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| Organic CSA share radishes. I love everything about radishes – from their insouciant heat and candy-cane colors to their sturdy crunch and voluptuous figures. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to find these flaming bulbs of happiness nestled at the bottom of my CSA share bag. As always, my share included a bevy of other produce delights, including a fragrant bunch of mint and a battalion of scallions. For Vegan Mofo, I wanted to take a culinary risk and create a meal-in-a-salad that paired these seemingly disharmonious herbs and veggies. I liked the idea of the cool mint playing against the scallion's and radish's inherent heat. And I decided that a grain and chickpea base with a citrusy dressing would make a forgiving, neutral base to temper all these elements. I used red rice from Camargue  that I bought last year in Paris; it's rather starchy and somewhat chewy. But you can use any wild rice you like, or even brown rice. |
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| This easy salad is a meal in a bowl, perfect to pack for weekday lunches. |
Wild Rice Salad with Radishes, Scallions and Mint
- 1 cup wild rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Zest of one organic orange
- Juice of 1/2 an orange [About 1/4 cup]
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
- 1 cup sliced scallions--about 4 scallions [include the greens]
- 1 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- About 1 tsp cumin
- Cook rice in broth according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, combine olive oil, orange zest and juice, ginger and garlic in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Toss in the rice. Adjust seasonings. Allow to sit about 3 hours before serving so the flavors can meld.
