Wild Rice Spinach Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

We're in love with this salad! All summer we've been chowing down all sorts of lettuce, bean, and quinoa salads, so I wanted to make an earthy rice salad instead. It was the perfect change of pace! I love the chewy texture and nutty flavor of wild rice. It's complimented nicely with fresh spinach and a simple lemon-garlic dressing that really brightens it up. (Not to mention the beautiful rainbow of veggies!) It's a highly adaptable recipe, so play around as you see fit. You can substitute the wild rice with black rice, brown rice, quinoa, or other grain. If you're needing a protein boost, toss in some hemp hearts or beans (I loaded ours with hemp hearts right after taking these pictures - they're perfect in here!) Fresh herbs are a lovely addition as well. This meal is great served chilled or at room temp, making it a great choice for take-along lunches, BBQ's, potlucks, etc. Enjoy!

Vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients
1 cup wild rice
3 oz. spinach
8 oz. grape tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 cup corn (thawed, if frozen)
3-4 green onions
Optional: hemp hearts, beans, fresh herbs

{For the dressing}
Juice from 1 lemon (about 3-4 Tbsp.)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions
Cook rice according to package directions. (1 cup rice to 4 cups water.)
While rice is cooking, make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients and set aside.
Prep the veggies: dice the bell pepper, slice green onions, halve/quarter the tomatoes, and roughly chop the spinach. Place all veggies in a large bowl.
When rice is done cooking, drain and excess water and add to the large veggie bowl. Toss to combine. The spinach will slightly wilt from the heat.
Whisk the dressing and pour over the salad. Stir to combine.
Serve immediately, or chill for an hour or more.

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