Quick-Fix Dinner with Turmeric Wild Rice Pilaf

We’re headed straight for a deadline at work, causing me and 2 co-workers to work double-time to get everything done asap. We spent another long day today in the conference room, and even though the day was long, we ended up leaving around 5:30 PM.

I was planning to make a salmon dinner, but they didn’t have a single piece of wild salmon at the Fresh Market tonight! They only had farm-raised…more on that discussion (wild vs. farm-raised) tomorrow.

In the face of ruined dinner plans, I came up with a quick-fix solution – rotisserie BBQ chicken breasts, which I noticed were on sale today. I decided to make my sides using stuff around the house.

Not to mention I had all those organic fruits & veggies delivered today! Woohoo! I got some collard greens chopped up and some water boiling away.

After prepping the collards, I got started on the rice pilaf. I chopped the veggies and got them sauteing on the stove.

Then, all I had to do was, basically, add the rice, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and turmeric, bring to boil, lower heat, cover, cook.

While the rice simmered away, I got the collards boiling. I followed the Real Simple Collard Green recipe from the February mag. Click here for recipe.

Then, drained, rinsed, pressed, and into a saute pan with some sliced garlic.   

Once the rice and collards were cooked, I just had to zap the chicken for a couple mins to warm through and plate everything. Does any one else get rotisserie chicken for dinners in a bind? They are a great shortcut for the nights you’re running out of time.

Turmeric Wild Rice Pilaf
by Me

My Note: Different wild rices cook at different times. Just cook the veggies first and then add the rice to the same pot and follow the directions for cooking time for the rice you have. I subbed chicken broth for water to add more flavor. I added turmeric because I thought it sounded good and I can add it to the Weekly Food Challenge!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 6 baby carrots, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 turmeric
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onion, celery, and carrots to pot. Saute till onions translucent, about 5 minutes. Add wild rice, stir. Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and turmeric, stir. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Let sit covered 5-10 minutes.

Sauteed Collard Greens

Adapted from Real Simple

Ingredients:

1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, cut into 1/2-1 inch strips, rinsed well

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced thin

1/4 tsp salt, plus 1 tbsp for pot of water

1/4 tsp pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp salt to pot. Add collard greens. Cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer greens to a colander, rinse with cold water, squeeze leaves to remove excess water.

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add collards, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes, till wilted and tender.