Crisp Farms Microgreens & Wild Rice Salad
On Instagram I asked y'all what you wanted to see as far as Thanksgiving content went, and a popular option was non-traditional sides, which makes me very excited. As much as I love mashed potatoes and cranberries, I love to see new things get passed down the table. Thanksgiving, and Friendsgiving for those of us who won't be traveling to visit family over the holiday, might look a little different this years so I want to make foods that will really count for flavor and nutritional value.
As most of you know, I LOVE Crisp Farms, an organic aquaponics farm just outside of Austin, Texas run by my friend Chris Nagelhout and his dad, Bob Nagelhout. Crisp Farms offers a way for people to access organic, artisan vegetables by using a non-waste system that honors nature's processes and conserves local ecosystems. Microgreens are definitely a beautiful superfood, they have 4-40 times the nutrients as their mature counterparts and are great sources of Vitamin K, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C. Microgreens are young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs harvested less than 14 days after germination. They are usually about 1-3 inches long and come in a rainbow of colors, which makes it super convenient to make stunning salads (like this one) or add flair to any dish.
Microgreens are definitely becoming more popular and accessible, and worth a wedge of space on your plate and not just a garnish. I chose this blend because it includes cabbage, radish, arugula, and mustard, so it's nice and spicy - as the name implies - and adds a lot of brightness to this salad to cut through the rice.
Now onto the other superfood here, the wild rice. Wild rice is a seed of an aquatic grass that is common in the shores of lakes, rivers, and marshes in the Great Lakes region so it's something I grew up with. When Covid-19 panic swept Texas, all the white and brown rice disappeared but luckily for me the wild rice was left behind. It contains two times more protein than brown rice, and the same amount of fiber. It's also a great source of antioxidants and has shown to improve heart health - a much needed benefit on a day when people wear stretchy pants and take naps from food comas.
Okay, enough food science for today. This salad comes together super easily and I definitely would assemble it the day of but have all the ingredients portioned out ahead of time to make it super easy to mix together.
To cook the wild rice, I rinsed the rice in cool water and added it to a large stockpot. Then covered the rice with 4x cold water and 2x bouillon cube. In my case, I made 2 cups of dry rice, so 8 cups of cold water, and 4 bullion cubes. I brought it up to a rapid boil, covered it, and turned it down to a simmer, and let cook for 45 minutes and when the majority of the rice grains split open like a hotdog bun, I drained them and let them cool.
Microgreens and Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
2 - 1.75 oz container of Spice is Nice Organic Microgreens
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1 avocado, diced
Champagne Vinaigrette
Tools
Serving or mixing bowl
Serving spoon
butter knife for avocado
Instructions
In your serving bowl, toss together the microgreens and wild rice until evenly mixed. Fold in remaining ingredients except the vinaigrette. Serve the viniagrette on the side and let people add their own which will also help the longevity of any leftovers.
Happy Thanksgiving Eating!
Kelly