2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 cups wild rice blend rinsed and drained
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups apple juice may sub chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried parsley (may sub 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, dried rosemary, ground cumin, pepper
Add Later:
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 tablespoons feta crumbles
Roasted Butternut Squash:
2 cups butternut squash peeled and chopped into 1/2-3/4” cubes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat (that has a tight fitting lid). Add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and rice and cook one additional minute. Add all remaining Wild Rice ingredients to the skillet. Cover and reduce heat to low. Gently simmer 45-60 minutes, or until rice is tender, stirring and replacing lid occasionally towards the end of cooking. Add additional water if rice has absorbed all the liquid and is still not done cooking. Check for doneness at 45 minutes. Once rice is tender, remove from heat (with lid on) and let steam 10 additional minutes (this will make for fluffier rice). While rice is cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add butternut squash to a foil lined baking sheet (for easy cleanup). Drizzle squash with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss squash until evenly coated then line in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F, or until tender. Once rice is cooked, drain rice in a fine hole strainer if there is excess liquid (don’t rinse) and add to serving bowl. Stir in roasted butternut squash, sliced almonds, pomegranate seeds, dried cranberries and feta. Toss to evenly combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.