Roasted Vegetable and Cranberry Wild Rice

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I wrote my last post. We have been so busy with company and spending time with the family that I haven’t been able to create some new recipes. However, I was able to test out many of my recipes with my family over the holidays, such as this recipe and the following recipes:

• No Bake Gingerbread Cake Balls
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Sage Soup
• Blueberry Swirl Coconut Ice Cream
• Lemony Chickpea Soup
• Easy Vegan Peanut Butter Cups (but made into small bites)

The wild rice dish recipe we came up with was an alternative to stuffing that we served for xmas. I cooked up the rice and made the dressing ahead of time, so it was an easy side dish to pull together on Christmas. You can serve it warm or cold. You can also add in whatever vegetables/fruit you have on hand. I even used goji berries one time!
MAKES APPROXIMATELY 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
– 1 cup of wild rice blend of your choice (I used Lundburg Wild Blend rice)
– water
– 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 cm coins
– 1 cup cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into 1 cm coins
– 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
– pinch of salt
– pinch of pepper
– 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
– 1/4 cup cashews, dry-roasted or raw, coarsely chopped
– fresh herbs of choice for garnish, optional (we used cilantro)

Dressing
– 2 tablespoons maple syrup
– 2 tablespoons lemon juice
– 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
– salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook your rice according to the package directions. Depending on your mixture, times will vary. Set aside to cool when done.
2. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 425F.
3. Prepare your vegetable by cutting them and tossing the carrots and mushrooms in olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Roast the vegetables until tender, approximately 30 minutes. Flip once or twice. Keep an eye on your mushrooms as they may cook faster. Set aside when done.
5. Prepare the dressing.
6. Combine the roasted vegetables, rice, and cranberries together.  Add in the dressing to your taste, adding in half to start.
7. Garnish with cashews and fresh herbs.