Wild Rice Salad with Asparagus: Cure for Side-Dish Burnout

Mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice and gravy, Mac and cheese - alternate, refrigerate, repeat... If this happens to be your mealtime line up, more than likely by the Fall you will have suffered what is known as "Side Dish Burnout." Sure, you know that there are tons of side dish recipes out there. But for some reason you seem to be stuck in a rut. Enter the stage, the Wild Rice Salad. Many people overlook wild rice (and brown rice) as a viable option. But this particular fall recipe takes the concept of a side dish up a notch or three. With a healthy dose of crunchy vegetables and nuts, you'll not only add interest to your meal but extra nutrients you've probably been missing. Google wild rice salad, and you'll find tons of recipes. Feel free to swap out (or add to) any ingredients that suit your fancy. But for all intents and purposes, this wild rice salad recipe is a must-have for your Fall meal lineup. Let's get started...

Ingredients:

Wild Rice/ Brown Rice
Shredded carrots
Fresh asparagus
Red peppers
One small white onion, chopped
Lemon juice (or lime juice)
Minced garlic
Almonds
Dill weed
Cream cheese

Rice Preparation

The first thing you need to do is to prepare the rice. If you want an easy route, you can buy any version of Uncle Ben's or other prepared wild rice. Be aware however, that if you are watching your sodium intake - you might want to opt for natural instead of prepackaged rice (which tends to have at least 700 mg of sodium or more.) For this particular dish I chose to mix brown and wild rice, a great option if you want to add extra vitamins and fiber to your diet. Prepare rice according to the directions, and set to the side.

Veggie Preparation

It is probably best if you prepare your asparagus separately. Cut off the bottoms of the stalks and steam them in about 1 ½ inches of water in a flat saucepan. Steam them for approximately 5 minutes or so (depending upon the thickness), and then rinse them immediately in very cold water. The cold water will help preserve the nutrients and keep the asparagus a bright green color.

Rinse out the same saucepan and add approximately 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan over low to medium heat. To that, add about 2-3 teaspoons of minced garlic. Once the butter heats, begin adding your chopped onions, red peppers, sliced almonds, and shredded carrots. Sauté the vegetables and nuts for a few minutes, being careful not to scorch the ingredients. To prevent scorching (and enhance the flavor), add approximately ¼ cup of water. Cook the mixture in this way until the ingredients are slightly tender, but still firm.

The Final Result

Here's where things get interesting. This is the opportunity for you to "put the shine" on this salad. The rice itself has a nutty flavor befitting a fall recipe. But the extra bells and whistles that you add to this dish are what really count.

Combine the vegetable mixture with the wild rice in a large bowl. Add approximately 2 tablespoons of cream cheese (or more if you like a creamier consistency) and blend thoroughly into the salad. Add a dash of dill weed to taste, and finish off with a healthy dash of lemon juice or a splash of limejuice. The citrus flavors coupled with the dill will help to enhance the vegetables' natural flavor without using excess salt. Once all the ingredients have been thoroughly combined, cover and chill. This fall salad can also be served at room temperature. Wild rice salad is a fabulous side dish that can be enhanced with diced chicken, or eaten separately as a vegetarian meal.

SOURCES:

www.foodnetwork.com
www.recipetips.com
www.cooks.com