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Recipes Gone Wild…

I LOVE wild rice recipes! Especially when it comes pre-cooked from Trader Joes, what a brilliant idea. I pick up a bag every time I go.

During my long weekends of pilates training, I like to bring lunch for my friend and I who travels from Nevada every other weekend. At 10:00pm the night before, I was looking for something quick to put together and I happened to see my bag of wild rice. I came up with this nice rice salad with chicken, feta, basil, grape tomatoes and a good Italian Dressing (I like Ken’s). Talk about delicious! I can hardly wait to make it again. Give it a try, and shhhh it’s even somewhat healthy too!

Brown and Wild Rice Italian Chicken Salad

2 Cups uncooked brown rice
8 oz cooked wild rice (I get it precooked at Trader Joes)
1 ½ Cups cooked shredded chicken breast
3.5 oz package of crumbled feta cheese
10 oz package of grape tomatoes, quartered
10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
½ Cup-3/4 Cup Italian Dressing (I used Ken’s Italian)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Fresh Baby Spinach leaves

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions (use rice cooker, if available, much quicker). Let cool or refrigerate. Once cool, place all ingredients except spinach, into a large bowl. Lightly toss to coat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves. Drizzle top with additional dressing if desired. Serve cold.

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Wild Rice Soup
This is such a yummy soup. It’s quick, easy and on the table in about 20 minutes. If you are in need of a quick dinner, this soup does the trick. Serve with some rolls and call it good. I used the remaining wild rice I had left-over from the salad and voila’, your done!

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Wild Rice Soup

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
4 Cups fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
¾ Cup milk or heavy cream
2 Cups cooked shredded chicken breast
1 Cup cooked wild rice (I got mine from Trader Joes, precooked)
Pinches of salt and pepper to taste

1. Place oil into a large dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, carrots and celery for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Stir in garlic for 1 minute then add chicken broth soups, milk, chicken, salt and pepper. Heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until heated through. Serve and enjoy!