Black and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash

I celebrated “Meatless Monday” last night with this hearty, filling salad of black and wild rice, roasted butternut squash, pomegranate seeds, parsley, scallions, pistachios, and a homemade red wine vinaigrette.  I thought about naming this salad “Crazy Salad” since it is Crazy Colorful, Crazy Vibrant, Crazy Delicious, Crazy Filling, and Crazy Healthy.

This salad reminds me of a fancy tabbouleh–especially since I subbed the microgreens with parsley (which worked wonderfully!) I had never cooked black rice before.  The black rice turned the water in the pot a deep aubergine color.  You can substitute the black and wild rice with just about any grain.  The total time to assemble this salad is about an hour–just depends on how long it takes the rice/whole grains to cook, and how long it takes the butternut squash to roast.  Also, I left some of the ingredients unassembled so that they will be super fresh for leftovers.

Black and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash Recipe, Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups black rice
1/2 cup wild rice
medium butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into pieces
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Roast the squash with 1/4 cup olive oil on a baking sheet.

Cook black rice and wild rice in covered pot on low, with 4-5 cups water. Cook until tender, about 45 minutes.  (Taste to determine when rice is done and be sure to add water if the rice isn’t cooked by the time all of water evaporates.) Drain and rinse, shaking off as much water as possible.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Roast the squash until it is browned and tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper.  Let cool.

1. Whisk red wine vinegar, honey, and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large bowl.  Add black rice, wild rice, squash, scallions, pomegranate seeds, parsley and pistachios.  Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.