A Hefty, Hearty Salad to Make January Better

Salad shouldn't be an obligation or an afterthought -- and it doesn't always have to be kale, either. Every other Thursday, Elizabeth Stark from Brooklyn Supper will help you make salads you actually want to eat.

Today: When it's this cold outside, you don't need a wimpy salad. You need a salad with some rice and some heft.

Winter is hard. Let's just eat some good food and get on with it. In this case, good winter food is in the form of a classic grain salad with all the right chewy, bright, crunchy, sweet notes, plus hearty greens for sustenance. 


The salad begins with wild rice tossed in a pink-hued blood orange vinaigrette. Then it's layered with sautéed shallots and rainbow chard, toasted pepitas, dried cherries, and wonderfully drippy slices of blood orange. If you make it for lunch it will almost certainly be the best lunch ever. But it's not just a good candidate for midday meals -- consider this beauty an excellent option as a side, light dinner, or from-the-fridge snack. 

This salad is at its peak when served warm, right away, though it also keeps beautifully. If you're eating the salad out of the fridge, set it out for 20 minutes to take the chilly edge off. 


Rainbow Chard and Wild Rice Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette


Serves 4 to 6


For the vinaigrette:


1 tablespoon blood orange zest plus 3 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil


For the salad:

1 dry cup wild rice
Sea salt, to taste
1/4 cup raw, hulled pepitas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, sliced
1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
3 medium blood oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons minced chives
Ground black pepper, to taste

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Elizabeth Stark