Emerald City Salad // My 2012 Version

Shortly before I got married, I had a rare afternoon free to spend with my aunt. We lived about five blocks from one another, and were both close to Greenlake, so we met up and walked the lake and then got lunch at PCC. That afternoon was a meal I will always remember because it was one of the only peaceful and lovely moments I can remember in the whirlwind of engagement. We ate the Emerald City Salad from the deli, and finished with wild blueberries and devonshire cream. The sunny day, the food, and the company were perfect. We both raved about the salad, and later after marriage, moving, etc., I recalled it and found it on the internet.

The real recipe is here.

I adapted it this summer, although I love the original recipe at least as much. I didn't have all the right ingredients, but wanted to make the salad just the same!

It's labor intensive, but because you're working with kale and chard for greens, it holds up for days in the fridge. You can eat it all week. And it's is crazy healthy and crazy delicious -- a rare combo.

It's hard to find straight wild rice and avoid mixes. If you don't want to go to the trouble of the hunt, use a wild rice mix. If you want to follow directions perfectly, last time I checked Trader Joe's has a 100% wild rice bag.

My Version

1 c. wild rice
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. fresh lemon juice
salt, pepper & minced garlic to taste
2 ears raw sweet corn, slice kernals off
1/2 regular swiss chard bunch, spine removed and chopped
1/2 red swiss chard bunch, spine removed and chopped
1 fennel bulb, sliced thinly & chopped
1/2 bunch italian flat-leaf parsely
1 red bell pepper, chopped
bunch of chives

Follow the same directions as PCC: make the dressing from olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper and garlic. Cook wild rice with 3 c. water, allowing it to burst open (this takes awhile, so start cooking it early). Toss all ingredients together. It's best if you can let it soak for 4-6 hours before eating it, but you can serve it immediately if you'd rather. I like it best the 2nd day.