Wild Rice Salad with Pomegranate & Roasted Squash

January 2013

Though I have visually feasted my way through the food magazines strewn across my dining room table, all too often my meal choices remain unaffected by their inspiration. However, life is all too short to fill with the same old routines. One of my [loosely defined] goals for the new year is to eat better balanced, more varied meals (don’t let blogging fool you, I too fall victim to last minute scraping and convenience), so I started simply. I dogeared one recipe to try; I shopped appropriately, and voila…

Wild Rice Salad with Pomegranate & Roasted Squash // www.WithTheGrains.com

A healthy bowl full of colors emerged!

Wild Rice Salad with Pomegranate & Roasted Squash // www.WithTheGrains.com

I adapted this recipe ever so slightly from one of the Bon Appétit issues in said dining room collection. This rice salad is substantial enough to stand alone, or pair it with a dijon roasted salmon for a more mixed plate. In an effort to be resourceful (and maybe in some subconscious, knee-jerk reaction to being vegetarian?), I roasted my squash in a cast-iron skillet coated with bacon grease leftover from an artisan cajun bacon, and I used the entire squash versus the prescribed half. Though I do not show it above, I recommend a few crumbles of chèvre as well.

Black and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash
adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups black rice
1/2 cup wild rice
Kosher salt

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into pieces
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey

2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup roasted pistachios

organic mixed greens
local chèvre

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°.

Cook black rice and wild rice in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender, 35–40 minutes; drain and rinse, shaking off as much water as possible. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Meanwhile, toss squash with 1/4 cup oil on another baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20–25 minutes; let cool.

Whisk vinegar, honey, and remaining ¼ cup oil in a large bowl.

Add black rice and wild rice, squash, scallions, pomegranate seeds, and pistachios; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Serve over a bed of mixed greens. Add some chunks/crumbles of chèvre.

Make Ahead:
Salad (without mixed greens) can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

Single-Grain

Bon Appétit!
-Quelcy

This Post Has 64 Comments

  1. Ani

    Wow that looks delicious!! Love all the colors!

  2. Anne Lively

    Mmmmmm. I’m keeping that recipe!

    1. withthegrains

      Yes, it’s definitely a keeper! So delicious and wholesome!

  3. segmation

    What an interesting combination of food and color! I can’t wait to try this out!

  4. latriceblaine

    Reblogged this on latriceblaine and commented:
    wow that should be my new years promise cause i eat unhealthy this is very inspiring

  5. The Ice Maiden

    I’ve been on the lookout for easy recipes to take to work for lunch..and this looks perfect!

  6. susipet

    Yum
    Fancy making that
    Thanks

  7. peterjfoster

    I love your website. The hand drawn graphics on the right are very charming. Very charming.
    The Post’s sure are valuable to folk. Not much of a cook myself!

    1. withthegrains

      Thanks so much! A lot of time and love went into that sidebar. Just go turn on the oven/stove, and you’re a cook (and be sure to monitor it). 😉

  8. Shan

    This looks so healthy and delicious! I’m keeping this recipe for sure.

  9. rheannaneil

    I just made this for lunch! So yummy thank you!

  10. thebeachblonde

    Mmmmm, look delicious and healthy! Perfect for work lunches! Will have to try, thank you! 🙂

  11. skakuntala

    Looks absolutely delicious and full of variety!

  12. teaandmercy

    That looks fabulous, the colours are so inviting.

  13. Chef Florvil King Valdez

    Reblogged this on SERVE M.E. NOW and commented:
    With slight variations, this salad will surely please all kinds of eaters. This is a great base salad or can stand alone as a great meal..

    Add any lean proteins such as salmon or chicken breast for you meat eaters.
    Add slices of goat cheese for you vegetarians.
    Add some grilled tofu of have this as-is for you vegans out there.

  14. khannablog

    That looks incredible!!! love the recipe xx

  15. beansandbordeaux

    Looks delicious. Love Bon Appetit magazine, thanks for sharing.

  16. Serena

    Great photography! Kudos! And the dish looks absolutely delicious!

  17. marusiap

    Yum! That looks great! I’ll be trying that recipe soon.

  18. moodsnmoments

    Delicious!!!! Sounds delectable and looks so appetizing. A must try on my list too now. (with some cheese and some arugula :P)
    Thank you for sharing and congratulations on being freshly pressed!

  19. lascozzese

    Wow, this looks incredible! I’ve never tried black rice…will need to make this pronto!! (:

  20. Rebecca Fieldhouse

    Stunning photos and a delicious sounding recipe! I can’t wait to try this.

  21. Jules

    I need to stop looking at pictures of food that I want to eat but will never make..

  22. haisi1

    Down right beautiful. I love salads. I ate salads and milkshakes for 9 months . I love love love the picture. I am trying this tomorrow.

  23. miiriediarie

    love this wanna do the healthy thing too but always fall off

  24. Stacy Feyer-Salo

    Whenever I find inspiration from a magazine it almost always transforms into something else entirely. This salad looks lovely. The color, the texture, perfection.

  25. nicolesr

    Definitely a feast for the eyes, a must try, thank you!

  26. Lady Fancifull

    Lovely – though as a die-hard, fundamentalist type vegetarian I think I’ll pass on the bacon grease, if its all the same to you. if its sat-fat that rocks your boat – coconut?

  27. cloudthyme

    Such a beautiful salad! I love the combination of rice, fruit, veges, nuts, and cheese! This is the perfect complete meal- can’t wait to try it!

  28. The Burlap Kitchen

    I am not a big fan of squash but it actually looks good to me in this salad!

  29. bshalev

    Yum! Can’t wait to try this…Thanks!

  30. ceepad35

    Would like to eat this one day!

  31. ceepad35

    Reblogged this on Cece and commented:
    Would like to try this one day!

  32. Risty

    Reblogged this on Masakanku and commented:
    It seems easy, right?

  33. Laura T.

    This looks delicious, as usual! We’re trying to eat more greens, so I’ll definitely give this a try.

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