Wild Rice Salad with Almonds

While this is supposed to be a chicken salad dish (and I did make it that way), the rest of the salad is so, so good and flavorful, that I feel the chicken is entirely unnecessary (unless you are a meat-eater and can't live without meat at one meal). It is crunchy, colorful, and just plain wonderful. A gem I happened to find in a stack of old magazine clippings when I cleaned out my cookbook cabinet. A keeper.

Chicken (or not) Wild Rice Salad with Almonds

-adapted from Cooking Light, December 2009

Dressing:

-1/4 cup white wine vinegar

-2 t. sugar

-1 t. dijon mustard

-1/4 t. salt

-1 garlic clove, minced

-2 T canola oil

Salad:

-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

-1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice

-1 T butter

-1 lb cooked shredded chicken (entirely optional in my opinion)

-1 cup chopped celery

-1/2 cup shredded carrots

-1/3 cup dried cranberries

-1/4 cup chopped almonds, toasted

-2 T red onion, minced

Combine dressing ingredients and whisk until well blended. Combine broth, rice, and butter in medium saucepan. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is tender. Cool. Combine cooked rice, chicken if you are using, celery, carrots, cranberries, almonds, and red onion in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and stir to coat well. Cover and chill. This is fantastic leftover.