Wild Rice Salad with Sweet Lime Dressing

I'm back in my kitchen experimenting away in an effort to add vegan and vegetarian foods to my diet.  For this recipe, I had to use my husband and friend as test tasters since my children wouldn't recognize a salad unless it contained only leafy vegetables and was drowning in ranch dressing.  Asking them to spoon up a pinkish salad with rice sent them scurrying for the boxes of cereal.  If you ask me, it's their loss.  I found this recipe incredibly satisfying and my test tasters agreed.  It has the perfect blend of sweet, tart and nuttiness that makes my taste buds sing.

Thanks to vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz for the bones of this dish.  I love her adventuresome spirit but I'm not quite ready to marry the sweet, tarte, nuttiness of this salad with hot chili sauce the way Ms. Moskowitz prefers.  I like my lips when they're not constantly burning.  If that's your style, then dive into her original recipe found in her "Appetite for Reduction" cookbook.

WILD RICE SALAD WITH SWEET LIME DRESSING

1 navel orange, sliced in 1/2 inch segments

2 tbs. toasted sesame seeds (yep, toss them in a heated pan and stir them around for a couple minutes)

2 cups cooled long grain and wild rice

1 handful craisins

6 cups lettuce mix

1 lb tinfoil beets chopped

SWEET LIME DRESSING

1/4 c. lime juice

2 tbs. red wine vinegar

2 tbs. salad oil

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tsp. agave nectar (honey or sugar works in a pinch)

Toss everything together except the oranges and sesame seeds.  Drizzle on the dressing and toss with tongs (preferably in beat with your favorite song playing on your ipod).  Add the oranges and sesame seeds and toss one last time.