It’s been a long hiatus. I didn’t intend it, but a new job, a new commute to New Jersey, and all that comes with such a major life change sidelined the blog for a bit. Honestly,  I got so behind that it started to feel to difficult to start back up again. But I’m back. I’m excited to keep talking about food – good, local, exciting food – and I’m excited to share this delicious grain salad from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday with you.

Generally, I’m a bit suspicious about savory + sweet. But it’s a local cherry moment, and after I brandied a a jar of beauties for fall drinks, I wanted to try to eat them in a non-traditional way. I had just bought some beautiful black rice at the Co-Op (along with the cherries) which offset the deep red of the cherries so well. Toasted walnuts, basil, and wilted spinach round out the dish, transporting it from a pretty side dish to a distinctive main dish. Heidi suggests some goat cheese if you’re in the mood. I’m always in the mood, and treated the salad, and myself, to half a round of Purple Haze. Yum.

For the photo below I left the cherry vinaigrette right on top so that you can see how brightly colored it is – another reason to use a dark colored grain. If you keep this vinaigrette separate, the salad can store for days in the refrigerator.

You can find the recipe, posted by Heidi, on The Daily Meal.