Wild Rice Soup & Salad

Okay, actually the salad came first, followed by the soup, but "soup & salad" rolls off the tongue more smoothly than "salad & soup". Although, I guarantee, you won't want any of this soup or salad rolling off your tongue; you'll want to gobble it all down.

There are many variations of this salad online. A friend gave me her recipe and I altered it to suit our taste preferences. Since I have a bunch of wild rice on hand from a store sale, I thought this salad would be a great way to use some up. I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the leeks, which I had to purchase at the grocery store. I've tried making the salad without them and was not pleased with the results; they are a crucial flavor component.




Orzo & Wild Rice Salad (with leeks, dried cranberries, & pecans)

3 leeks
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup wild rice
1 cup orzo pasta
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pecans (shelled, of course)
Salt & pepper to taste
3 tbs balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in wild rice, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 60 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and drain off any excess liquid.

Trim the rough greens and roots off the leeks. Slice in half lengthwise and then into 1/4" half rounds. Place in a bowl full of water and swish vigorously to rinse the dirt and sand out from between the layers. Lift the leeks out of the water with a slotted spoon into a sieve to drain. (Do not pour them out or all the sand at the bottom of the bowl will be poured right back on top of the leeks!) Pat dry.

Place in a shallow roasting pan (or cast iron skillet) and toss with just enough oil to coat the pieces - about a tablespoon. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Remove and let cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Place in a large serving bowl and toss with just enough olive oil to keep it from sticking.

Chop the cranberries and pecans.

Add the cooked wild rice, roasted leeks, chopped cranberries and pecans to the orzo. Toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Serve warm or at room temperature.
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We enjoyed this salad for several days but still had quite a bit remaining. The weather turned a bit chilly again (chilly for us desert wimps, not like the NE or Canada) so I thought I'd try to turn the leftover salad into a soup. I found this tasty-looking recipe for Cream of Wild Rice Soup that I thought I could adapt to use up the salad. What follows is my adaptation, using the ingredients I had on hand. If you want to see the original recipe, follow the link above.




Cream of Wild Rice-Orzo Soup (with cranberries & pecans)

3 cups of leftover orzo and wild rice salad (see recipe above)
1/2 red onion, diced
3 large brown mushrooms, diced
6 cups hot water (if using chicken stock, omit next three ingredients)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
3 tbs nutritional yeast

3 tbs dehydrated mixed peppers

2 tbs dehydrated celery leaves, crushed

3/4 cup flour
2 cups cool water
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup soymilk
2 tbs dry white wine

In a large soup pot, saute onion in a little olive oil or vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance) for a minute.
Add mushrooms and cook for several minutes until softened.
Add hot water, salt, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil.
Add dried peppers, celery leaves, and leftover salad (warmed up preferably). Bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix flour and half the cool water until thoroughly combined. Slowly add remaining water, stirring to make sure there are no lumps. Slowly pour into simmering soup, stirring constantly.
Continue to stir and simmer for a couple of minutes until soup thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
Stir in soymilk and wine. Remove from heat and serve.
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The soup came out delicious and filling. The sweetness of the cranberry pieces and crunch of the pecans were a very nice change of pace from the ordinary run-of-the-mill soup recipe. And it was a great way to use up food without any waste.