Danielle's Black Rice Salad

Danielle's Black Rice Salad

Contributed by : Jill Kanwischer

jill-kanwischer-20220608231807

Canadian Recipes : Salad Recipes

Danielle Emon, one of the original members of our ladies' dinner group, was thrilled to be assigned the colour black for Veronika’s colour-themed party—her favourite colour, which she often wears.

Eager to embrace the theme, Danielle found a Black Rice Salad recipe online that she had never tried before but was excited to make. Known for her incredible cooking and baking skills, Danielle’s dishes are always both beautiful and delicious, and although this was a new recipe for her, she had high hopes it would be another hit at the potluck. Her creativity and culinary expertise never fail to impress!

Total Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Prepare Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour, 10 minutes

Recipe Servings

Ingredients for
Danielle's Black Rice Salad

1 cup black rice, rinsed
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1 orange
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (see note)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tart yet sweet apple (such as Honeycrisp or Fuji), peeled, cored, and diced (optional)
1/4 cup roasted and salted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
2 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced

How to Make
Danielle's Black Rice Salad

In a medium pot, combine the rice, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 4 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low; cover and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the grains have split open, 50 to 60 minutes.
Transfer the rice to a fine mesh strainer to drain any excess water. Let cool.
In a large bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
Add the cooled rice, pecans, dried cranberries, parsley, celery, apples, pepitas, and scallions.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

To toast the pecans, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 10 minutes, until toasted and fragrant.

This salad can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated.