Wild Rice Salad

1 cup wild rice
6 cups cold water
2 oranges, large
1 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh orange juice or to taste
1 or 2 dashes hot pepper sauce
2 green onions, cleaned, ends trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/3 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley, plus a few sprigs for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse rice thoroughly with cold water. Place rice in a large bowl, cover with water, and soak for at least 4 hours.

Place rice in a medium saucepan with 6 cups of cold water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. When rice is tender, drain thoroughly.

While rice is cooking, remove rind (both zest and white pith) from oranges to expose flesh. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, make v-shape cuts to remove individual orange segments from membranes. Set segments aside until needed. Measure juice collected in work bowl to equal 1 1/2 tablespoon.

Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, and hot pepper sauce. Pour this over cooked rice and stir to combine. Cool rice mixture completely.

Combine cooled rice, orange segments, green onions, and chopped parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust the flavor with additional balsamic or orange juice as desired. Mound salad on a platter or in a bowl, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional analysis
per serving: 160 calories, 5 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.

Related Recipe Categories
Soups and Salads