This is a perfect side dish to pair with any meal, lunch or dinner! I am not gonna lie, I ate this by itself for breakfast a few times because it’s just that good! The flavors are perfect for a Fall and Winter pallet, especially if you need a side dish for a Holiday dinner! This is super quick and easy and you can see below that I paired it with my Oven Baked Pecan-Crusted Dijon Chicken for a delightful dinner! This rice pilaf dish as yummy dried cranberries in it, and I am a big supporter of dried fruit in anything and everything, so any chance I get to add some, I will!

Ingredients
* 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
* 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
* 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil
* 23 large shallots, minced
* 2 cups wild rice or 2 cups short-grain brown rice and wild rice mixture (I use Lundberg Wild Blend Rice, picture below)
* 1/2 cup cranberries
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Add the stock to a pot and simmer over medium-low heat.
3. In an over safe casserole or dutch oven melt the butter with the oil. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent about 2-3 minutes.
4. Then, stir in the stock, dried cranberries, bay leaf, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper.
5. Bring to a simmer, stir and cover.
6. Next, transfer the casserole or dutch oven to the oven and bake until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender about 40-45 minutes.
7. Make sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme springs, if used, when the dish has finished cooking and prior to eating.
8. stir in the pecans and serve!

Original Recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com