Autumn Wild Rice Salad

Autumn has finally come to North Carolina. 

Pumpkins, changing leaves, crisp air, sweater weather, football season and the excitement of the holidays just around the corner — all of these things excite me about fall. While seasons seem to be more of a suggestion rather than an actual thing down here in the South, once fall rolls around I suddenly feel like things get a little better, a little slower, and just a little happier. That's not only because the scorching hot southern sun decides to take a break from roasting us in North Carolina, but because suddenly the time spent out and about are centered around simpler things like having a cup of coffee, reading a good book in front of the fire, and of course spending real uninterrupted time with friends and family.

During fall I feel more thankful. It's always been the time of new beginnings — new school year, new jobs, and new opportunities to find happiness. Even though the year seems to be dwindling away I tend to feel the most inspired for positive change during this special season. Whether it's promising to blog more, deciding to take time to reflect and meditate, or just making a commitment to get back to the gym — fall just sends good vibes! 

For me of course, being the little cook that I am, one of my favorite things about fall is the food. Now that I am working for FoodCorps and managing several school gardens, I have the wonderful opportunity to plant and harvest seasonal vegetables and help others around me find ways to appreciate these gifts. My favorites are dark leafy greens, winter squash, beets, apples, and cabbage. It's undeniable that these earthy and delectable little treats spice up a menu and of course make for a wildly beautiful plate. Take for instance this rice salad I made the other day, it's full of fall goodies. What's not to love about something so perfect? 

Autumn Wild Rice Salad

Prep Time: 20 min          Cook Time: 1hr  15 min       Yield: 6 Servings      

Ingredients:

1 Cup wild rice — cook to package instructions
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 of a small butternut squash
1 beet
1 Cup brussel sprouts cut into quarters
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP of freshly squeezed orange juice and the zest of the orange
Salt and pepper
A crumbling cheese of your choice, I chose feta but goat cheese or gorgonzola would probably be really good as well.

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Scrub your beet root to remove the dirt before wrapping it in tin foil and popping it into oven for 45 min - 1 hr. You'll know your beet root is ready when it is fork tender.

After your beet root has gone into the oven, cut your butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and guts from one side, peel the skin and cube. (Save the other half for pasta sauce or just some roasted butternut squash deliciousness!) Toss with 1 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on a baking dish. Pop into oven about 15 minutes after the beet root has been it. You want to allow the butternut squash to become tender and caramelize around the edges. It should take around 30 minutes

At this point you can go ahead and put your wild rice on to boil. Add the diced onion to the pot along with 1 bay leaf. My rice took about 25-30 minutes to cook. It's ok if it finishes before the vegetables because this "salad" tastes better when it is warm/room temperature rather than piping hot. While your rice is boiling, cut your brussel sprouts into quarters, and toss with another TBSP of olive oil as well as more salt and pepper. After allowing the butternut squash to roast for about 15 minutes, go ahead and throw the brussel sprouts onto the pan with them and let the two cook together for the remaining 15 minutes.

Your beet, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, and rice should all be done around the same time. Let the beet root cool for about 10 minutes before peeling and cutting into cubes.

While the beet root is cooling, combine the remaining olive oil to the freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. In a large bowl combine the vegetables, rice, craisins, and "dressing". Don't forget to remove the bay leaf from the rice! The very last step is to taste for seasoning and then top with a crumbling cheese of your choice. I chose feta. It provides a nice nutty, salty balance to the salad.

Try it out! It's earthy, sweet, savory and just damn delicious!

Let me know what you think.
Jules