I have the fortunate opportunity to work with foodies. It is what the majority of all my work conversations are about. Most of the people at my current location are omnivores which is much different from the group of people I worked with in Seattle. One thing about most foodies I encounter though, is that they are interested in all food, even vegan food. Since starting there in August I have brought more vegan food to the tasting table, which is getting people more curious and asking more questions. Surprisingly, even from people who aren’t currently vegetarian and are considering going straight down the vegan path. How awesome is that? Frickin’ awesome, I say!

For the last food gathering I attended I was asked to make a vegan dish using wild rice, butternut squash, and Crimini mushrooms. I love challenges, especially when they are items I would not have considered putting together before. It came out absolutely incredible and was one of the bigger hits that day.  I was asked by a dozen people for the recipe so that they could make it for their holiday gathering. Maybe while they are here they will peruse the blog and find some other vegan recipes they like.

Notes:

*Cook wild rice ahead of time.

*I was in a time crunch so I used some packaged, pre cut up vegetables, like the onion, garlic, and shallot mix, which I bought at Trader Joe’s. It is equivalent to about 1/2 cup diced onion, 1 diced shallot, and two cloves garlic.

*I had wanted to use fresh thyme, but the store was out. If you have fresh I would substitute one sprig for the dry.

*If you don’t have fresh sage you may substitute it with 3/4 tsp of dry ground sage.

*No butternut squash soup, substitute it with veggie broth or bouillon.

*If you want gluten free I recommend substituting fried onion pieces by, slicing some onions. mix with olive oil and salt, then put over top of casserole when baking.

*This will feed 8 as a side dish or 4 for a main course.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice (cooked according to directions on package)

12 0z cut butternut squash (I cut them in half)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Himalayan or Sea Salt

1 1/2 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
1/2 fennel bulb (white part only) diced
1 package Trader Joe’s diced onion, garlic, and shallot mix
1 tbsp dry packed sun dried tomatoes (not in oil) diced
10 sage leaves diced
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
10 oz sliced crimini mushrooms (I chopped them smaller)
1 cup vegan butternut squash soup (I used Trader Joe’s)
Trader Joes Fried Onion Pieces (Leave these off for a gluten free dish-see above note)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Mix 1 tbsp olive oil, squash, thyme, pepper, and salt together. Put on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Set aside when done.

Reduce oven to  350 degrees.

In a large skillet melt butter. Add fennel, onion mix, sun dried tomatoes, sage and paprika. Saute over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and cook for ten minutes. Stir in cooked wild rice, soup and roasted squash. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with Fried Onion Pieces. Bake for 35 minutes. Can be made ahead.