Spring Wild Rice Salad

I am a huge fan of 101 Cookbooks. The recipes are always so fresh, healthy, tasty, and the pictures are gorgeous! I look at Heidi's recipes anytime I need some inspiration for dinner. A few weeks ago I happened to have all the ingredients for this delicious Spring Wild Rice Salad, so I made it! Scott and I loved it - the girls did not. But that just meant more for us! I'll make this again for sure!

Spring Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments

4 cups cooked wild rice*

1 cup cooked yellow split peas**

1 bunch chives, chopped

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional)

Almond Dressing:

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped

1/4 cup almond butter

zest of one lemon

scant 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

scant 1/4 cup hot water

scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Directions:

1. Whisk together the garlic, almond butter, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt. Set aside.
2. Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the asparagus. Cook for just a minute - until the asparagus is just bright and tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.
3. In a large bowl combine the wild rice, yellow split peas, asparagus, and about half of the almond dressing. Give it a good toss. Add more dressing if needed. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Serve topped with chives and crumbled goat cheese.

*I followed the directions on my box of wild rice for how long to cook it.

**To cook dried yellow spilt peas: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add 3/4 cup dried yellow split peas, and cook for 20 -30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, salt to taste and set aside.

***Heidi also suggested pan frying the cooked lentils for a minute or so to give it a little more texture. I did, and enjoyed it!

Sorry - I neglected to take any pics of this dish. But if you look at 101 Cookbooks, you'll see all the beautiful photos of Heidi's recipes!