Wild Rice Pilaf with Toasted Pecans, Dried Cherries and Mushrooms

I love wild rice. It’s loaded with fiber, protein and zinc. It’s got a nice earthy and nutty flavor. And I’ll look for any excuse to use it, like this easy vegan wild rice pilaf recipe with toasted pecans, dried cherries, mushrooms and more. It’s great as a fall side dish, as a part of your Thanksgiving or holiday spread or whenever you get a craving for wild rice.

This recipe makes ~6-8 servings.

A few things..

• ・I used Lundberg Wild Rice Blend for this pilaf recipe. If you use a different blend, it may impact how long it takes to cook and how much liquid you need to use. Consult your package, and make the proper adjustments, if needed.

• ・Nuts toast quickly! When you add the pecans to the skillet, make sure to keep stirring them. After a minute or two, they should be fragrant and toasty.

• ・No dried cherries on hand? Feel free to substitute dried cranberries.

• ・No sherry vinegar? It’s got a real synergy with the rest of the wild rice pilaf ingredients, but you might try balsamic vinegar. I haven’t tested it, but it feels like it would be good. Let us know how it works out if you give it a try!

Thanks for being here! Don’t miss out on other UVK recipes, like Wild Rice Mushroom Soup, Vegan Cheese Ball with Pecans and Cranberries, Vegan Spinach Mushroom Wild Rice Casserole, French Onion Wild Mushroom Soup, Summer Wild Rice Salad, and more.

Wild Rice Pilaf with Toasted Pecans, Dried Cherries and Mushrooms

1 cup wild rice blend (see notes above)

1¾ cup vegetable or fake chicken broth

¼ cup chopped pecans

1 medium yellow onion, small dice (OR ~1½ cups small dice yellow onion)

2 Tbsp vegan butter

2 celery stalks, small dice (OR ~½ cup small dice celery)

1 large carrot, small dice (OR ~¾ cup small dice carrots)

6 whole white mushrooms, coarsely chopped (OR ~1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms)

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dry rubbed sage

½ tsp dried rosemary

Black pepper, to taste

1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (OR gluten free tamari)

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

2 tsp sherry vinegar (see notes above)

¼ cup finely chopped dried cherries (see notes above)

Finely chopped parsley, to taste

1. First, you’ll prepare the wild rice blend for the pilaf. In a small pot, add the wild rice blend and broth. Bring it to a boil. Lower it to a simmer, and cook covered for ~35-45 minutes or until fully cooked through. Remove from heat, keep the lid on, and allow it to steam for 10 minutes.

2. In a large, deep skillet, add the pecans. Stir around over medium heat until they are toasted. Remove them from heat and spoon them onto a plate to cool. Reserve the skillet.

3. Next, you’ll start working on the veggies for the wild rice pilaf. In the skillet, add the onions, vegan butter, and a dash of salt. Sauté over medium heat for ~7 minutes or until they are golden.

4. Add the celery, carrot, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir around over medium-low heat for ~15 minutes or until the veggies are very soft.

5. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and sherry vinegar. Then, add the cooked wild rice blend, dried cherries, fresh parsley, and toasted pecans. Stir together the wild rice pilaf. Taste and adjust the flavor, if needed (more soy sauce? more vinegar?). Serve.