The star of my lunch was…wait for it…
Leftovers!!
How’s that for anti-climactic.
Predictable.
Anyhoo.
Sorry my eats have been so repetitive over the last few days, but I’m trying to clean out the fridge before we leave next week. Only one week ‘til Kyle and I are off to Buenos Aires!!!
At least I have a recipe for you. It comes from a restaurant in Newport Beach called Gulfstream (part of the Hillstone Restaurant Group) and was part of our Thanksgiving feast.
Wild Rice Salad (vegan, gluten free)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/2 cup
finely-chopped dried figsdried cranberries - 1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 1/3 cup chopped toasted unsalted cashews
- 1/4 cup finely-chopped green onion tops
- 2 tbsp finely-chopped celery
- 2 tbsp finely-chopped red onion
- 2 tbsp raspberry or red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp
sugaragave nectar - 1/2 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions:
Cook rice in 4 cups water (plus a pinch of salt). Let it cool, then combine it with dried cranberries, pecans, cashews, green onions, celery and red onions.
For the dressing, mix vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard and agave in a blender and gradually add in the olive oil.
Pour dressing over the rice mixture and toss (add salt and pepper to taste).
This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.
Each of 6 servings: 291 calories; 15 mg. sodium; 0 cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.93 grams fiber.
I have a TON leftover from last week, so it’s been making it’s way into many meals.
Unfortunately, the ratio of rice to dressing has gotten way out of whack. To counter the mega oily-ness, I have been adding raw kale to it, but even then my fork is left coated in slick grease at the end of my meal. It’s kinda gross, but at least it’s healthy fat not nasty crap.
If this lunch looks the same, it’s because it basically is.
Now I’m off to pack for another work day.
Oily dressings – yay or nay?
I LOVE that salad. As an LA native currently located in New York, I really miss Gulfstream. There’s one in the westfield in Century City too!
The salad looks delicious, but sounds like something that should either be cut in half, or served to a group/family immediately! Haha
I am currently having a love affair with wild rice, this salad looks so good! I’m usually yay for oily salad dressings, but I’m trying to wean myself off of them, especially if I’m adding avocado and/or olives to my salad already.
That salad looks so good! I do not like the oily-ness either. A little is okay, but 1/2 cup seems like a lot! I make a salad with beans, rice, and stuff that is similar-ish to this but I just don’t add the oil. Since it’s just me (college student) who eats it, I can’t really add oil to it anyway or it gets mushy after a couple of days… So instead of adding it, I add everything else and when I eat some… Sometimes I drizzle a little olive oil over the top if needed. You still marinate the salad in the nice vinegar mixture but it doesn’t seem to get AS mushy as with the oil. Try it next time and see if you like it! 🙂
My favorite dressing is 75% balsamic, 10% olive oil and 15 % lemon juice…I don’t really like any other type of oil-based dressing!
Yuck, mega nay…. hate oily dressing, hate mayo, ick and ew. Viper goes through a jar of mayo a week, it goes on and in everything – I just don’t understand the attraction of the stuff. I love straight up vinegar + salt on salad, and maybe a splash of flaxseed oil it there needs to be a bit of lubrication.
Looks like you do a fantastic job packing your lunches–I’m still figuring that our. Although I tend to make a big thing of rice and stir fry and divide it into containers on Sunday. What a thrilling life, indeed 🙂
Your lunches all look super great, I love how colourful they are! I hate hate hate oily dressings. Blech. It’s like lipstick or something. When I make my own dressings, I don’t put any oil – maybe I’m breaking one of the quintessential rules of salad dressings, but I’d rather get my healthy fats from salad toppings (seeds and nuts!) than lipstick-esque oil.
I LOVE rice salads. Especially if they are chock full of dried fruit and nuts! However I am not a fan of overly oily dressings.. Rather have it a tad bit too sour than oily 🙂 With that said, I’m a soggy salad lover as much as you are 😉 I intentionally make salad, pour the dressing on it, and let it sit overnight in the fridge!
I haven’t had a wild rice salad in far too long – sounds tasty!
Your post made me laugh! Anticlimactic. Thanks for that. I do not think I’ve said hello before, so officially hi. 🙂 I think oily dressings are icky. I do love the Whole Foods brand Herbes de Provence though. Olive oil at its best. You might like it.
Yummm, I want that salad!!
I think all dressings I eat are oil based, although not too slick. That’s what she said? 😉
Oh my word, so exciting about your holiday. It’s going to be awesome. We’re going to the Far East in March and I cannot wait.
Loving this rice recipe- it looks and sounds amazing.
Thank you for your wonderful comments on my posts. I love reading your blog and getting to know you through it. Plus you’re awesome 🙂
xxx
yes. 😉
now its official. hi!!
ill have to check out that olive oil for sure.
yes! fellow soggy salad lover 🙂
thats exactly what its like…i couldnt think of a good analogy but it definitely is like a coating of lipstick on my mouth. blech. avocado and nuts are definitely more delicious ways to get healthy fats in though.
haha, you sound like my long lost sister. thats the kind of pre-week prep i do too
hehe, lubrication.
thats such a simple and delicious sounding dressing!! thanks for the idea.
1/2 cup was a lot but i think it more had to do with the fact that everyone scooped off the top of the bowl so the dressing pooled at the bottom…then when i took the leftovers home the dressing was in WAY excess…
your idea is so clever. ill use that add the oil individually with each serving trick next time for sure.
avocado and nuts are my #1 fat of choice in salads, so yeah, olive oil is good, but i dont find myself missing oil based dressings really as long as i have other good ingreds.
definitely. theres STILL a ton of leftovers!
who knew!? have you been to their other restaurants? i really like R+D kitchen
Oh, in case I messed up how I said it, it’s an olive oil based dressing. 🙂 Still noms to the delicious.
oh, gotcha…well a herbs de provence infused olive oil sounds pretty good too!
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