Wild Rice Recipes

Wild rice recipes are great for holiday cooking. The rice is rather expensive, but it mixes well with other grains and you still get the great wild taste!

This grain is not a true grain but is an aquatic grass. It's gluten free and is native to the great lakes region in America. It's a Native American food.

Traditionally, the Native Americans hand harvest wild rice in canoes, then the rice is fermented, dried or cured in the sun. This process makes the rice ebony black and deeply flavored.

Most commercial wild rice is hybrid seed, grown in California, not hand harvested. If you can, buy the true native American grain. You will be supporting the native tribes.

you can order traditional wild rice at indianharvest.com

Wild rice is richer in protein, minerals and B vitamins than other grains.

Here's the recipes.

Wild rice recipes #1:

Mushroom wild rice stuffing

1 cup cooked wild rice (1/2 cup cooked 45 minutes in 2 1/2 cups water)

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup cooked 15 minutes in 2 cups water)

1 1/2 cups celery

1/2 cup onions

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts or other seeds/nuts

1/2 tablespoon sage

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 cup mushrooms, slices

1/2 teaspoon each rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper

Saute celery, onion, garlic, parsley, and herbs. Add mushrooms and walnuts. Toss in with rice and quinoa. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Wild rice recipes#2: Wild rice salad

1/2 cup wild rice

1/2 cup brown basmati rice

2 1/2 cups water

celery, 1/4 cup

1/2 cup snow peas

1/4 cup toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds

1/23 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

Toasted sesame oil

rice vinegar

ginger, fresh

Cook the rices in 2 1/2 cups water for 1 hour. While this cooks prepare the vegies. Slice celery, lightly steam the snow peas and corn kernels. Toast the almonds or seeds. When the rices are done, put them in a big bowl, and add celery, snow peas, seeds and corn.

Add a dressing of 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 tsp or so ginger juice, and 2 tsp rice vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Food for thought:

"When you feel your family whole foods, you make your family more whole" --Cynthia Lair, chef

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Here's some more healthy holiday recipes

Try out some new whole grains here

Amaranth recipes, a super healthy, gluten free grain

Brown rice recipes

Buckwheat recipes

Easy millet recipes

Quinoa recipes, a superfood

Steel cut oats recipes to warm you up