Corn Tomato Wild Rice Salad

With chopped kale, walnuts, scallions & champagne vinaigrette, this grilled corn tomato wild rice salad blurs the definition between salad and side.

We are closer to fall than spring, but I’m just getting around to spring cleaning this year.

Better late than never, I suppose.

So far, I’ve gone through drawers packing bags of clothing that my son has outgrown of to be donated.

And now I am just starting the kitchen where things are different.

It’s the perishables that I am trying to organize rather than my plates and cutlery.

Despite my best intentions, I end up with partially used containers of dry goods.

The worst offenders are pasta and grains.

My husband disagrees with me when I suggest mixing pasta shapes in the same pot of water. It just takes a little math to coordinate the cooking times.

Always the purist, he asks me if this is how they do it in Italy.

Of course not!

I’m trying to clear out the pantry and not waste food. That deserves a high-five.

While going through a shelf, I found an open bag of wild rice.

Usually I think fall and Thanksgiving sides when it comes to wild rice, but it is great for a grain salad, too.

This corn tomato wild rice salad involves my summer favorites—grilled corn and cherry tomatoes.

I would eat them for every meal if I could.

How To Make Corn Tomato Wild Rice Salad

To start, I simmered the wild rice on the stovetop. Rice takes longer than quinoa and other faster grains, so it’ good to just get it out of the way. Plus, then it has time too cool.

Next I grilled a few ears of corn and sliced the kernels straight off the cobs.

With everything cooked, it was almost time to combine the ingredients in a big bowl.

But first I had to make the vinaigrette using a combination of champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Finally, I stirred together the rice and corn with halved cherry tomatoes, chopped Lacinato kale, scallions, walnuts and the vinaigrette.

You can call it a side or a salad. I would say it qualifies as both.

In order to stretch the leftovers, I kept adding a bit more kale to my corn tomato wild rice salad each time I ate it.

Corn Tomato Wild Rice Salad

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30-35 minutes
• Total Time: 45-50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x

Print Recipe

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Description

With chopped kale, walnuts, scallions & champagne vinaigrette, this grilled corn tomato wild rice salad blurs the definition between salad and side.

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup wild rice
• 4 cups water
• 3 corn cobs, shucked
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1–1/2 cups chopped Lacinato kale, ribs removed
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

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Instructions

1. Rinse the rice with cold water in a fine mesh strainer.
2. Place the rice and water in a large saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes. Check the doneness of the rice. The grains should be cooked but still chewy. (Also refer to the package instructions for recommended cook time).
3. Drain any remaining liquid from the saucepan. Let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork.
4. While the rice is cooking, preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat. Toss the corn with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Grill until the corn is lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes.
5. When the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cobs.
6. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, champagne vinegar, kosher salt and black pepper.
7. In a large bowl, fold together the rice, corn, tomatoes, kale, scallions, walnuts and vinaigrette.

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