Vegetarian Wild Rice Bowl
- 1 cup Wild Rice*
- 1/2 pound Milkweed Shoots and pods ((about 6 cups) **)
- 1 15.5 ounce can Beans, Pinto, Low-Sodiu (rinsed and thoroughly drained***)
- 1 15.5 ounce can Hominy (low-Sodium)
- 2 tablespoons Oil, Vegetable
- 1 cup Burdock Root ((sunchoke or any root vegetable like parsnip, carrot, potato), fresh, foraged, scrubbed clean and diced)
- 3/4 cups Wild Onions (fresh, foraged, diced****)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)
- 1/3 pound Lamb’s Quarters and Purslane (fresh, foraged, rinsed, trimmed, and chopped (about 4 cups) **)
- 2 cups Blueberries (Frozen *****)
- 1 fluid ounce Applesauce (Unsweetened)
Heat about 4 quarts of water to boiling in a large pot.
Add milkweed shoots and blanch for 30 seconds. Use slotted spoon or tongs to remove shoots, and immediately place them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and preserve color and texture. Return the water to boiling.
Add pods to boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain, and immediately place in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Drain shoots and pods thoroughly and set aside.
Place wild rice in a medium saucepan.
Add 4 cups of water to rice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until soft. Drain if any water remains and keep warm until serving.
While rice is cooking, place berries and applesauce in a small saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil over medium stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Use a spoon or spatula to crush the berries and release moisture as they heat.
Reduce heat and simmer until berries are soft. Keep warm until serving.
When rice is done, or almost done, cooking, heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add diced burdock root and wild onions to hot oil and sauté for about 2-4 minutes, until tender.
Add drained beans and hominy to the pan along with the salt, and garlic powder, if using. Sauté until heated through and keep warm until serving.
When rice is done cooking, add blanched milkweed to rice and stir well to combine. Keep warm until serving.
Divide warm rice and milkweed mixture equally between 4 bowls. Spoon burdock, wild onion, bean, and hominy mixture over the rice. Top with fresh greens and sauce. Serve hot.
* Use rinsed and drained Rice, Long Grain if wild rice is unavailable
**Any sturdy green (plantains, dandelion greens, spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens) will work well for this recipe and do not require blanching
***Use 2 cups cooked dried pinto beans if canned beans are unavailable
****Use onion (white or yellow) if wild onions are unavailable
*****Use any wild, fresh, or frozen berries
As a participant in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Indigenous Food Sovereignty Initiative, NĀTIFS works with its Indigenous Food Lab and partner Indigenous chefs across the country to develop recipes and accompanying cooking videos that demonstrate how to combine Indigenous & locally forageable foods with items available to tribal communities through the Food Distribution on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) federal emergency food program.