Tag Archives: wild rice

May 16 2012
39 Comments
Dressings and Sauces, Lunch, Salads

Wild Rice Salad with Sweet Potato, Orange, Cherries & Toasted Pecans

Wild Rice SaladI just finished reading The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, by Michael Ruhlman and while it was interesting, it made me realize a couple of things.  One is, I’m glad that I’m not a chef.  It’s a hard life.  I can barely take the stress of preparing three meals a day for two people, let alone service for tens or even hundreds.  The second thing is, I could never go to the Culinary Institute of America.  It should be called The Carcass Institute of America (though the book covers a period back in the 1990s, so things may have changed there).  There is brief mention in the book of a class (one class mind you, not a full course) on vegetarianism, and it takes place in a basement room towards the end of one’s education at the Institute.  Sounds pretty half-arsed and halfhearted to me.

However, I did glean something delicious from the book.  The author describes a menu at one of the restaurants (where students do the cooking as part of their education) which included a wild rice salad with toasted pecan dressing.  Sounded like a nice title for a recipe.  I put down the book and jotted down some ideas.  The result is this no-oil, animal-free salad.  No butchering required.

Wild Rice Salad with Sweet Potato, Cherries & Toasted Pecans
Serves 4

Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. brown rice miso
black pepper, to taste

Salad:
1 medium-sized sweet potato, roasted, cooled, peeled and cubed
1 cup wild rice and brown rice blend, cooked and cooled slightly
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
dash salt & ground black pepper
dash of poultry seasoning
zest of 1/2 an orange
1/2 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.

Add the salad ingredients and gently toss to combine.  Let salad sit for a little while for flavors to meld – then serve at room temperature on a bed of fresh, crisp greens – sprinkled with additional toasted pecans, if desired.

Dry Wild Rice

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Jan 19 2012
4 Comments
Entertaining, Holiday, Main Dishes, Vegetables

Mushroom & Wild Rice Brioche with Gravy

Mushroom BriocheWild rice + cremini mushrooms + flaky crust = showstopping vegan main course.  This would be perfect for serving non-vegan guests not only because it’s gorgeous, but also because it tastes rich, complex and decadent.  Though it looks kinda difficult to put together, it isn’t – you could even make it and store it in the refrigerator (unbaked) overnight.   Pair it with a savory gravy (recipe below) and roasted butternut squash or a steamed green beans with slivered almonds – candles and a vase of fresh flowers would be nice, too.

Mushroom & Wild Rice Brioche
Serves 4

Dough:
Unbaked Brioche1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 packet regular yeast
pinch of salt
3 tbsp. soy milk
2 tbsp. egg replacer + 6 tbsp. water (whisk until frothy, then set aside for a minute)
1/2 cup vegan shortening, softened

Filling:
1/2 cup wild rice/brown rice blend
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 tbsp. Bragg Liquid Aminos
4 shallots, chopped
6 cups cremini mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Gravy:
2 cups vegetable stock
2 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in3 tbsp. water
1/4 cup soy milk

Make the gravy:
In a small saucepan, combine the broth, soy sauce, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low and whisk in the cornstarch/water mixture and return to a boil.  Whisk until the sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the milk, but do not allow the mixture to boil.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  You can make this ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Just gently reheat in microwave.

Make the dough:
Place the flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix.  Add the soy milk and the egg replacer and pulse again to evenly combine ingredients.  Beat in the butter until a dough forms and comes together, then transfer to a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and return it to the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Make the filling:
Cook the rice according to package directions (usually takes about 30-40 minutes) and drain if necessary.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the vegetable broth and Liquid Aminos and saute the shallots until soft.  Add the mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir in the cooked rice and allow the mixture to cool completely before assembling the brioche.

Assembly:
Preheat the oven to 400F.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface – your aim is to create a rectangle almost as large as a half sheet pan.  Transfer the rectangle to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

Spoon the mushroom and rice mixture into the center of the rectangle, leaving space around the edges of the dough.  Moisten the edges of the dough.  Now fold in the two long edges – you should have some overlap.  Trim the edge that will show if you like (just to neaten it up).  Press gently to seal.  Press the edges at either end – again, trimming if necessary to create a clean line.  Using the tines of a fork, gently press into the dough to seal.  Make a few diagonal cuts along the top both for ventilation and decoration.

Brush the dough with soy milk, if desired, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is crisp and golden.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve alongside plenty of gravy.

Unbaked Brioche

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Nov 19 2011
8 Comments
Main Dishes

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Cranberries

Stuffed Acorn Squash in BowlHaving most of the autumn-tinged flavors associated with Thanksgiving, I think this would make a delicious vegan main dish for the main event.  Accompanied by a simple shallot and haricot vert salad dressed with no-oil vinaigrette and sprinkled with toasted almonds; fresh baked whole grain rolls and of course, followed by vegan pumpkin pie – I don’t think anyone would push away from the table feeling unsatisfied.  And they probably wouldn’t nod off in front of the TV later, either.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Cranberries
Makes 4

2 medium-sized acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
3/4 cup wild rice blend
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (plus a little more for cooking vegetables)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 toasted chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a baking sheet.  Pour about a 1/2 inch of water in the pan and carefully place the pan in the oven.  Bake for 25 minutes, then drain any remaining liquid.  Turn the squash cut side up and set aside.  When the squash are cool, trim the stems and bottoms so that the halves will be stable for stuffing.

While the squash is baking, heat 1/4 cup or so of vegetable broth in a medium-sized saucepan.  Add the onions, celery and mushrooms and cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.  Add additional broth if necessary to keep them from sticking.  Add the sage and poultry seasoning, rice and the 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth.  Cover the pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Rice should be tender.  Stir in the cranberries and walnuts, if using.  Season with salt and pepper.

Stuff each squash half with some of the rice mixture.  Cover the squash with foil and return to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.

(Courtesy of the Forks Over Knives book, I’ve made very minor changes: I added mushrooms and cooked the veggies in vegetable broth rather than water.)

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Nov 11 2011
2 Comments
Cookies and Bars, Desserts

Wild Rice and Dried Cherry Cookies

Cookies on Wire RackI’m always on the lookout for new cookie recipes – especially recipes that are a different from the old stand-bys.  The inclusion of wild rice in this cookie recipe made me want to try it out right away – and I wasn’t disappointed.  The little bits of wild rice gives the cookies a nice crunch and the tartness of cherries is tempered by the nutty, sweet batter.  These bake up beautifully and remain soft even after they’re cool.

Wild Rice and Dried Cherry Cookies
Makes ~24 cookies

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour (or gluten-free flour mix)Wild Rice and Dried Cherry Cookies
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
1/2 cup maple sugar
1 tsp. powdered stevia
1 tbsp. Bob Red Mill’s Egg Replacer + 3 tbsp. water (whisk until frothy, then set aside for a minute)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup dried tart cherries (or cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Process (cooled) wild rice in food processor until coarsely chopped.  Set aside.

Whisk together the brown rice flour, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, stevia and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Cream the peanut butter and the maple sugar until smooth, then beat in the egg and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture, beating until smooth, then stir in the wild rice, dried cherries and walnuts.

Scoop 2 tbsp. cookie dough onto sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  Cool for one minute on the pan before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

(The original recipe is from Vegetarian Times.  I replaced the regular sugar with a combination of maple sugar and stevia powder, used peanut butter instead of butter and switched out the eggs for egg replacer.  Oh, and they used dried cranberries in their recipe – I prefer dried tart cherries.)

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