Brain Boosting Wild Rice Salad

Never tried wild rice? You’re not alone and you’re in for a treat! I love the nuttiness and texture that make wild rice so different (in a good way, in my opinion) than white or brown rice. It’s a whole grain, just like brown rice, but has 30% fewer calories, a bit more protein and equal amounts of fiber.

Whole grains have been shown to lower the risk of many health conditions, like heart disease and diabetes. Not only that, whole grains are a great choice for brain health and research is showing they can help prevent cognitive decline, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. That’s a lot of good reasons to eat whole grains!

BRAIN BOOSTING WILD RICE SALAD

Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup dry wild rice, rinsed

3 cups water

½ cup brown rice, rinsed

1 cup water

½ medium red bell pepper

½ medium yellow bell pepper

2 stalks celery, diced

¼ red onion, diced

½ teaspoon orange zest (about ½ large orange peel)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about one large orange)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup pecans, toasted

½ cup roasted and salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Preparation:

1. In a medium pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add wild rice and a pinch of salt.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes.

2. In a smaller pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add brown rice and a pinch of salt.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.

3. While rice is cooking, prepare dressing by combining orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, vinegar, honey and mustard. Whisk together and set aside.

4. When rice is cooked, drain off any remaining water and spread on a cookie sheet to dry for about 20 minutes.

5. Add rice to a large mixing bowl, add bell peppers, celery, red onion and thoroughly combine.

6. Add 5 tablespoons of dressing, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Taste and add more dressing as desired.

7. You can store the salad in the refrigerator to serve later. Add pecans and pumpkin seeds just before serving and mix thoroughly into rice.

NOTE: if you have left over dressing, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week to use as salad dressing.