Deborah, of Old Shoes New Trip provided this week’s recipe. It sounded like a great side salad to our barbecue dinner last night (gaucho steak sandwiches) so I made it yesterday evening, not realizing the flavors were supposed to blend overnight. Oh well! It was still darn good, and am looking forward to having it again this evening with our Greek-Style Burgers.

Roasted Corn & Wild Rice Salad

Roasted Corn & Wild Rice Salad

The recipe is very easy. It keeps well and freezes well. You can serve it both chilled or at room temperature. Great for picnics where you don’t want to worry about spoilage.

1 package – uncooked wild rice. (the original recipe called for wild rice blend, but I prefer the stronger flavors of only wild rice.)
2 cups – frozen roasted corn nibblets (Deborah uses Trader Joes. I don’t know if our local shop rite carries such a thing, so I bought frozen corn kernels and then sauteed them in a non-stick pan until they were caramelized a bit).
1 cup – finely chopped celery
3/4 cup – shredded carrot
3/4 cup – Craisins
2/3 cup – toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup – finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup – raspberry vinegar
1 tbs – olive oil
1 tbs – low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp – grated orange peel
1/2 tsp – pepper

Cook rice according to package directions: omit salt and fat. Cool.

Combine rice, corn and all other ingredients in a bowl; stir well; chill overnight to blend flavors.

Serve cold from fridge or bring to room temp if you prefer. (I like room temp., Dan likes cold) This makes a pretty big batch, so you might want to halve it.

I have to say I was a bit leery on the orange zest addition but it really gives the salad a nice, refreshing flavor.

Oh, and for Weight Watchers out there figure 12 servings, serving size 2/3 cup and 3 points per serving.