I love serving salads that pop out on a plate, and while flipping excitedly through my latest Bon Appétit, I was drawn to a Black & Wild Rice Salad dotted with colors of orange, red, and green. It was beautiful, and the perfect starter choice for an upcoming dinner party I had been assigned to cater.

I decided to use Quinoa instead of Black Rice, for a little extra protein, but the black rice works really very well, as does any other grain. You can also substitute the micro greens with parsley, mint or cilantro.

This is particularly great if you want to jazz up a quick salad with left over grains from the night before. And it’s the perfect plate to add a little color to your dinner party.

Enjoy the color, flavor and crunch!

Quinoa and Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Squash, Pomegranates and Pistachios

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Cup Quinoa

1 Cup Wild Rice

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled seeds removed and cut into small pieces (you can also cheat and buy pre-cut squash to banish the cutting time!)

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons honey

2 Scallions (green onions) thinly sliced

1 cup of pomegranate seeds

1 cup microgreens

1/2 cup roasted pistachios, chopped

Kosher Salt, Black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 45o F

Cook wild rice in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 40mins (check package instructions.) Drain and rinse, shaking off as much water as possible. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet and let cool.

Rinse and drain quinoa. Add to a medium pot with 2 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover reduce heat to medium low and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15 mins. Uncover and fluff with fork. Let cool.

Meanwhile toss squash with 1/4 cup oil on a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 20-25 mins. Let cool.

Whisk vinegar, honey and remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large bowl. Add quinoa, wild rice, squash, scallions, pomegranate seeds, micro greens and pistachios. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Salad (without micro greens) can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and Chill