Healthy holiday sides: Chilean Grape and Wild Rice Dressing

Have you seen grapes at the grocery store and wondered where they’re from? They might be from Chile, since their winter-season stone fruits, berries and grapes are in ample supply throughout North America all winter long.

Chilean grapes would be a wonderful addition to your holiday table, especially in this easy but elegant recipe from the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association for Chilean Grape and Wild Rice Dressing. This holiday side dish is a perfect match for roasted meats like turkey, beef or ham. If you or someone in your family has a food sensitivity to nuts, use pine nuts instead or omit it altogether.

You can serve stuffing warm as a side dish or use it to stuff in a turkey.

Chilean Grape and Wild Rice Dressing

Recipe from the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups wild rice
2 cups long grain rice
3 cup fresh red and green grapes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sauté onions and garlic. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Add wild rice. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook 30 minutes.
Mix in long grain rice and cover and simmer another 30 to 40 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat, stir in grapes, parsley and pecans. Season with salt and pepper.