Orange-Scented Wild Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Cranberries

The semester is finally over!

I just took my last final (Organic Chemistry, uck!) yesterday at 7:30AM, a schedule which was clearly designed to bring all college students to their knees from the pure misery of walking outside when the sun is still down and it is 0F in order to take a test that decides if we can go on in our majors.

No big deal.

Now that the studying, frantic note taking, and long nights fueled by coffee are over, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things! I went for a run this morning for the first time in months, and got in some relaxing Yoga and coffee afterwards. I've actually had time to cook, too, and I figured I would introduce something that I love to make for big holiday get-togethers (on that note, can you believe that Hanukkah has already started and Christmas is only five days away?? How the heck did we jump from New Years 2014 to Christmas 2014 so soon?? Is anyone else having this problem?? I swear I was just rebelling against New Years resolutions, and now I'm up to my ears in shopping lists... Good golly!)

I've found that a meal can really benefit from having mainly savory dishes with a few savory-sweet sides. This can be in the form of sweet potatoes with chipotle, corn grilled with sweet basil butter, or some type of grain that you can throw a mix of crunchy-sweet-citrus things into. The recipe I'm sharing today is a pilaf that benefits from a plethora of ingredients: hints of vibrant orange, crunchy toasted almonds, and slightly tart dried cranberries. Folding the almonds and cranberries into a mix of tender wild and basmati rices gives so much delicious texture and flavor. If you haven't had wild rice before, it has more of a distinct savory flavor and a really nice mouthfeel. It's even better if you end it on a sweet note with a drizzle of decadent, warm honey. Which, as we all know, makes basically any food better, be it sweet or savory (I actually had a delicious raspberry-cinnamon honey recently made by one of my professors, who I will be TAing for, and I'm going to try and recreate it because it was so so good!)

But, I digress.
 
Are you drooling yet?

Orange-Scented Wild Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Cranberries Serves 4        

Ingredients:

• 1/4c. uncooked wild rice
• 1/4c. uncooked basmati rice
• water as needed
• 1/2c. fresh orange juice
• 1/4c. dried cranberries
• 2tbl whole almonds, chopped and toasted
• 1tbl honey, warmed (microwave works wonders)

Instructions:

1. Rinse wild rice according to package directions. Cook according to package directions, but replace 1/4c. of the water needed with orange juice instead. Expect a longer cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, combine almonds in a small bowl with cranberries. Set aside.
3. In a separate pan, cook basmati rice according to package directions, but replace 1/4c. of the water needed with orange juice (just like before). Expect a longer cooking time.
4. Once both rices are cooked, combine in a medium bowl. Add in almonds and cranberries, and toss to coat. While still hot, drizzle the warm honey over the top of the pilaf (you can warm the honey by microwaving it for a short amount of time). Toss gently, and serve still warm.

Nutrition Information
Sodium: 2mg
Total Fat: 2g
       Saturated: 0g
       Trans: 0g
Sugar: 12g
Protein: 3g
Calories: 149