Emerald City Salad Without Oil – Inspired by Seattle’s PCC Natural Markets

The Emerald City Salad features leafy greens, wild rice, and fresh fennel. This oil-free salad was inspired by PCC Natural Market’s original version, but it’s made with healthy whole food fats instead of calorie-dense olive oil.

I received a request for this recipe by one of my readers in Seattle and was instantly excited about making an oil-free version. My first experience with this recipe was during my studies at Bastyr University. We actually made this salad in my first cooking class of grad school, and at that time I, along with my teacher and classmates, thought the olive oil was a health-promoting ingredient.

Now, I know better. Extracted oil is the white sugar of the fat world. Its overuse promotes inflammation, heart disease, and obesity. I'd rather get my fat from nutrient-dense and unprocessed whole foods.

Emerald City Salad Without Oil

By Chef Katie Mae
Makes 6–8 servings | Ready in 1 hour | Stores 5 days in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• ½ bunch kale, destemmed and thinly sliced<
• ½ bunch chard, destemmed and thinly sliced
• ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• ½ fennel bulb, thinly sliced<
• 1 bunch green onions, diced
• ½ cup diced fresh parsley
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1½ tablespoons tahini
• 1 Medjool date, pitted (optional)
• 1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning (i.e. Benson’s Table Tasty)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic granules
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Add 3 cups of water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add wild rice, bring back to a boil. Then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 50 to 60 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
2. While the rice cooks, slice the kale and add it to an extra large mixing bowl. Then massage the kale with your hands for a minute or two to soften it. Massaging raw kale makes it easier to chew and digest.
3. Then sliced and dice the rest of the vegetables and add them to the mixing bowl.
4. In a small blender, add the lemon juice, tahini, date, no-salt seasoning, garlic granules, and black pepper. Blend into a creamy dressing.
5. Fold the dressing into the wild rice. Just before serving, mix the dressed rice into the vegetables. Toss well, so the flavors are all mingled evenly.

CHEF'S NOTES

BLE upgrade: Leave out the date.