Snow pea shoots and baby lettuces adorn this gorgeous wild rice salad. photo by: Nancy Duran

So, I belong to a neighborhood beach club. It’s rustic and beautiful and a great place to meet up with friends all summer long. Usually, we end up meeting up around dinner time so the kids can have an early evening swim and food and drink can be shared. It’s awesome. But I have to admit, as the summer chugs along, the effort of food planning, preparation, and transportation can become a little onerous. I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently as I’ve actually been asked to teach a class on “quick and easy beach club food prep.” At first glance, it seems easy enough. Just grab some ground meat and hot dogs and throw them on the grill. Slice up a tomato and layer over some mozzarella. But, honestly, after a half dozen weekends of this, it gets a little old. Thus, my search for new, interesting, and easy prep dishes to cart up to the picnic tables and sand. This dish, to my mind, fits the bill perfectly. Firstly, it only involves two steps, and one of those steps is: cook rice. And secondly, it can be served warm if you just get it done as you’re stepping out the door or at room temperature, if you choose to prepare it earlier in the day. Beauty. A wild rice salad, with wild greens, that’s just perfect for enjoying out in the wild on a warm summer evening.

Serves 4

1 cup wild rice
1 3/4 cup water
Salt to taste
2 scallions, trimmed, white parts finely chopped, light and dark green parts thinly sliced
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 cups pea shoots and baby lettuces
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine rice, water, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes, until rice is tender.
2. Place rice in medium bowl and add scallions, raisins, greens, lemon juice, and oil. Toss to combine and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional analysis based on 4 servings (does not include salt and pepper to taste):
Calories 212, Fat 4g, Sodium 12mg, Carbohydrate 46g, Fiber 3g, Sugar 26g, Protein 4g