Wild Rice Pilaf with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Honey Dressing

My Dad was stopping through New York to visit on his way to Israel. He is a very healthy eater and an avid fan of wild rice. I had actually never cooked wild rice before and I made the mistake of thinking it could be cooked like regular rice in a rice cooker. No, I was definitely wrong and I learned the hard way. Wild rice is more like a noodle in that it doesn't absorb all the water it is cooked it and it will need to be drained. But, similarly to rice, it takes about 40-50 minutes before it is ready to eat. I love sweet potatoes and I decided to roast it with some nutmeg and olive oil. The sweetness of the corn and squash with the peppery of the leeks and the savory rice was a perfect combination. I made a little improve honey dressing which complimented it quite nicely. I was hoping to make enough for my lunch the next day but that didn't seem to happen.

Wild Rice Pilaf with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Honey Dressing

Ingredients:

Wild rice

Sweet potatoes

White corn kernels

Leeks, the white part only sliced

Olive oil

Nutmeg

Pepper

For Dressing: (Makes 3/4 cup dressing)

1/4 olive oil

Nutmeg

2 tablespoons honey

Ground pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Water to thin

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and nutmeg and toss to coat evenly.

                               

2. Place sweet potatoes in one even layer on a pan and roast in the oven. Flip the cubes half way through to roast evenly. Remove from oven when they are tender to a fork, about 40 minutes total.

3. Cook wild rice according to directions on package and drain.

4. In a non-skillet over medium heat saute leeks with olive oil and pepper, add in corn. Mix in wild rice and butternut squash and saute until ingredients are evenly mixed.

5. To make the dressing mix together the olive oil, honey, lemon juice, nutmeg, pepper and a bit of water if you need to thin it out. Mix well with a fork and drizzle on the pilaf just before serving.