Wild Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms, Walnuts & Swiss Chard

In a previous post I mentioned the combination of different types of foods to create complete plant-based proteins. This is a great recipe that combines legumes and whole grains as well as vegetables and nuts and seeds to create complete proteins. As a reminder, a complete protein contains all the essential amino acids our bodies need every day. The essential amino acids are those that our bodies cannot synthesize on its own, therefore we must get them through the foods we eat. For people who eat plant-based diets, it is important to combine certain types of foods to ensure a healthy diet that contains all essential amino acids. I go into more detail about the exact combinations in this post.

Wild rice is a great source of fibre and adds variety to the diet, which is one of the most important pillars of a healthy diet. Lentils are also a good source of fibre and have high levels of micronutrients such as vitamins like vitamin B6 and folate, and minerals such as phosphorus and iron. Walnuts are great sources of healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids and pumpkin seeds are full of antioxidants such as Vitamin E, which is also great for skin health. In the end, the most important part of eating a healthy diet is moderation and eating a variety of whole foods will help you achieve that goal. Happy eating!

*serves 3-4 as a main dish

*serves 6 as a side dish

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

1 cup wild rice

3 tbsp olive oil

220 g/ 7 oz mushrooms of choice (I used cremini)

2 shallots

3 garlic cloves

2 tsp dried thyme

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 bunch swiss chard

salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Toast, stirring for a couple minutes, until fragrant and golden. Remove from pot and set aside.

Rinse rice and set aside. Roughly chop mushrooms, mince shallot and grate garlic. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in the same dutch oven you used to toast the nuts over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and let cook for about 10 minutes, until they are nicely browned. Add the remaining tbsp of olive oil along with the shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, cooking for another minute until fragrant.

Add wild rice and 2 ½ cups of broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Let it simmer for 45 minutes – 1 hour.

While the rice is cooking, take some time to rinse and chop the swiss chard into a medium dice.

When the rice is cooked, add chopped dates, lentils, toasted nuts and swiss chard. Season with salt and pepper.