I’m so excited to be partnering with Floating Leaf Fine Foods and to be cooking with their Wild Rice Blends.  With @nocrumbslefts_kid out of the house and cooking for herself, I decided to create a smaller thanksgiving or “friendsgiving” which won’t keep her in the kitchen all day. This dish combined with my Heroine Chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, will make you want to weep it’s so good!

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I love Floating Leaf Rice Blends and Prairie Blends. They are so full of protein and they keep you full and satisfied. The combination of sprouted lentils, wild rice and quinoa with mushrooms, onions and pepper all simmered in chicken stock is magnificent.  You can take it up a notch with Shiitake mushrooms too. I think its fun to do two batches at the same time so that you have a perfect lunch to go the next day!

What’s fabulous about Floating Leaf Rice Blends and Prairie Blends are certified gluten free and their range of grains and legume blends are a great alternative for vegetable forward thinkers.  There are several to choose from:  Sprouted Brown Rice, Split Pea and Quinoa, Sprouted Black Bean and Organic Brown Rice are delicious but my favorite is Sprouted Crimson Lentils, Wild Rice and Quinoa.  And our missions are aligned in the fair treatment of farmers and harvesters and sustaining the environment.

For me, these blends are perfect for family cooking. I have a family member who is plant based and one who is gluten free and who doesn’t enjoy a lot of protein – so this is a home run for the whole group!  And this is great for the Let’s Go Lucy series because it’s a wonderful jumping off point for anything from soup made with homemade chicken broth, a rice bowl, or for the bed of a stir fry.

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Here are some tips for a successful Thanksgiving. This menu will allow you to handle all of the main dishes. You want to enjoy the holiday and that means spreading the love around so that everyone is part of pulling the party together.

Mini Thanksgiving Menu 

  • Appetizer – Assign to a friend.
  • Heroine Chicken
  • Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)
  • Rice (recipe below)
  • Green beans (recipe below)
  • Rolls – Assign to a friend.
  • Wine and non-alcoholic beverages – Assign to a friend.
  • Desserts – Assign to a friend.

And, Don’t forget to add a can of cranberries to your spread for a bit of old school family flavor.

Mini Thanksgiving Timeline (for eating at 3 PM)

  • Some tips (things to do in advance):
    • Get your recipes together
    • Shop for dry ingredients in advance (or things with a long shelf life)
    • Assign appetizers, rolls, drinks, dessert
  • 48 hours before:
    • Make Heroine chicken marinade and marinate your chicken
    • Make chicken stock
  • 24 hours before:
    • Wash and dry beans well and put in fridge.
    • Wash, peel and cut potatoes. Cut into quarters, or halves if they are small
    • Place in a pot and cover with water
      • Be sure to use Yukon Gold potatoes or another waxy potato
    • Prep Morning of:
      • Cut onions for green beans
      • Cut ends off of green beans
      • Cut and slice vegetables for Rice
    • 12:30 PM:
      • Remove Heroine chicken from refrigerator and bring to room temp
    • 1:30 PM:
      • Remove potatoes from the water you stored them in and start with fresh water for boiling
        • You can finish making your mashed potatoes up to an hour/hour and ½ before you eat and keep either in a double boiler on the stove or in a 200° F oven (if you have an extra oven)
      • 1:40 PM:
        • Place chicken in the oven
        • Start water boiling for green beans
      • 2:00 PM:
        • Make the rice
      • 2:20 PM:
        • Cook the green beans, onions, and bacon according to the recipe
      • 2:40 PM:
        • Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes (you can also have your chicken ready a bit in advance, simply take it out of the oven and cover loosely with foil — be sure not to cover too tightly or you will steam the chicken.)
      • 2:50 PM:
        • Finish green beans.
      • 3:00 PM
        • Dinner is served!

Look for your retailer near you, including Lacasa Del Pueblo, Green Earth Grocery, Fresh Farms, Pete’s Fresh Market (13 locations), Morse Fresh Market, and Blue Goose Market.

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Savory Autumn Wild Rice and Quinoa

  • Author: nocrumbsleft
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 50 min
  • Yield: 5-6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1–1/4 cup Floating Leaf Sprouted Crimson Lentils, Wild Rice and Quinoa
  • 3–3/4 cup chicken stock*
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided*
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 8 ounces brown mushroom, sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1–1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 Serrano pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Heroine Chicken
  • Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)
  • Green Beans (recipe below)

Instructions

Rinse the Floating Leaf Sprouted Crimson Lentils, Wild Rice and Quinoa under cold water.

In a medium sauce pan over high heat, combine the chicken stock, rice and 1 bay leaf, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, continue to cook for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook for 20 more minutes, or until done. Set aside.

 

In a medium sauté pan, over medium high heat, combine 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, stirring to combine. Add the mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring occasionally and until brown, about 5-7 minutes. When done, transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove, over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, stirring until combined and melted. Add the onions and Serrano pepper and cook until caramelized, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat. Then add the mushrooms to the sauté pan and the cooked rice, stirring to combine. Top with chopped parsley. Serve on a platter with Heroine chicken, Mashed Potatoes (recipe below) and Green Beans (recipe below).

Notes

To make it vegan, use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock and olive oil instead of butter.

 

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Mashed Potatoes

  • Author: nocrumbsleft
  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Total Time: 50 min
  • Yield: 5-6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 3 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup Whole milk
  • 1 stick butter

Instructions

Peel, cut and rinse the potatoes. Place in a large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt and cover them with cold water. Over high heat, bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce heat to medium or medium low, partially cover and continue to cook for 20 minutes. When done, check with a fork to make sure they are tender, then drain in a colander and return to the pan.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter, stirring to combine until the butter is melted, but not boiling.

Mash the potatoes with the potato masher and slowly add the milk and butter mixture. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper and stir gently to combine. Finish off mixing with an electric mixer. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

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Green Beans

  • Author: nocrumbsleft
  • Prep Time: 5 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Total Time: 35 min
  • Yield: 5-6 servings
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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds green beans
  • 3 pieces uncooked bacon
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

Cut the ends off the green beans and rinse throughly. In a large pot, combine the green beans, bacon, salt and onions. Fill with water until covered, about 4 cups. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. When done, remove 3/4 of the liquid in the pan, and discard. Add the butter to the beans and stir until melted and combined throughly. Serve.