Wild Rice Dressing

When planning a festive holiday meal like Thanksgiving, it's fun to think about the colors that will grace the table. The deep greens of vegetables, the vibrant red of cranberry sauce, the rich orange of sweet potatoes. And thanks to a side dish like this wild rice with mushrooms, earthy browns and buttery creams will also be a part of the food rainbow.
Wild rice takes time to prepare, so consider making this dressing in advance. It's a delicious and easily adaptable recipe, stir in whatever vegetables you have on hand. Cubes of butternut squash or wilted spinach would be welcome additions. Another great thing about this recipe is it's pretty healthful: it's both high in fiber and low in fat. Get the technique here.

Regardless of whether or not you stuff your turkey, it simply wouldn't be Thanksgiving without stuffing — er, I mean, dressing. Change things up and take a tip from denizens of the Deep South and Carolina low country: make rice the star of the dish. Not only is whole-grain rice healthier and gluten-free, but cooking up a pot of rice is less work than cubing pieces of day-old bread.

If you're on a tight timeline, keep things simple by using brown rice mix. Fluff in sweetness and crunch by adding dried fruit, almonds, and orange zest. Alternatively, build layers of complexity by browning aromatic vegetables, slow-boiling the rice separately, and then baking the components together to fuse all of the dish's earthy flavors. See both options when you read more.