Wild rice is the star of this recipe, which serves as the base for a sweet, savory, and healthy bowls. The sweet and tangy dressing brings it all together.

These fruited wild rice bowls weren’t planned. They just kind of happened, prompted by a need to clean out my fridge and cupboard. We’ve all been there.

It all started with the wild rice, purchased a year and a half ago on a road trip across northern Minnesota. Then I added other tasty ingredients I had on hand (when did I amass all these mandarin oranges?!).

The only additional ingredients I purchased for these bowls was some rotisserie chicken and pomegranate seeds – which amazingly, I found tucked away on the grocery store salad bar. Therefore, for about 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds, I paid right around 50 cents. Awesome deal!

Save Money On Food: Use What You Already Have

If you add up the cost of all the ingredients for these bowls, this meal wouldn’t necessarily be considered cheap. But when you commit to using food you already have on hand – and combine those ingredients in new and delicious ways – the results can be inspiring.

Bowls are the perfect experimenting dish. Just start out with a base (like rice, beans or pasta) add veggies, fruit, protein, and some sort of dressing or sauce – and voila. You have a meal – and a lighter, cleaner pantry or fridge to boot.

A photo posted by Haley (@cheaprecipeblog) on Jan 17, 2015 at 10:05am PST

… so about these bowls. Even though they just happened they were really, really delicious. Like they were planned the whole time. The fruit adds and irresistible sweetness and the dressing brings it all together.

You don’t want to miss out on upcoming cheap recipe posts: Follow my Pinterest boards and like my Facebook page to get notified.

Learn How To Make Perfect Wild Rice

Perfectly cooked wild rice is nutty with a slight tea-like flavor. Get detailed instructions for cooking a perfect batch of wild rice.

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Fruited Wild Rice Bowls

Yield: 4 bowls

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Customize your bowls! Make it vegetarian by adding tofu instead of chicken. Sub other vegetables and fruits, if desired. Add toasted coconut on top. Don't be scared to get creative.

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Ingredients

For bowls:

• 2 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 can mandarin oranges (reserve liquid)
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 2 cups kale, packed tightly and torn into bite-sized pieces
• Handful sugar snap peas
• Chopped yellow peppers
• Black sesame seeds

For dressing:

• 2 tablespoons liquid from can of mandarin oranges
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Divide wild rice among bowls. Top with chicken, mandarin oranges, almonds, kale, sugar snap peas, and yellow peppers.
2. To make dressing, place all ingredients into a lidded jar and shake vigorously. Pour over bowls, top with sesame seeds, mix it all up, and enjoy!

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