varieties)
1 medium green bell pepper – deseeded & diced
3 sticks celery – cleaned, trimmed, & sliced thinly on the diagonal
2 Persian cucumbers – quartered lengthways & sliced (or ½ an English cucumber, if you can’t find Persian cucumbers)
⅓ cup fresh mint – loosely packed & finely chopped
3 spring onions – finely cut with a pair of scissors, leaving just the white ends
2 large handfuls of baby spinach – roughly chopped
1 preserved lemon, quartered, flesh removed, and the lemon peel chopped very finely
For the Dressing:
2 tbls good-quality extra virgin olive oil
2 tbls red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tbls)
1 tsp honey (or substitute with maple syrup, if vegan)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad ingredients
- Place all of the prepared ingredients in large bowl.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until they come together to form a smooth dressing
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients. Mix by carefully lifting and folding the salad ingredients over, repeating until the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Allow this salad to stand for a while before serving, and serve it at room temperature to best be able to appreciate and enjoy the strong flavours.
Notes
* A salad recipe that tastes better the next day – there aren’t many of those around, so this is a great one to prep-ahead and leave in the fridge.