Here it is.  My feel good, good for you January salad straight from Brooklyn Supper.  This beauty contains warm whole grain rice dressed with a light and bright blood orange vinaigrette made more complex with minced shallots and a good squeeze of mild honey. Rainbow Swiss chard is sautéed in a bit olive oil along with a sliced shallot and tossed into the salad; after all greens are a must (for many) in January.  Next come the add-on(s): raw pepitas, dried tart cherries, chives, peeled blood orange rounds and feta.  I could eat this pairing everyday.  And I did, until it disappeared.

Now back to sweets, after all January is almost over.

Warm Rice Salad with Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Serves 4 to 6

very slightly adapted from Brooklyn Supper

Ingredients for vinaigrette:

1 tablespoon blood orange zest

3 tablespoons blood orange juice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 olive oil

good squeeze of a mild honey

Directions:

Grab a small bowl and whisk together the blood orange zest, juice, shallot, mustard, salt and pepper.  Continue to whisk while slowly adding the olive oil.  Whisk until the dressing is well combined and thick.  Add a squeeze of honey. Whisk. Taste.  Repeat if you want it more sweet.

Ingredients for the rice salad:

1 cup dry black rice or wild rice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup raw pepitas

1/4 dried tart cherries

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 shallot, sliced

1 bunch of rainbow chard, chopped

3 medium blood oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds

2 tablespoons, chopped chives

1/2 cup feta cheese (optional but delicious)

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.  Strain excess water and toss cooked rice with 1/4 cup of vinaigrette.  Set aside.

Using a medium skillet, sauté (medium heat) the sliced shallots in the olive oil until they just begin to brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the chopped chard and a bit of sea salt.  Continue to sauté until the chard begins to wilt, about 5 minutes.

Add the shallots and chard to the rice.  Add the cherries, pepitas and more dressing.  Toss.  Taste.  Add salt, if needed.  Place blood orange rounds throughout the salad.  Lastly, top the salad with the feta, chives and a bit of black pepper.  Serve and enjoy!

**Salad will last refrigerated in an airtight container for several days, though it is best the day it is made.  Eat cold, at room temperature or heated up a little in the microwave.**

5 Rice Salad Links You Can’t Miss!

Looking to be or stay healthy this month?  Head to Del Sole’s for Licias’s take on a superfood salad.

If you love pomegranate seeds you need to check out Pinch of Yum’s pomegranate, kale, wild rice salad with walnuts and feta.

If this salad was my last meal on earth, I would die happy.  Head to one of my favorite blogs, Cookie and Kate for the recipe.

When corn and nectarines are once again abundant, I plan on making Not Without Salt’s green rice salad with nectarines and corn.  Summer, summer, summer…

The kitchn’s chopped brown rice salad with grapes and pecans is a salad I plan on making very soon because I am done with grilled cheese crusts and Sunbutter sandwiches…for now. 🙂