Julie Wilson's Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

(recipe modified from The New York Times Cook Book via a newspaper clipping)

1 cup (about 1 1/2 oz.) dried mushrooms such as shitake, morels, chanterelles or oyster mushrooms
5 cups hot water
2 Tbsp. butter (I used coconut oil)
1/2 cup wild rice
Salt to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 cup finely chopped leeks
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup vegetable stock
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 cup half-and-half (I used canned coconut milk)
3 oz. fresh mushrooms
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. dry sherry
1 tsp. finely chopped thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Put the dried mushrooms in a mixing bowl and add 4 cups of the water.  Let soak 20 minutes or longer.  Drain but reserve the soaking liquid.

Squeeze the drained mushrooms and run under cold water to remove any soil or sand.  Squeeze dry.  Trim off any rough stems.  Chop coarsely.  Set aside.

Line a mixing bowl with a sieve.  Line the sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth and pour the mushroom soaking liquid through it.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining 1 cup of water to a boil in a small heavy saucepan and add 1 Tbsp. of the butter and the wild rice.  Add salt and cover closely.  When the water returns to the boil, simmer about 50 minutes, or until the rice "blossoms" and the water is absorbed.  Add a little more water if necessary as the rice cooks.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot and add the onions, garlic, and leeks.  Cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened.  Add the chopped soaked mushrooms and sprinkle with flour.  Cook over low heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.  Add the white wine, vegetable stock, salt, pepper, Tabasco and the liquid in which the mushrooms soaked.  Bring to the boil.  Simmer uncovered over low heat about 1 hour.  There should be 5 or 6 cups of soup.

Strain the soup, reserving both the liquid and the solids.  Ladle the solids, a little at a time, into a food processor and blend thoroughly.  Return the soup to the pot; add the reserved liquid and half-and-half.

Meanwhile, cut the fresh mushrooms into thin slices.  There should be about 1 1/2 cups.

Heat the remaining Tbsp. of butter in a small skillet and add the sliced fresh mushrooms.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle with sherry.

Add the sliced mushrooms and wild rice to the soup and bring to the boil.  Add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with thyme and parsley.  Serve hot in hot soup bowls.

(This is the soup my father makes every year for Christmas.  It is elegant.  I made it this year, and tried a vegan adaptation with the coconut milk, which turned out pretty good.  A few modifications: 1. I strained my mushroom soaking liquid thorough a coffee french press.  2. I blended the solids and the liquid together in a Vitamix. (My dad says he doesn't blend his.)  3. I used dried thyme, and added it earlier, before simmering the soup.)

Massaged Kale & Wild Rice Salad

(Recipe from Amazing Grass)

2 cups baby kale
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus a drizzle for massaging
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 large grapefruit, peeled, segmented and chopped
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup diced red onion
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tsp. honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped raw walnuts
Large pinch fresh lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste

Using your hands, massage the kale with a drizzle of olive oil in a large bowl.  Add the cucumber, grapefruit, rice and onion.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper; sea salt and pepper to taste; whisk to combine.  Drizzle over the salad mixture and toss to combine.  Top with walnuts and lemon zest and serve.

Wild Rice with Butternut Squash, Leeks, and Corn

(recipe from Bon Appetit magazine)

1 1/2 cups wild rice
2 tsp. coarse salt
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (from 1 1/2 lb. squash)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
6 Tbsp. butter, divided (I used coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups leeks, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen white corn kernels, thawed
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Rinse rice in strainer under cold water; drain.  Bring 6 cups water and 2 tsp. coarse salt to boil in a large saucepan.  Add rice; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until rice grains begin to split and are tender but still slightly chewy, about 45 minutes.  Drain.  Spread on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.  Transfer to bowl.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Oil a rimmed baking sheet.  Toss squash cubes and 3 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl.  Spread squash in a single layer on prepared sheet; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast just until tender but firm enough to hold shape, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.  Transfer squash to bowl.  Cool.

Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks and 3/4 cup water; simmer until leeks are tender, about 7 minutes.  Add corn; simmer 2 minutes longer.  Add rice and butternut squash; simmer until heated through and liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes.  Stir in 2 Tbsp. butter and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to a bowl and serve.

Mushroom & Wild Rice Frittata

(partial recipe clipped from a magazine, not sure which one)

Wild rice:
2 cups water
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/8 tsp. salt

Frittata:
6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
1 lb. mixed mushrooms (cremini, white button, shiitake), sliced


To prepare wild rice, combine water, rice and salt in a small heavy saucepan; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the rice is tender with a slight bite, 40 to 50 minutes.  Drain.

[At this point, I seem to have lost the rest of the recipe as it continued onto another page.  What follows is my own directions:]

Preheat oven to 350F.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl, set aside.  Sautee the remaining ingredients in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Once onions and mushrooms are tender, add drained rice, and stir to combine well.  Pour eggs into the skillet.  Remove the skillet from the burner and put into oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until eggs are set.

(Very tasty frittata!)

Emerald City Salad

(recipe from teaandcookiesblog.com)

4 cups mixed greens (mix of dino kale, curly kale, chard), coarsely chopped.  Don't make this from one type of green, the mixture is important.
3 green onions, sliced thin
3/4 cup red pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 cup fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 cup wild rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook the rice according to directions.  Set aside to cool.

Prep the greens and other vegetables.  Toss in a large bowl, adding the wild rice when it is cool.  Drizzle with olive oil and mix.  Add the lemon juice and salt and mix again.  Serve chilled.

(Since I brought this to work for lunches, I simply mixed the veggies and rice in a large bowl and kept that in the fridge.  Then I mixed the oil, lemon juice, salt in a small jar and added the dressing to my small container of the veggie mixture at lunchtime.  Nice combination of flavors.  Dense, chewy salad with the raw kale and wild rice.  I'm not supposed to be eating grains on my cleanse, but made this exception for wild rice since it's not technically a rice, but an aquatic grass seed.  Yum!)

Wild Rice and Mushrooms

(recipe from DrWeil.com)

1 cup dried porcini or shitake mushrooms (I used fresh shitake and skipped the soaking step)
2 1/2 cups water, approximately
1 cup wild rice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
salt or soy sauce to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Soak the dried mushrooms in water to cover until they are soft.  Squeeze them out, reserving liquid, and slice.

Wash the wild rice in cold water:  set in a bowl, cover with water and let the debris float to the surface; pour off, rinse and drain.  Place washed rice in a pot with the mushroom-soaking liquid (minus any sediment) and add enough additional cold water to total 2 cups.  Add the orange juice, sherry and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add mushrooms and continue cooking until rice is tender and all (or most) of the liquid is absorbed.  (Don't cook too long or you'll get starchy, wimpy grains that have lost much of their flavor.)

Add the chopped parsley and salt or soy sauce to taste.  Stir in the nuts.

(I found that, with using fresh mushrooms, I maybe could have used a little less water to cook the rice.  I simmered uncovered for a little while after adding the mushrooms because I had a lot of liquid still.  I worried about over cooking my rice, but it turned out ok.  This dish has the most incredible flavor!  So good!  The orange is not too overpowering, just right.  The nuts add great texture and flavor, chopped very fine.  I actually ate this at room temperature like a rice salad for lunch.  Good both hot and cold.)