Wild Rice Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette

This post is sponsored by the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission. Thank you for supporting brands that keep The Kitchen Paper alive and running!

Happy first day of SPRING! It’s felt truly like spring here for the last few days — nearly 70 degrees, sunny skies, everybody on bikes and patios, and Marc and I doing all the yard work we can squeeze into one weekend. #fun? Totally fun. We recently demo’d our entire front yard, installed five massive raised beds, and are preparing to grow all the veg this summer. Maybe the long forgotten garden section of TKP will be revived! Ha!

But let’s talk about this salad: it’s highly inspired by a salad I made repeatedly last summer from Heidi Swanson’s book, Super Natural Every Day. By “highly inspired” I mean I loved her combination of a hearty grain with BERRIES — specifically berries in a vinaigrette. I’ve made this will various berries (she uses cherries), and most recently thought blackberries would be a winner. Spoiler alert: THEY WERE. When are blackberries not a winner though? (Answer: never.)

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use fresh or frozen blackberries — so you can make it any time of year! Remember last fall when I posted these blackberry pancakes and let you know that 90% of all frozen berries sold in the USA come from Oregon?? That means you’re likely eating Oregon berries, no matter where in the USA you are — which is GREAT news because Oregon is pretty darn ideal for growing berries. They pick berries at peak ripeness and freeze them within 24 hours of being picked — so you’re really getting fresh (frozen) berries. No need to compromise nutrition or taste! You can learn more from Oregon Berries.

For the rest of this recipe, as I usually say: do whatever you want! Use a different cheese!! I used a salty hard cheese this time, but have loved creamy soft cheeses in the past. Not feeling the kale? Use another, softer green! Not into wild rice? Try quinoa! Or even orzo! Add cherry tomatoes! Add shredded chicken! Add FRESH berries! GO WILD! This is just your starting point off of which to make various delicious (filling) salads all year. You might even try this dressing with raspberries … !!

Wild Rice Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette

• Author: Mary
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

This hearty, filling wild rice salad is dressed with a blackberry vinaigrette, and full of delicious fresh vegetables.

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Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 cup fresh or frozen Blackberries
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh marjoram leaves

Salad

• 3 cups broth
• 1 1/2 cups wild rice
• 4 cups chopped kale (I prefer lacinato)
• 4 carrots, shaved into ribbons
• 2 cups asparagus (1″ segments), uncooked
• 3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata
• 1 cup micro greens
• 1/2 cup pepitas

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Instructions

1. To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the blackberries, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and marjoram in a vessel big enough to use an immersion blender in. (Alternatively, use a normal blender). Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust as needed (if you want more tang, add more vinegar, etc.). Set aside.
2. Cook the wild rice in the broth until fully cooked and soft. While the rice is cooking, prepare the remaining vegetables.
3. To cook the asparagus, add them to a hot, non-stick (I used cast iron) pan without oil. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until bright green with a few dark charred spots.
4. To assemble the salad, toss all of the remaining ingredients together, along with as much blackberry vinaigrette as you’d like (coat it all!).

Keywords: wild rice salad with blackberry vinaigrette