Apple and Wild Rice Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette

Back in 2018, I posted an Apple, Sweet Potato, Maple and Dijon Salad that you all absolutely loved. And last fall, I created my Delicata, Raspberry and Goat Cheese Salad, which is one of my personal favorite recipes on the blog. 

This year, I wanted to develop another fall salad that was ultra-simple (no roasting required!) and refreshing. The result is this fresh, hearty and warming Ginger, Apple and Wild Rice Salad. 

The star of this recipe is Cookie and Kate's Ginger Salad Dressing. I'm a long-time Cookie and Kate fan and she's the master of healthy and delicious salads. This dressing pairs perfectly with the fresh chopped apples and punchy gorgonzola cheese. 

This is salad is hearty enough to make a meal and simple enough to serve as a side!

Let me know what you think of the recipe and don't forget to follow the sustainability tips below!

Time: 50 minutes

Makes: about 10 cups of salad

Serves: 5-8 servings

Ingredients

For the Ginger Vinaigrette (adapted from Cookie and Kate)

• ½ cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 2 packed teaspoons grated fresh ginger root

• Salt to taste

For the salad

• 1 cup wild rice

• 7 ounces kale

• 3 green onions, finely sliced

• 1 large or several small Honeycrisp apples, cut into cubes

• 1/2 cup pecans

• 4 ounces bleu or gorgonzola cheese

Methods

1. Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Rinse the wild rice and add it to the boiling water. Return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 35-50 minutes, or until the rice is your desired texture. Drain the water and set rice aside.

3. Add half of the dressing to the kale and massage until the kale is bright green. Toss in the green onions and apple. Top with apples, pecans, cheese and remaining dressing. Eat up!

Sustainability Tips

• Kale, onions and apples: Make this salad when all the produce is in season (pst! that's early fall!). Doing this will make it easier to find local and organic produce. Buying organically and locally cuts down on pesticide contamination and can help you get to know your local food producers.

• Cheese: Local is the way to go because it probably won't have weird preservatives, won't release as many GHGs during travel, and will support your local economy.