Wild Rice and Arugula Salad with Pecans, Feta, Pomegranate and Orange Vinaigrette

I have been having fun the last few months creating my own recipes for salad dressings (mostly vinaigrettes and mostly the same basic ingredients) to go along with new combinations of salads.  In my quest for healthier eating I have been adding more grains to my diet too.  Wild rice and brown rice have never been my favorite, but I know they are nutitionally superior to the bleached white rice so I am trying to find ways to use them more often.  This salad is the perfect start for wild rice.  It has a meaty quality and really added a great texture to chew.  I made sure not to over cook it so it would retain it's shape and not be mushy or soft.  I made this salad for me, thinking my kids would probably not be interested, but once again one of my teenagers asked if she could have some too.  Surprise!  She said it was really good!

Wild Rice and Arugula Salad with Pecans, Feta, Pomegranate and Orange Vinaigrette:

Cooking wild rice:  Rinse the rice in cold water to remove any dirt or impurities.  I used a rice cooker, which has a brown rice setting, so I added 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups cold water to the rice maker and set it to make brown rice.  If you are using a stovetop this is the method:  1 cup of rice with 1 1/2 cups cold water in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium-high heat until water boils.  Turn heat to low, cover pan and let cook for approximately 45 minutes.  It takes longer to cook wild rice than white.

Orange Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup EVOO
   In a small bowl add the dijon mustard and frozen orange juice concentrate.  Wisk together until blended.  Add the sugar, salt, and pepper.  Next add the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and stir together.  While stirring vigorously with the wisk, slowly pour in the EVOO to blend it into the dressing.  Taste and adjust with another tsp. of sugar if desired.