favorite ingredients salad: herbed wild rice & quinoa with avocados, heirloom tomatoes, & strawberries
this delicious salad came about one day when inspired by reading Marcus Samuelson's* book "Yes, Chef!" (highly recommend it) i decided to be more courageous than usual and combine several of my favorite ingredients (in a slightly calculated yet random way) in a salad bowl, toss them together, cross my fingers, and hope for the best: a delicious salad that somehow tasted like it was absolutely meant to be: chewy (wild rice), slightly zesty (in a fresh citrus sort of a way), surprisingly creamy (thanks to the just ripe avocados), with hints of sweetness (ripe strawberries), spicy enough (red pepper flakes), super fresh, moderately "ethnic"(cumin!), and pretty good for you. add or subtract what you like, create your own favorite ingredients salad, or give this one a try...i think you might just like it!
*below/right, a (not so attractive) picture of me with MS taken at his Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem!favorite salad ingredients (4 servings or so):
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup wild rice (cook in ligtly salted water until just tender)
- 1/2 cup quinoa (cooked in lightly salted water)
- 2 just ripe avocados, sliced
- 1-2 large heirloom tomato, sliced
- 10-12 ripe organic strawberries, sliced
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
- small bunch of fresh mint, shredded (about 1/4 cup)
- small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
dressing:
- juice of 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon (2 tbs)
- 3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
- (whisk together)
