Nigella's Noodle Soup for Needy People

Are you needy? I am. I need lots of things. I need new plates. I need a set of wooden bowls. I need a cast iron dutch oven. I need a new cutting board and it needs to be a BOOS. I need a new outdoor grill. I need at least $500 for all the new cookbooks I want. Along with my grocery list, I have a list of kitchen equipment, specialty foods, and cookbooks. Yes, when it comes to the kitchen I will admit that I am high maintenance.



My name is Kim and I have a problem. No matter how much kitchen related equipment and cookbooks I buy, I always need more! It certainly doesn't help that I work in the mall part-time. I have a great job at Lush Handmade Cosmetics, which is located inside of Macy's. When I close the store at night, I have to take the money upstairs to customer service. Ironically, customer service is located right next to the kitchen/housewares department. This is dangerous. Dangerous for many reasons. Dangerous because I get a discount, but mainly because I have a credit card and I'm alone. You see where I'm going with this, right? I'm like a kid in a candy store, only the candy store is closing, nobody else is in there, and I have free reign. Did I mention that I have a credit card?

Last night, I needed a set of wooden bowls. I had to have them. They were such a good deal, especially with my discount, or at least that's what I told myself.

Feeling needy, I made Nigella's Noodle Soup for Needy People. I adapted the recipe quite a bit (notes below). I also want to share a new item I found at Whole Foods, Dau Miu, otherwise known as snow pea shoots. Info and pictures below.



Here is what they look like out of the package


Nigella's Noodle Soup for Needy People
Serves 2 for supper, very heartily
6 oz udon noodles (dried, from a package)
3 cups chicken, vegetable, or dashi broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce (I almost doubled the soy sauce)
1 teaspoon soft dark brown sugar
1 star anise (I didn't have any, so I omitted)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup bean sprouts (I omitted)
3/4 cup sugar snaps
3/4 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (I omitted)
1/2 cup finely sliced baby bok choy
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
I added:
1 large garlic clove, minced
About 1 teaspoon or more red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
2 sliced radishes
1 sliced green onion
handful of Dau Miu (snow pea shoots)
Roasted chili oil

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and while their water is boiling, fill a nearby saucepan with stock, soy sauce, sugar, star anise, and ginger. (When the noodles are done, just drain them and put half in each bowl.

When the flavored stock comes to a boil, add the vegetables. They should be cooked before 2 minutes are up.

Pour half into each bowl, over the cooked and drained noodles, and sprinkle with cilantro.



Notes/Results: I've wanted to make this soup for awhile because it always looks comforting. I halved the recipe, using chicken stock, omitting the bean sprouts and mushrooms. I added two radishes, the dau miu, green onion, garlic, lots of red pepper flakes and really upped the quantity of the soy sauce (I'm addicted to sodium). I also tossed the noodles in roasted chili oil before pouring the broth over. This recipe makes a ton of soup. It was pretty tough eating the whole portion, but I was able to pull through! The additions I made to the soup made it pretty spicy and I really enjoyed all the green veggies. I questioned adding the radishes, but they turned out rather nicely. I will definitely be making this soup again with my leftover ingredients. I really enjoyed it.

I'm sending this recipe over to I Heart Cooking Clubs in celebration of soups and stews. I'm also sending a shout out to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen. Deb also made Nigella's Noodle Soup for Needy People this week and her version looks terrific! Head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to check out Deb's version and everyone else's soups and stews!

Book Review: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti

I was in the library browsing through the cookbooks and came across this booked titled: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci. I did a little chuckle and thought, "Wow, I could've wrote a book like this". After all, which of us hasn't loved, lost and made spaghetti? Although this book was written mostly for a female audience, there are elements of it that we can all relate to.


The author, Giulia Melucci, was born and raised in Brooklyn, and describes her mother as an excellent Italian cook. She is an educated and accomplished woman who was previously the VP of PR for Harper's Magazine.

This book is a memoir highlighting twenty years of dating in New York City. Along the way, Giulia addresses her love of food and how she relies on food to help her seduce men, smooth over the rocky patches in relationships, and comfort herself during heartbreak. The men are fleeting, but the food is constant.

Poor Giulia is rather unlucky in love. She dates almost every type of man along the way: artist, lawyer, banker, and writer, kind and unkind, ready to commit and afraid of commitment. Along the way, Giulia finds culinary inspiration in each new relationship, cooking to express her love.

I thought I would be able to relate to the author about love and loss, but found that I had a hard time doing so. At times, she comes across as desperate and willing to put up with all sorts of shenanigans (alcoholic boyfriends, men with one thing on their mind, and downright mooches). At other times, she seems blinded by love. Poor Giulia gets her heart broken over and over again. Some of the heartbreak is a little difficult to read about.

What I did relate to was her love of cooking. Giulia's book helped me to realize why I've come to love cooking so much. Cooking is the one constant in Giulia's life, just as it is in all of our lives. We cook with love in our hearts, both because we love to cook and we love those we cook for. Our passion for cooking guides us through all our ups and downs and is there for us no matter what, pushing us in new directions and taking us on new adventures. Cooking is a way for us to feel close to others who are no longer with us, just as it is a way for us to bond and make new relationships. You can be young or old, wealthy or poor, intelligent or not; none of this matters because cooking comes from the heart. We all have the same freedom in the kitchen. Cooking is what gives us peace, it is where we feel comfortable, it is what calms us, but mostly it is a way of sharing our heart.

There are many recipes peppered throughout the book, mostly Italian-inspired. I chose the First-Date Butterflies because I thought the name was extremely clever. Giulia whips up a batch of these First-Date Butterflies to bring herself back to earth after a particularly steamy first date.



First-Date Butterflies
*Adapted from I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci*
Serves 2 or 1, with enough for lunch the next day
Salt
2 cups (4 ounces) farfalle
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
pinch red hot pepper flakes
1 (6 ounce) can tuna packed in olive oil (essential) - I subbed chicken
1 tablespoon capers
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons dry white wine
splash olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. This sauce is so quick and easy, you can make it while the pasta is cooking. When the water is boiling rapidly, add a large dose of salt and the pasta, then cover the pot until the water is boiling rapidly again. Uncover the pot and give it a few good stirs.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat, add the onion and hot pepper, and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Open the can of tuna and drain as much of the oil as possible (I do this by pressing the disengaged top of the can against the tuna over the sink with as much force as I can muster). Add the tuna(or chicken) to the onions, then the capers, the salt and the wine. Lower the heat and cook until the pasta is ready.
Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the tuna(or chicken), add a splash of olive oil, the chopped parsley, and a few grindings of black pepper.



Notes/Results: Giulia ate very well for a single girl! This pasta was nothing like the ramen noodles that graced my stove as a young single girl. The sauce was delicious and delicate with a salty bite from the capers which I really enjoyed. I would make this again, especially since all the ingredients can be pulled from the pantry.

"There is logic and order to cooking. What you put into it has everything to do with what you get out of it. With love, it's not so cut-and-dried." - Giulia Melucci

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary Cream AND Pecorino Crackers

This Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary Cream is definitely a grown-up version of the traditional tomato soup. This is a hearty soup, with lots of body, thanks in part to the addition of the cannelini beans. This recipe is another winner from Giada's Kitchen, which in my opinion, is her best cookbook yet.

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and Rosemary Cream
Serves 6-8
About 250 delicious calories, even with a dollop of cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, chopped (I think I used about 4-5 cloves)
1 (15 ounce) can cannelini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (I used dried)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used about 1 tsp. red pepper flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream
Zest of one lemon

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and the red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.
Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to the soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the lemon zest and remaining teaspoon of rosemary. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop with lemon-rosemary whipped cream. Serve immediately.


Pecorino Crackers
Makes 24 crackers
1-1/4 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the cheese, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter. Using a hand mixer, beat the cheese mixture and butter until combined. Add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing only until incorporated and the mixture holds together. Place tablespoon-size balls of the dough on the parchment-lined baking sheets, tapping the dough down gently with your fingertips. Bake until just beginning to brown at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer them to a serving plate.




Notes/Results: I really liked this tomato soup. In fact, I think I almost liked it better without the dollop of cream. The soup itself has a lot of body, from the beans, and a wonderful fresh flavor. It seems that the carrots helped to tone down the acidity of the tomatoes. Either that, or the San Marzano tomatoes really make some great soup. The dollop of lemon and rosemary cream is a fun addition and makes this a great soup to serve to company. It's very pretty! This is a healthy soup that will become a staple recipe for me. It's low in calories, even with the addition of cream. The crackers, on the other hand, are dangerous. They are really good and addictive. I baked up 6 of them and then I ate four very quickly. After eating four of them in a row, I reasoned with myself and put the rest of the dough in the refrigerator so I could share the love later. They are buttery, cheesy, crispy deliciousness and pair wonderfully with this soup.

I am sending this recipe over to my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sundays roundup. Each Sunday, Deb has a roundup of soups, salad and sandwiches. Check it out!

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

As a young girl, my favorite show was Mary Poppins. This was back before the days of Cable TV, or VHS tapes, or DVD players. I waited, rather impatiently, for Ms. Poppins to grace my TV screen.
God help anyone who would disturb me during my Mary Poppins time. After all, I had to concentrate. How in the world did she fly with an umbrella? Why were her cheeks so rosy? How was it that she could snap her fingers and the room would clean itself? All I knew was that I wanted to be her.
I wanted to be Mary Poppins so bad that I made up the Mary Poppins game and encouraged (maybe even forced) my friends to play along. The game was a simple concept really. I was Mary Poppins, naturally, and my friend and her brother were Jane and Michael Banks. (Yes, we're still friends to this day.) I would dress as Mary Poppins and ascend the stairwell with my umbrella. Jane and Michael would stand at the bottom of the stairs and sing to me. Once their song was finished, I would hold onto my umbrella and fly down the stairs. NOTE: My Mother hated this game. My friends didn't like the game, but went ahead with it anyway. I loved this game! I should be embarrassed to admit I did any of this, but I'm not. And, I'm still a sucker for Mary Poppins.

Right now you are asking yourself: What does Mary Poppins have to do with twice-baked sweet potatoes? One word:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

I was trying to think of how to describe them, and this is the only word I could come up with. If you like sweet potatoes, then you really have to try these!

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4
About 210-250 calories per serving
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 -2 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2 or 3 garlic cloves)
1 bag baby spinach (about 9 ounces ) (I used half a bunch of chopped kale)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 slices turkey bacon (feel free to use regular old bacon here)
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Scrub sweet potatoes, prick with fork or knife, season with a little oil, salt and pepper, wrap in foil and bake for about an hour or until tender.
Meanwhile, in a deep saute pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the entire bag of spinach (or some chopped kale) and scallions, cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
In another pan, cook the turkey bacon until crisp and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. When cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces and reserve.
When the sweet potatoes are tender and through baking, let cool 5 minutes, then slice in half and scoop out inside of potato into a bowl. Add cream cheese, buttermilk, salt, pepper and vegetable mixture. Stir until desired consistency.
Coat your baking pan with a little oil. Place sweet potato shells onto baking pan and fill with mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown . Top with bits of turkey bacon and serve.

Notes: I adapted this recipe from the cookbook Cook Yourself Thin. These were hailed as healthy potato skins, but the skins never really got quite crispy enough to qualify as a potato skin. They were, however, absolutely lip smacking and delicious served over a bed of garlicky kale. I enjoyed them just about as much as you could enjoy anything. I served these twice-baked sweet potatoes as a meal themselves, but you could easily use them for a side dish.

Enjoy!!

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Every once in awhile I get a massive craving for beans. Kinda strange, huh? I mean who craves beans? Maybe it is the result of being a vegetarian for several years, who knows. I think I ate about every kind of bean this week. I made a creamy rice dish with red chili beans and kidney beans, this Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup, black bean burgers, and then had garbanzo beans in my couscous. Suffice it to say, I have certainly satisfied my craving for beans this week!

This Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup is really creamy and flavorful and costs next to nothing to make, which is a plus. The recipe and the picture caught my eye while reading through a copy of Giada's Kitchen and I was very happy to find that I had all the ingredients to make this soup. I am a big sucker for recipes made with pantry/staple ingredients.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup
*Adapted from Giada's Kitchen*
Makes 4-6 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 sage leaves, stems removed
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 slices ciabatta bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sage leaves, cannelini beans, and garlic and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the pan, until the garlic is softened, about 15 minutes. Pour half the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle a third to half of the soup from the bowl into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth (be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended). Pour the blended remaining soup from the bowl. Once all the soup is returned to the soup pot, stir in the cream, salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with the EVOO. Grill the bread until it is warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

Notes/Results: I blended about half of the soup and left the other half chunky. I also added some red pepper flakes and a little more sage. This soup doesn't have a lot of body to it, but it is flavorful, delicious and filling nonetheless. I enjoyed it with some baguette, which I didn't even bother to grill. It is a simple, easy and delicious soup that can be made from pantry ingredients. I made this for dinner one night and was eager to have it again for lunch the next day. If you are concerned with calories, I think the cream could probably be omitted, or at the very least reduced. This is a keeper recipe based on the fact that it is easy, delicious and pretty healthy!

I am sending this recipe over to my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays! Each Sunday, Deb has a roundup of soups, salads and sammies. Head on over there this Sunday to check out all the delicious goodies!

Saffron Chicken Kabobs, Couscous with Pistachios, Chickpeas, and Corn, and Green Salad with Herbs and Radishes

If you have not had Middle Eastern food, then you are missing out. This was one seriously delicious meal. I'm talking seriously delicious! It is so seriously delicious that you will not be able to focus on anything else while eating it. In fact, I was able to tune out my eight-year old daughter (for those of you who know young girls, you understand). You see, the child is never quiet. NEVER! She is either talking, humming, singing, blathering, arguing, you name it. I never heard a word she said throughout dinner. I was too busy marveling at all the fresh flavors, the textures, and the overall appeal of this dish. It was one of those meals where you are full, but you keep on eating anyway.

I have my friend Joanne, of Eats Well With Others, to thank for this meal. Joanne is now hosting Regional Recipes which is a monthly roundup of regional cuisines from around the world. This month, we are celebrating the cuisine of the Middle East. Believe me when I tell you that this is one delicious cuisine that uses fresh flavors and is very healthy, for the most part.

I borrowed a wonderful cookbook from the library called Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy. I highly recommend it. I flipped through this cookbook for 5 minutes and was hooked. There are no pictures, not even black and white, but there are 350 delicious recipes. I actually preferred this cookbook to Claudia Roden's books. (Sorry, Claudia)

I have been wanting to cook with saffron for a really long time so I decided on the Saffron Chicken Kabobs. To go along with the kabobs, I chose the couscous and green salad with radishes (I love radishes).
Saffron Chicken Kabobs (Chich Tawouk)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
Pinch saffron (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) crushed
2 or 3 onions
3 tablespoons strained lemon or lime juice
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in 1-1/4 inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large cherry or small plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
Basil sprigs, chives and other fresh herbs
fresh pita bread
Put saffron in small cup and pour 2 tablespoons hot water over it. Let stand for 5 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon liquid saffron for basting chicken. Pour remaining saffron into bowl large enough to contain chicken. Finely grate 1/2 onion and add to bowl. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and mix well. Add chicken pieces to bowl and mix well. Cover and marinate for 2-6 hours in refrigerator.
Cut peppers in 1-1/4-inch squares. Quarter remaining onions. Remove chicken from marinade, brushing off bits of onion and discarding marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Thread chicken on skewers, alternating with pepper pieces, onions and tomatoes.
Heat barbecue, stove-top grill, or broiler and lightly oil rack. Combine remaining liquid saffron with oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Brush this basting liquid over chicken. Put kabobs on barbecue. Grill or broil about 10 minutes, until chicken is just cooked through but is still succulent, turning kabobs often and brushing them occasionally with basting liquid. To check, cut into a chunk- chicken should not be pink inside. Serve hot with herbs and fresh pita.

Couscous with Pistachios, Chickpeas, and Corn (Salat couscous im fistookim v'hummus)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
3-4 tablespoons EVOO
1 onion, minced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 cup couscous
2-4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves, minched
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 cup cooked or canned corn kernels, drained
1 - 15 oz- can chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup salted pistachios, toasted

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper and saute for 1 minute. cover and cook for 1 more minute. Remove vegetables to bowl. Add water, carrot, and a pinch of salt to saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add couscous and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 7 minutes.
Lightly spoon couscous mixture into large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and mint, and mix lightly. Add corn, chickpeas, and sauteed zucchini mixture and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve salad warm, cold, or at room temperature, sprinkled with pistachios.

Green Salad with Herbs and Radishes (Marul salatsi)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
5-6 cups bite-size pieces romaine lettuce, or one 10 oz. package
3/4 to 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula or watercress (optional)
6 small red radishes, sliced
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lmeon juice or white/red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons EVOO
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good-quality black olives, such as kalamata (optional)
Toss lettuce with arugula, radishes, green onions, parsley and dill in bowl. Whisk lemon juice with oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Pour over salad and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with olives.

Notes/Results: I love this meal! Surprisingly, I think the radish salad might have been my favorite component of the meal. It was bright, fresh, lemony and had a bite to it. Of course, I could just be biased because I love radishes. The saffron chicken kabobs were tender and juicy and had a very mild flavor. I didn't really know what to expect of the saffron. For some reason, I expected it to have a very strong flavor, but it was somewhat mild and pleasant. The couscous salad was addictive. When you bite into it the corn and chickpeas burst in your mouth and the overall texture of the couscous is wonderful. You have the tenderness of the couscous, the crunch of the pistachios, and the sweet burst of the corn. Let's just say that this cook had her fair share directly out of the bowl. It's all about quality control, right?

Click HERE for information about Regional Recipes.

Hmmmm.....if only I had made the Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake:D

North American Salad

Wild rice is a group of grasses that grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; and often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. Wild rice is native to North America and is harvested as a grain. Wild rice has less calories, fat, carbohydrates and higher protein levels than brown rice. Sounds good to me!

While flipping through pages of Nigella Lawson's Feast, I couldn't help but take notice of her recipe for North American Salad. This recipe immediately stood out to me based solely on the beauty of the dish. A background of gorgeous black wild rice, with jewel-toned cranberries, flecks of vibrant green parsley, and chunks of golden pecans running throughout. This was the perfect recipe in celebration of great grains at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Nigella says "Since this salad was made up by me in my kitchen in London, there is an argument that says it isn't remotely American, North or otherwise. But it seemed to me that a salad comprising turkey, wild rice, cranberries and pecans couldn't really go under any other name".

North American Salad
Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson
Serves 6-8, recipe can be halved

3 cups wild rice
1/2 cup dried sliced cranberries
4 cups diced cold turkey (I omitted the turkey this time around)
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or jelly
2 tablespoons lime juice (I used lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup halved pecans or pecan pieces (I recommend toasting the pecans)
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook the rice according to the package instructions, rinse and leave to cool. Add the dried cranberries and turkey to the cold, cooked rice. Make a dressing with the cranberry jelly, lime juice and oil by whisking everything together in a bowl. Toss the dressing through the rice, cranberries and turkey. Snap the pecans in half (or if using pieces leave as they are) and add to the salad with most of the parsley, turn out on to a plate or serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

NOTE: Reserve the pecans until ready to serve so that they remain crunchy.

Notes/Results: This was a very fun salad to make and it was also my first time cooking wild rice. This is an easy recipe, but takes some time to cook since the wild rice takes about 60 minutes on it's own. I thought this was a truly stunning salad that would be delicious with the diced turkey or on it's own. I also loved the flavors and textures in this recipe. The wild rice has quite a bite to it and goes well with the sweetness of the dried cranberries. Toasting and salting the pecans turned out to be a great and crunchy addition to this salad. I really loved this salad and enjoyed it even more knowing that it was good for me at the same time!

Head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what everyone is cooking up in celebration of Great Grains!