Whole Grain Salad

This recipe has whole grains, dried fruits, and an agave and fruit dressing. Absolutely delicious! I serve it as a side dish, but often enjoy the whole grain health benefits for breakfast. The first meal of the day doesn't have to be bran muffins or cereal.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 8-10
• Yields: 8 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1  cup cracked bulgur wheat, cooked
• 1  cup brown rice, cooked
• 1  cup wild rice, cooked
• 1  cup quinoa, cooked
• 1 1⁄2 cups black beans, cooked
• 1⁄2 red onion, diced
• 1⁄4 cup dried cherries, diced
• 1⁄4 cup dried cranberries
• 2  small oranges
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1 -2  tablespoon  agave syrup

Directions

1. Cook your grains above according to package directions. I usually mix the wild and brown rices together when cooking. Reserve one cup of each grain. Drain and rinse the beans. Stir together the grains. Add the red onion and dried fruits, stirring well. Squeeze the oranges until you get 1/3 cup of juice, including the pulp. Mix together the orange juice and pulp, with the olive oil and agave syrup. Add the orange dressing to the grain salad. Mix it all together. Chill for several hours.
2. The time that I suggested for making this recipe includes the approximate time to cook the grains.