Herby Tahini Wild Rice Summer Salad

I love the idea of easy summer entertaining. It’s hot. Georgia feels like a sauna. Let’s keep good food easy.

For so many reasons, i love the ability to quickly throw together delicious meals with very little effort. It’s a true life savor to have quick easy meals right at your fingertips. This comes in particular handy when you want host but don’t want to slave in the kitchen all day to pull together impressive platters for your guests. For those of you who know me, you know that at this particular time i am 6 months pregnant with my second baby boy. This means that all day i chase around a toddler, well i mean chase is a stretch, what i really do is waddle around behind a toddler while trying not to fall asleep mid-sentence “ No, Malik we can not color on the table zzzzz” Exhausting. That’s why when i was introduced to the Wild Garden line of easy and quick dressings, marinades, dips, sauces and packaged meals my mind was blown. Do you guys have any idea how much Tahini dressing we go through? I literally eat it with my fresh veggies as a dip instead of ranch. I could practically drink it as a shot. So when I received the perfect squeeze bottle of Herb Tahini Dressing i about died of excitement. The possibilities were endless with what i could use it for.

I created this summer Wild Rice Salad, In Partnership With (#inpartnershipwith) Wild Garden Foods using their Green Herb Tahini Dressing as a way to bring out the gorgeous colors of summer for the perfect side dish. The beauty of this dish is that it’s healthy, easy and so incredibly visually appealing when you pull it out for party. Don’t be deceived by the lengthy time this dish appears to take. The entirety of the dish cooking time is for the black wild rice to cook. Wild rice is different than it’s white cousin in that it has a tough outer skin and requires a longer cooking time, but it’s really a set it and forget it thing. While the rice cooks, airfry (or roast if you prefer) your butternut squash, charr your corn and chop the veggies. That’s all this meal takes to come together gorgeously.

You can find this Tahini dressing and the full line of Wild Garden Foods at www.wildgarden.com

Give this recipe a try! Share your comments and some love. If you make this recipe and share it on social media, tag it with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipe #wildgardeneats

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

Ingredients for the airfryed butternut squash

1.     1/2 half butternut squash

2.     2 tbsp olive oil

3.     Salt + pepper

Ingredients for the wild rice

1.     1 cup black wild rice

2.     1 tbsp olive oil

3.     3 cups boiling water

4.     1 tbsp salt 

Ingredients for salad

1.     1 cup black wild rice (cooked)

2.     1/2 butternut squash, roasted

3.     1 1/2 cups charred yellow corn

4.     1 large avocado, sliced

5.    1/2 red onion, sliced

6.     1 cup whole Kalamata olives

7.    1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

8.     Wild Garden Foods tahini dressing

9. 1/2 lemon juice

10. Salt for final seasoning

Method

to prepare butternut squash

1.     Peel and cube the squash into 1 inch cubes

3.     Toss the squash cubes in olive oil, salt and black pepper to lightly coat

4.     Place in air-fryer basket and set the temperature to 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 28 minutes. Toss the basket to ensure even cooking 3-4 times during the cooking process.

to prepare the wild rice

1.     Wash and rinse the rice

2.     Heat oil in deep pot and add rinsed rice. Toss until you lightly fry the rice for 1 minute.

3.     Add salt and boiling water to the pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 hour 15 min or until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.

to prepare the charred corn

1.     Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the corn kernels. Toss with a wooden spoon for 5-8 min or until a light char forms on the corn.

to assemble the salad

1.     Place cooled rice in a serving platter

2.     Arrange sliced avocado, roasted butternut squash, sliced red onions, olives, charred corn and halved cherry tomatoes overtop.

3.     Drizzle Wild Garden Herb Tahini Dressing over-top. Finish the salad with a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of salt.  

4.     Toss and serve as a cold salad