Crispy Wild Rice Salad with Kale and Sweet Potato
An elevated crispy wild rice salad with massaged kale, spiced and roasted sweet potatoes, crunchy red grapes, toasted pecans, and a bright orange vinaigrette. This delicious harvest salad is a perfect do-ahead recipe for fall gatherings, like Thanksgiving or Christmas! It's also satiating enough to be a stand-alone dinner salad, and great for meal-prep.
Servings 6
Calories 382kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice (or 2 cups cooked - day old rice works great here)
- 4 cups water
- 1 large sweet potato , cut into cubes (about 4 cups cubed)
- ½ red onion , thinly sliced (about 1.5 cups sliced)
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cumin
- sea salt Generous pinches
- pepper Pinch
- 1/2 cup pecans , chopped
- 2 cups kale , packed and chopped (about 2 handfuls)
- 1 cup red grapes , halved
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup parsley , finely chopped, tightly packed
Orange Vinaigrette:
- zest of 1 orange
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar , or champagne vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red onion , finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic , finely chopped
- ½ tbsp Dijon
- sea salt and pepper Pinch
Instructions
- Cook the rice in boiling water with a generous pinch of salt until tender and pleasantly chewy, 40-50 minutes. Strain the water from the rice in a sieve and spread the cooked rice onto a baking tray to cool. Set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F/200C, and make the orange vinaigrette: In a small jar combine the orange juice and zest, white wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped red onion and garlic, dijon, salt and pepper. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.
- Drizzle the cooked rice with 1.5 tbsp olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt. Toss to combine. Cook in the oven until the wild rice is crackling and popping, with a crisp bite, about 15 minutes.
- Spread cubed sweet potato onto a baking tray and sprinkle with the cumin and cinnamon, and a generous pinch of salt and pinch of pepper. Drizzle with 1.5 tbsp olive oil and toss to combine. Place in the oven to bake. Remove the sweet potatoes after 25 minutes and add the red onion. Drizzle with another 1 tbsp olive oil and another pinch of salt. Toss to combine. Place the tray back in the oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes, or until onion are softened, and the sweet potatoes are crisp and lightly browned on the edges.
- Add the chopped pecans on a separate small baking tray and pop in the oven. Roast for 5 minutes until they’re lightly browned and fragrant.
- Massage kale generously with your hands to soften, and toss in a large mixing bowl. Add the crispy wild rice, sweet potato and onion mixture, roasted pecans, grapes, cranberries, and chopped parsley. Drizzle with the orange vinaigrette and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe will keep up to 5 days. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge. Recipe can also be prepared hours in advance - it even helps to soften the kale and parsley which is quite nice. Toss again before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 9639IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg