This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I have made this amazing salad three times in the last week, alone. It is, truly that good! Crazy good flavor and the perfect texture…a fabulous blend of of chewy and crunchy. It’s full of nourishing ingredients, like hearty wild rice, apples, cucumbers, kale, craisins, feta cheese, and pumpkin seeds. We sometimes add some rotisserie chicken if we’re having it for a main course. Most often we have it as a delicious side dish, served next to Grilled Chicken or Blackened Salmon.
The Honey Basil Dressing is what really takes it over the top. Honestly, I could drink the stuff. It’s so fresh and delicious!
We hope you get a chance to try it!
This is the Wild Rice Blend we like, see it on AMAZON, HERE. Feel free to use whatever variety you like best.
Ingredients
- SALAD:
- 1 1/2 C Wild Rice Blend, uncooked
- 5 C kale, finely chopped
- 2 apples, chopped into 3/4 inch chunks
- 5 mini cucumbers, chopped into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 C craisins
- 1 C feta cheese
- 1 C pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds)
- HONEY BASIL DRESSING:
- 2 C fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 C lemon juice, fresh is best
- 1 Tb lemon zest
- 1/3 C vinegar
- 2/3 C olive oil
- 2 Tb sugar
- 3 Tb honey
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Grab your Wild Rice Blend, click HERE to see our favorite on amazon. Cook according to package instructions, then set aside to cool.
- While your rice is cooking, chop up your kale, apples and cucumber. The size of the kale matters for the texture of the salad. I buy my kale prewashed and cut, in a nice big bag. (I love time saving tricks like this). However, for this salad, I prefer to chop the kale smaller than is sold in the bag. I like to keep the apple and cucumbers a bit on the larger side. The variety of small kale and bigger apple and cucumber chunks makes for a great result.
- To make the dressing, place all the dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until nice and smooth.
- Assemble your salad by layering all the ingredients (except the pumpkin seeds) next to each other in a large flat serving bowl or platter. (Or, if you are using it for meal prep, in a nice gladware container with a lid.)
- Just before serving, add the pumpkin seeds, toss the salad and pour the dressing all over it, tossing it again to be sure the dressing gets spread out evenly. If you aren't serving the entire salad at once, just toss and dress a bit at a time. It will keep best, undressed and each of the ingredients placed next to each other instead of mixed all together. Like this, it will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
