Guys, this will be my last post from California.

We are going back to Florida. Now I can tell you how difficult has been to post from here, lol! This place is extremely dark.  My fellow bloggers can relate,  going around with food all over the place trying to find the best spot, for daylight food picture purposes. Not to mention, that these days it gets dark at 4:30 pm WT….?!!! By the time I am done with cooking and prepping the setting it is already night!

This rice pilaf is unbelievably easy and delicious. It reminds me of paella a little bit, I am not sure if it is the red peppers or the fact that is cooked in broth.

On top of that this rice tastes like it has been cooking for a long time, when in reality it will take you about 30 minutes to cook. And it has pecans, yes toasted pecans, which adds that scrumptious layer of crunchiness and flavor.

One of my friends introduced me to this rice pilaf on Thanksgiving many years ago. And I love it, I love it almost as much as I love stuffing, and I LOVE stuffing, trust me, it is almost too good! I am so grateful that she gave me the recipe so that I could share it with you!

You can make it for Christmas, New Years or any occasion, it will only take you a few minutes and will be a great addition as a side dish to  your menu.

I hope you try it, it is so yummy and so easy to make…

Recipe adapted from Betty 🙂 

Holiday Rice Pilaf

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients

1 tbs butter

1 1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup of green onions, sliced or 1/2 cup of sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp of salt

2 1/4 cup of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1 (6 oz)  package of wild rice blend

1/2 cup of pecans, toasted and chopped

Parsley for garnishing, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Combine broth and salt in a medium-large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover and reduce heat.  Let simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender and broth has been absorbed.  In the meantime, melt butter over med-high heat. Add mushrooms, red bell peppers, green onions or onions and garlic . Sauté for about 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Set aside and keep warm until rice is done.

Stir in mushroom mixture and cook for 1 additional minute or until the rice and veggies are throughly heated.

Stir in pecans.

Add fresh chopped parsley before serving.