Blueberry-Wild Rice Salad

Known for nutty flavor and chewy texture, wild rice isn’t really rice at all! It’s actually a long-grain marsh grass native to the northern Great Lakes area. Wild rice can be a bit expensive — but it’s well worth it!

For the dressing:

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon dried tarragon

¼ teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:

2 cups blueberries, washed and drained

2 cups wild rice, cooked and cooled

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

1 head butter lettuce

1 orange, peeled, seeded and cut into segments.

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, parsley, thyme, tarragon, sugar and olive oil. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, wild rice and toasted walnuts. Pour dressing, to taste, over the blueberry-rice mixture and toss to combine. To serve, divide the lettuce among individual salad plates. Top each with some of the blueberry salad mixture. Garnish with orange segments. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.