Persian-Inspired Rice Salad

Happy Labor Day from FPP!  This week we're celebrating picnics, and we're trying to help you answer the classic question: what am I going to bring?  So break out your favorite potluck, picnic, and cook-out food, and don't forget to share your results with us!

This Labor Day, we've been invited to a Freddie Mercury themed party featuring Persian food.  I wanted to make something that would fit the theme-- a tricky enough problem-- and be appealing to our vegan friends. I headed over to Epicurious, and after looking at a few Persian recipes, came up with my own sweet rice salad.

Persian-Inspired Fragrant Rice Salad
2 cups long-grained rice
1/4 tsp saffron
1 stick cinnamon
8-10 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tbsp chopped toasted walnuts
2 tbsp roasted salted cashews, chopped roughly
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook the rice in whatever method you prefer, adding the saffron and cinnamon stick during cooking (I tossed them all into my rice maker, but stovetop would work just as well).  Spread the cooked rice in a wide dish to cool, and remove the cinnamon stick.  Rehydrate the raisins by putting them in a small dish or bowl and covering them with boiling water.  Let sit 5-10 minutes, then drain.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. 
Mix together the cooled rice, dried fruit, nuts, and dressing.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

That's it! Super simple, and it tastes great.  Hopefully it will go over well!