Wild Rice Stuffing

I feel like for the past few weeks, ever since school started again after Christmas break, all I have been focusing on is GPA.  It's king where I live, and life seems so cutthroat lately.  Obviously I still cook, but it seems like that's all I have time for- cooking, excersise, and schoolwork.  Which kind of stinks, but I guess things could be worse.  So lately I have been very grateful of anything that is easy to cook, and will get dinner on the table faster, and will get me an extra ten minutes of sleep or so.  Because it's getting to where I fall asleep standing up.  I feel so pathetic.  Some people I know can run on 6 hours of sleep a night, but I need more than that... Ugh.  My excuse it that I work out, but still.  Life is ruthless.

But anyway, as I was saying, this casserole is certainly easier than pie to make.  It involves a bit of chopping, but can be ready to go in the oven in about 20 minutes, depending on chopping experience.  What I really love about it, though, it the cranberries.  I love their sweetness and the zip that they add to any dish.  I really wish that I could find more recipes that used cranberries, but they don't really seem all that common.  Another bonus that I got out making this casserole was to use up the little bag of wild rice that has been in my pantry for ages now, taking up space.

Wild Rice Casserole

Serves 8

Adapted from Nourishing Meals

1 cup wild rice cooked in broth

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp dry sherry

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons dried sage

Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb sliced mushrooms

3 large carrots, chopped
1/2 cup almond slivers
¾ cup dried cranberries
Scant 1 lb green beans, chopped into 1 inch lengths
1 bunch parsley, chopped

Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add a bit of water, and sauté the onion and carrots for 2 minutes. Add the green beans, sauté for another minute, and then add the mushrooms. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350.
Mix in the remaining ingredients with the sautéed veggies, remove from heat, and put in a casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until heated through.