Wild Rice and Mushroom Casserole

Adapted from Hiedi Swanson’s recipe in Super Natural Cooking, a great cookbook I recently checked out from the library.  This recipe is flexible.  Great for leftover rice–I used a rice cooker which is my favorite gadget with a plug after the coffee maker and grinder.  Use different vegetables, or different dairy products, or grains!  Go nuts!  (mmm you could add nuts, even, or dried fruit…)

Ingredients:

1 lb mushrooms (any kind)
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
5 cups of cooked rice (I used a combination of wild rice and brown rice)
1 cup of cottage cheese or ricotta
1.5 cups of yogurt or sour cream
2 eggs
1 head of kale
1 bunch of broccoli
some fresh thyme leaves
olive or grapeseed or other oil
s + p
1 cup grated gruyere or other swiss-y type cheese.

Sautee the mushrooms in two batches, leaving space around them so they brown.  Transfer to a big bowl.  Saute the onion till translucent, add it to the bowl.  Saute the garlic for 1 minute then add the kale, season with s + p and saute till wilted slightly and bright green, transfer to the bowl.  Saute the broccoli (season with s + p) until its just cooked but not too soft, add it to the bowl.  Meanwhile, mix together the cottage cheese, yogurt and eggs, thyme leaves, and s + p to taste.  Finally, mix the vegetables, rice and cheese/egg mixture together and spread in casserole dish (9 x 13 is good, but whatever you have is fine).  Sprinkle the grated cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Take off the foil and check on it after 20 more minutes–bake until the top is crusty brown.

We served it with Clare Sullivan’s beautiful homemade bread:

And frozen peas.  Because who doesn’t love a nice little pile of peas with their casserole?

–Prepared by Rachel at St. Lydia’s on October 9