Jungle Salad with Sumac Vinaigrette
Valentina P
This recipe is inspired by the delicious Paradise Salad at Urth Caffe in Los Angeles. It's a blend of seasonal vegetables, fruit, beans, walnuts, and wild rice in tossed in a sumac vinaigrette. Don't be intimidated by the eclectic combination of ingredients, it works really well.
How To MakeDiet Type: Classic
Shopping List
-
Salad
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
- 4 ounces green beans (about 1 cup)
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 handfuls kale, hard stems removed
- 1 cup nectarine, diced (Note 1)
- 2 ounces ricotta, crumbled (optional, Note 2)
- 1 avocado, diced (optional) Pomegranate Sumac Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons sumac powder
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the wild rice according to package directions. Let cool. As reference, every 1 cup(s) of uncooked wild rice yields around 3 cups of cooked wild rice.
- Step 2: Steam the green beans. Avoid overcooking the green beans, they should remain crisp and bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes in a steamer basket. Once cooked, blanch the green beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry the green beans and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Step 3: Vinaigrette time. Stir the sumac with the hot water in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (this will open up the flavors of the sumac).
- Step 4: After 10 minutes, transfer to the sumac mixture to a wide-mouthed mason jar, along with all the other dressing ingredients. Use a stick blender (we like this one) to emulsify the dressing until smooth. Note: You could also whisk the dressing by hand if the mint is chopped into very small pieces. Refrigerate.
- Step 5: Wash and dry the kale leaves. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add a splash of the vinaigrette and use your hand to massage it into the leaves until softened. Note: Don't skip the massaging, even if you're preparing this ahead of time.
- Serve: Combine all remaining salad ingredients into the bowl with the massaged kale. Add additional vinaigrette, to taste. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If nectarines are unavailable, substitute with an equal amount of ripe mango, plum, or persimmon. Note 2: You could also use a homemade non-dairy ricotta here.
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Nutrition
This recipe is inspired by the delicious Paradise Salad at Urth Caffe in Los Angeles. It's a blend of seasonal vegetables, fruit, beans, walnuts, and wild rice in tossed in a sumac vinaigrette. Don't be intimidated by the eclectic combination of ingredients, it works really well.
How To MakeDiet Type: Plant-based
Shopping List
-
Salad
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (Note 1)
- 4 ounces green beans (about 1 cup)
- 2 1/4 ounces chopped walnuts (about 3/4 cup(s))
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 ounces kale, hard stems removed (about 3 large handfuls)
- 2 ounces almond ricotta, crumbled (optional)
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
- 1 cup nectarine, diced (Note 2) Pomegranate Sumac Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons sumac powder
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook the wild rice according to package directions. Let cool.
- Step 2: Steam the green beans with a steamer basket or microwave. Avoid overcooking the green beans, they should remain crisp and bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes in a steamer. Once cooked, blanch the green beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Rinse and dry the green beans and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Step 3: Vinaigrette time. Stir together the 2 teaspoons of sumac powder with the 2 teaspoons of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (this will open up the flavors of the sumac). After 10 minutes, transfer to the sumac mixture to a wide-mouthed tall mason jar (or small processor), along with all the other vinaigrette ingredients. Use a stick blender or the processor to emulsify the vinaigrette until it's smooth and pink. If stirring by hand, be sure to chop the mint into very small pieces. Store in the refrigerator.
- Step 4: Wash and dry the kale leaves. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and put it in a large mixing bowl. Pour in a splash of the vinaigrette and use your hand to massage the vinaigrette into the leaves. The leaves will soften and lose volume as you do so. Note: Don't skip the step of massaging the dressing into the greens, even if you're preparing this ahead of time. The kale can hold up to the vinaigrette without getting limp.
- Step 5: Combine all remaining salad ingredients into the bowl with the massaged kale.
- Serve: Add additional vinaigrette, to taste, over the salad. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: As reference, every 1 cup(s) of uncooked wild rice yields about 3 to 4 cups of cooked wild rice. Note 2: If nectarines are unavailable, substitute with an equal amount of ripe mango, plum, or persimmon.
Nutrition
This recipe is inspired by the delicious Paradise Salad at Urth Caffe in Los Angeles. It's a blend of seasonal vegetables, fruit, avocado, walnuts, and wild rice in tossed in a sumac vinaigrette. In this paleo-friendly version, the wild rice is substituted with hemp seeds to mimic the nuttiness of wild rice. Don't be intimidated by the eclectic combination of ingredients, it works really well.
How To MakeDiet Type: Paleo
Shopping List
-
Salad
- 4 ounces broccolini (about 1 cup)
- 2 1/4 ounces chopped walnuts (about 3/4 cup(s))
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 1/2 ounces kale, hard stems removed (about 3 large handfuls)
- 2 ounces almond ricotta, crumbled (optional)
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 cup nectarine, diced (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds Pomegranate Sumac Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 2 teaspoons sumac powder
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Step 2: Steam the broccolini with a steamer basket or microwave. Avoid overcooking the broccolini, they should remain crisp and bright green, about 2 to 3 minutes in a steamer. Once cooked, blanch the broccolini in ice water to stop the cooking process. Rinse and dry the broccolini and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Step 3: Vinaigrette time. Stir together the 2 teaspoons of sumac powder with the 2 teaspoons of hot water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (this will open up the flavors of the sumac). After 10 minutes, transfer to the sumac mixture to a wide-mouthed tall mason jar (or small processor), along with all the other vinaigrette ingredients. Use a stick blender or the processor to emulsify the vinaigrette until it's smooth and pink. If stirring by hand, be sure to chop the mint into very small pieces. Store in the refrigerator.
- Step 4: Wash and dry the kale leaves. Chop the kale into bite-sized pieces and put it in a large mixing bowl. Pour in a splash of the vinaigrette and use your hand to massage the vinaigrette into the leaves. The leaves will soften and lose volume as you do so. Note: Don't skip the step of massaging the dressing into the greens, even if you're preparing this ahead of time. The kale can hold up to the vinaigrette without getting limp.
- Step 5: Combine all remaining salad ingredients into the bowl with the massaged kale.
- Serve: Add additional vinaigrette, to taste, over the salad. Enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: As reference, every 1 cup(s) of uncooked wild rice yields about 3 to 4 cups of cooked wild rice. Note 2: If nectarines are unavailable, substitute with an equal amount of ripe mango, plum, or persimmon.
Nutrition
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