Wild and Brown Rice Stuffing
Just in time for Thanksgiving, this healthy stuffing alternate is filled with all sorts of goodies that are great for your good health. Instead of wheat or other bread, rice is a whole grain without any milling or processing, where many vitamins and minerals are usually lost. This has a great autumn feel with all its seasonal vegetables; don’t be afraid to use it as a side dish at all your family dinners!
Ingredients
1 cup wild rice
1 cup brown rice
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (low sodium)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 cups onion, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 cups portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 cup cranberries, dried
2 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped
2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Place wild rice, brown rice, and stock in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until rice is cooked. Drain off any remaining stock. Set aside to cool.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots and sauté for 10 minutes or until very soft. Add mushrooms, cranberries, marjoram, and tarragon and sauté for 3 minutes of until mushrooms are juicy. Add garlic; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine sautéed vegetables with cooked rice. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Preheat oven to 400oC. Stuff into bird cavity or cook on its own in a buttered baking dish. Cook until bird is done, or 45 minutes in baking dish.
Adapted from ‘Food & Drink’ Magazine, Autumn 2006.
Nutritional Value of Select Ingredients
Brown Rice – This grain is rich in complex carbohydrates, good quality proteins, and yet low in fat and calories. Brown rice can help to regulate bowel function, glucose metabolism, prevent bowel cancer, and lower cholesterol.
Carrots – One of the best sources of beta carotene, carrots can help balance the immune system and reduce the risk of many cancers. They also guard against cardiovascular disease, reduce inflammation, slow the aging process, and are great for digestion disorders. Contain fibre, calcium, iron, and many other vitamins and minerals.
Celery – Eating 2 to 4 stalks of celery a day can lower blood pressure, especially if due to stress. It helps protect against cancer, is a mild diuretic, aids in weight loss and digestion, is a detoxifier, and can stimulate sex drive. High in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Cranberries – Great for the kidneys, bladder, and skin, these tart berries are full of vitamin C, fibre, calcium, iron, and other minerals; and phytonutrients like beta-carotene and quercetin. They are useful in the treatment of asthma, cystitis, kidney stones, and bladder stones.
Garlic – Garlic is touted as a “cure-all” due to its many uses in medicine. It has a beneficial effect on heart disease, cancer, and infectious diseases. It decreases cholesterol levels, detoxifies the body, stimulates the immune system, and the list goes on and on. Eat garlic raw and regularly for maximum benefits.
Mushrooms – Mushrooms have been used for thousands of years for their medicinal properties. They help stimulate the immune system and protect against cardiovascular disease, free radicals, mutagens, and toxins. Maikake, reishi, and shiitake are the most studied for their medicinal properties, but all mushrooms have benefits. Highly nutritious, they contain protein, B vitamins, copper, magnesium, vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, folate, selenium, and iron.
Olive Oil – Cold pressed extra virgin olive oil is a great monounsaturated fatty acid, especially for cooking. It has a good variety of vitamins and minerals, and can help lower LDL cholesterol, control blood pressure, and aid in diabetes.
Onions – Because they are high in sulfur, onions help lower cholesterol, inhibit cancerous tumor growth, help manage diabetes, and are an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antifungal food that are also a blood tonic. Really you can’t go wrong! Eat them daily – raw or cooked.
