Chicken Wild Rice Soup

I have to post this recipe because I love it so much that I have to share. I used to work at The Saint Cloud Hospital in their Communications Department back in the day. Whenever this soup was on the menu, the whole hospital turned up in the lunch room. It is sooooo good!

Chicken Wild Rice Soup
from The Saint Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud, MN

32 oz. chicken broth
2 c. water
1/2 c uncooked wild rice (Uncle Ben's Wild Rice blend is ok)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped parsley (optional, or 2 TBSP dried parsley)
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. cubed cooked chicken
8 slices crisp bacon, chopped
2 TBSP dry sherry (optional, but good)

In stock pot combine broth and water. Add rice, onion, celery and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer 35-40 minutes, until rice is tender. (Note: you can do this in the crockpot--it will take about 3 hours on high for the rice to get done)

In medium sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Gradually stir in milk; cook until slightly thickened. Slowly add this to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients and heat through, taking care not to boil. Makes eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Egg Croquettes

From Dom DeLuise's Eat This, It Will Make You Feel Better

4 eggs, beaten together
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 Tbs olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 -2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup peas (frozen or canned or fresh)
1 cup of rice cooked in 2 cups of chicken broth

Heat the oil in a frying pan and start the onion and garlic cooking over medium low heat while you mix the eggs, bread crumbs, cheese and parsley in a bowl. When the onion and garlic are soft, add the tomato sauce, water and peas. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Meanwhile start the rice cooking. Bring the chicken broth to a boil, then stir in the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Use a soup spoon to drop the egg “dumplings” or croquettes into the simmering sauce. Drop them around the pan so they are not touching. Do not stir them! Cover and cook over low heat 25-30 minutes.

Serve the croquettes and sauce over the cooked rice.

Serves 4.

Basmati Rice Seasoned with Garam Masala

2 cups basmati rice
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium-size onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups vegetable broth

I just throw all the ingredients in my rice cooker and press START. But the original recipe tells you how to cook it if you don't have a rice cooker:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium stove-to-oven pot melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onions, garlic and garam masala and cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring until onions are softened. Add rice and stir until well coated. Add vegetable stock, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake in the oven until the rice is tender and the stock is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand, covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Recipezaar.com

Forest Floor Salad

I call this Forest Floor Salad because the first time I brought it to a Thanksgiving meal, my relatives said it looked like I had gone out into the woods and scraped stuff off the ground into my bowl. However, after the meal was finished my mother and her sisters sat down with the bowl in between them and polished off the remaining salad while they talked and laughed. So, don't let the looks deceive you; this is a great salad!

1 lb wild rice

For vinaigrette:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 TBSP orange zest
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups cooked white rice

2 cups chopped pecans, toasted (or 1 cup pecans, 1 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts)
1 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion or green onion tops

Rinse wild rice in a sieve under cold water, then combine with cold water to cover by 2 inches in a 5-quart pot. Simmer, covered, until tender, 45 to 60 minutes.

Make vinaigrette while wild rice is simmering. Whisk together juice, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Gradually whisk in oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper.

Assemble salad: Rinse cooked wild rice in sieve under cold water and drain. Stir together rices, vinaigrette, nuts, parsley, dried fruit, onion, and salt and pepper to taste.

Salad keeps, covered and chilled, for 3 days. Serves 12

Spicy Rice and Kale

From: Bon Appétit, February 1999

2 1/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 cup converted white rice
4 ounces kale (about 1/2 large bunch), stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped (2 cups
packed)

Bring broth and Creole seasoning to boil in heavy large saucepan. Stir in rice and kale and bring to
boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4.