Butternut squash and Cranberry Pilaf

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wild rice mix (do not use pre-season mix)
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 ½ cups butternut squash cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 large onion cut into ½ inch dice
  • 1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 3 Tbsp. canola oil
  • ¼ cup minced Italian parsley
  • 1 cup citrus dressing

Citrus Dressing:

  • ½ tsp. cumin
  • ¼. teaspoon cardamon
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. honey
  • ¼ lemon olive oil or ¼ cup olive oil with zest from 1 lemon

Instructions

  1. Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
  3. Add the butternut squash and toss with 1 Tbsp. Olive oil.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Roast squash for 20 – 25 minutes or until softened and slightly caramelized.
  6. Remove from oven.
  7. While squash is roasting, combine the stock and rice in a large saucepan.
  8. Cover and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
  9. While rice is cooking, heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
  10. Add the 2 Tbsp. of Olive oil. Add the chopped onions and sauté for about 6 minutes until translucent.
  11. Reduce heat and continue to cook onions until slightly caramelized. Remove onions from the pan and set aside.
  12. Add pecans to sauté pan and cook over medium heat, until toasted – watch closely so they don’t burn!
  13. Add the cooked rice, butternut squash, onions and dried cranberries.
  14. Drizzle with ¼ cup of the citrus dressing.
  15. Stir. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more dressing if needed.
  16. Garnish with minced parsley if desired. Serve!

Citrus Dressing:

  1. Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl.
  2. Whisk to combine.
  3. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
  4. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Can serve hot or cold. Add only enough toasted pecans for immediate servings. They will get soft if added to entire recipe.

***Recipe adopted from www.acommunaltable.com