Wild Rice with Pecans, Cranberries, and Scallions
Wild Rice with Pecans, Cranberries, and Scallions just sounds yummy! You wouldn’t have heard that from me years ago. I remember having conversations with my Dad every time my mother served rice – my being around 8 years old – going something like this:
Me: “No thanks. I don’t like rice.”
Dad: “Rice is the only food that children in China have to eat.”
Me: “I sure am glad that I don’t live in China.”
If you have anyone in your family that feels that way about rice, this dish WILL CHANGE THEIR MIND FOREVER! Once you try this amazing dish, you will be memorizing this recipe to use at least weekly.
Although I love to serve this dish with duck, pork, beef, and venison, I enjoy pairing it with other vegetables for a lighter, healthy meal. Wild rice is actually an aquatic grass and is full of magnesium, zinc, manganese, and B vitamins and contains a ton of fiber.
As much as I try to “watch what I eat” during the holidays, it never fails that I have a few extra pounds that I need to shed before springtime arrives. One of the easiest ways I have found to shed pounds, besides regularly walking and lifting weights, is to replace meat proteins such as red meat, cheese, and eggs with vegetable protein for at least one meal a day.
Combined with a complementary protein such as Brussels sprouts (check out my recipe at Bonnie Plants), nuts, seeds, or beans, wild rice meets your requirements for essential amino acids (creating a complete protein) with little fat and calories.
You don’t have to eat these essential amino acids at the same meal to meet your full nutritional needs. You can eat them at different times during the day.Sometimes, I could eat the entire bowl of this wild rice recipe, but then again I am not sure that would meet my springtime goal of getting the extra pounds off from the holidays. Happy Cooking!!
Wild Rice with Pecans, Cranberries, and Scallions
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain wild rice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock or organic chicken stock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp good olive oil
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1/4 cup pecans toasted
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tbsp scallions chopped
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium pot. When melted, pour in rice. Brown the rice with the butter for about 3 minutes. Pour stock and salt into pot. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. Be careful that the stock does not evaporate. If it does, add 1/2 cup of water to the pot. Turn burner off and cover for 10 more minutes to continue steaming rice.
- Meanwhile, in a sauté pan cook pecans for 5 minutes tossing them often. Do not leave them in that they burn quickly.
- Place rice in a medium size bowl. Gently incorporate olive oil, orange juice, champagne vinegar, pecans, cranberries, onions, scallions, and pepper to the rice. Serve immediately.
The photo looks like a little wild rice with brown rice. Are you using a combination of rices?
Hi Brenda! No, it is just wild rice in this recipes. If you wanted to half the wild rice with brown rice, the recipe would still work though. It may have a little different texture, but would still work. I just love the additions to the wild rice with orange juice. This is just fantastic. I hope you get to try it and enjoy it.
Sounds delicious
It is wonderful and healthy. I could eat the entire bowl!
Stacy, I’ve looked for champagne vinegar every wherewithal no success can I substitute with some other vinegar? Thanks Margie
With out any success. Margie
Hi Margie. The past few times I have looked for the champagne vinegar at Wal Mart I haven’t been able to find it either. A good substitute would be rice vinegar. It is a little lighter than white vinegar. I think you are going to love the recipe. Let me know what you think!
Looks great, great tips too.
Thanks so much Debby! I hope you like it. It is a “go to” side for my family. Thanks!