review
We are still getting remarkably warm weather in Minnesota and I am attributing it to the fact that I took out my parka last week. Because weather likes to do the opposite of what I prepare for. But it made for a great weekend to have our group's Second Annual Friendsgiving on Saturday night. Everyone made two dishes from scratch to bring and in true Minnesota form every contribution was in a hotdish pan.
I love how Minnesotans own the term "hotdish" and the rest of the world can keep their "casseroles".
While the manfriend made his go-to layered cheesy potato recipe, I decided to try and make something using wild rice. I have a mild obsession with wild rice because I love the texture, it's not really utilized as a side dish enough, and it doesn't get much more Minnesotan than mahnomen. I found a recipe for wild rice salad and made a variation of it listed below. I think it went over okay and the manfriend even said this may have to be my new go-to recipe for potlucks... since usually my go-to is pickle wraps. Or as I lovingly like to call them, Nordic Sushi.
Lessons learned from Friendsgiving include making sure to read this Apartment Therapy post on how to set a Thanksgiving buffet and to never ever play divorce games (Taboo and Catchphrase) with people you still want to be friends with, especially your significant other.
Wild Rice Salad
adapted from the LA Times
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6
1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup chopped pecan, almond, cashew mix
2 tablespoons julienned red onion (the longer pieces add more color to the dish)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the wild rice to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer until the rice is tender (around 45 minutes) or to your liking. Drain the wild rice if there is any water left.
Make the dressing while the rice is cooking by mixing the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and sugar in a bowl. Add in the olive oil slowly while quickly stirring the mixture. Salt and pepper to your liking.
Once the rice is done cooking (and potentially drained), add the cranberries, nut mix, red onion, and dressing to the wild rice while it is still hot so the rice takes in the flavors.
Serve chilled but tastes really good while still hot as well.
featured image// Martha Stewart
