Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts

Wild rice adds a nutty crunch and elegance to salads. This is a wonderful companion to squash dishes, and makes an excellent room temperature side dish for fall and winter holiday or company meals, especially a vegan Thanksgiving. Photos by Evan Atlas.

Serves: 6 to 8

32-ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth, or 4 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
3/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup long grain brown rice
2 large celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, thinly diced, or 12 baby carrots, quartered lengthwise
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, or more, to taste
2 to 3 scallions, sliced
1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted if desired
1/2 cup vinaigrette, homemade or store-bought, or as needed
2 teaspoons salt-free all-purpose seasoning blend (such as Frontier or Mrs. Dash)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine the broth (or water with bouillon cubes) with the wild rice in a saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Stir in the brown rice, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. If the rice isn’t done to your liking, add another 1/2 cup of water and continue to simmer until absorbed. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool, uncovered, to room temperature.

Combine the rice with the remaining ingredients in a serving container and toss well. Serve at once or cover and refrigerate until needed.