Chickpea Wild Rice Salad

Chicken wild rice salad is a Minnesota staple!  So I thought I would create a veganized version, my chickpea wild rice salad!  This is just as good as the traditional chicken wild rice salad but without the dairy, eggs and meat.  I make a creamy dressing with coconut milk and cashew butter and it is perfect for the hearty salad!  This is good to serve at picnics, for Memorial day, or any other potluck you may need to bring a dish to!  Although it tastes rich, it is actually pretty healthy thanks to all of the nutrients from the veggies, and fiber and protein from the wild rice and chickpeas!  So you can feel good about eating it!

Author: Amy Lyons O’Neil

Amy has worked for Fresh and Natural Foods since 2006 contributing to the variety of healthful foods we offer. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Bethel University in 2007, but in her senior year of college, found that her passion was with the art of food. She later used her photography and culinary skills to create a vegan food and recipe blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake. She has also written 3 cookbooks. She specializes in vegan and vegetarian recipes. Local, fresh and organic food has always been her focus in whatever she creates.

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Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour | Ready in: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup organic wild rice
• 1 cup sliced organic celery
• 1 cup carrots, julienne sliced
• 2 cups organic red grapes
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 15 oz can drained)
• Dressing:
• 1/3 cup raw cashew butter
• 1 cup Thai Kitchen full fat coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Instructions:

1. Place the wild rice in a pot, and cover with water by 3 inches.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until wild rice has flowered (the grains have split), which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the wild rice you have (the rice I used takes about an hour, it is the long grain Minnesota rice). So pay attention to the package or bulk directions when you buy it. Once rice has finished cooking pour it into a bowl and allow to cool.
2. Add veggies, grapes and chickpeas to the bowl with the rice.
3. whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth.
4. Toss rice and veggies together dressing, and serve!