Wild Rice Super Salad

This is a big salad with a lot of components, but it’s worth the effort. Alongside the nuts and seeds, the wild rice brings plenty of protein to this dish. This recipe is a great one for all year round, but why not try the 'warm salad' option for the colder days of autumn and winter. This recipe makes a great one to batch cook for your work lunch, as a light meal or as a side, and brings in 11 extra plants, 15g of fibre and a whopping 22g of protein.

Prep & cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 2 generously

Plant score: 11

Fibre per serving: 15g

Protein per serving: 22g

Gluten-free: Yes

150g (scant 1 cup) wild rice, rinsed

¼ head of red cabbage, very finely shredded

½ small red onion, finely sliced

2 beetroot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very finely sliced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

½ tbsp Dijon mustard

1 apple, cored and diced

1 large handful of radicchio or other bitter leaves, roughly torn

40g (⅓ cup) toasted and chopped hazelnuts or walnuts

Ground allspice, to taste

Small handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

30g (⅓ cup) mixed seeds (poppy, pumpkin and sesame are ideal)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the rice and bring to a simmer. Cook for 35–40 minutes, until tender, topping up with a little more water if and when needed. (Note that wild rice, unlike  white rice, has a chewy bite to it when cooked.) When ready, cool in a sieve under cold running water, then set aside to drain.
2. While the rice cooks, combine the cabbage, onion, beetroot and fennel in a large bowl and stir in the vinegar, mustard and a pinch of salt. Set aside to soften.
3. Add the cooled rice to the cabbage mixture along with the apple, radicchio, hazelnuts, allspice and dill. Add the olive oil and a twist of pepper before mixing well. 
4. Divide the salad between 2 bowls and finish with a scattering of mixed seeds.

For a warm salad: 

Oven roast the beetroots in wedges for about 1 hour, Add the fennel, cabbage and shallots for the last 20 minutes, and stir them through the just-cooked rice before adding everything else for the final mix.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! You can follow Dr Alan on instagram at @dr.alandesmond or purchase his book for more information and ideas. The Plant Based Diet Revolution by Dr Alan Desmond is published by Yellow Kite (£20) on 7^th January 2021.