Super Autumn Stuffing with Wild Rice and Pomegranates

Stuffing is easily my favorite Thanksgiving dish. Particularly cornbread stuffing (mostly because we didn't really have another option growing up. I had planned on making a fall salad with pomegranates and squash but I was craving stuffing. This isn't cornbread stuffing of course but I like the added texture the rice gives. This is everything autumn stuffed (pardon the pun) into one vegan, gluten-free dish.* I ate it with roasted acorn squash (not a fan) but it would be delicious with really any protein. I think stuffed mushrooms would be fantastic. Or turkey or ham, I guess (do people have have with thanksgiving?) With the red and green aspect, this could definitely go Christmas as well... maybe not at my family's rømmegrøt, seafood chowder, and smoked meat table but at a normal table, sure.

This yields about 6-7 cups of stuffing, maybe more, I was snacking while I was cooking

You Need:

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice or wild rice blend
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup (3 stalks) celery, chopped
1 cup (2-3 whole) carrots, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T thyme
2 t sage
2 t dried parsley or 1 T fresh, chopped
1 t pepper
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/2-3/4 cup pomegranate arils

1. Cook the wild rice in a pot with a tight lid with the liquids for 45 minutes on simmer, remove from heat and steam for 10 minutes.
2. Heat oil in skillet and saute the onion, celery, and carrots for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften.
3. Add the garlic, saute until fragrant.
4. Add the seasonings and stir thoroughly.
5. Add pecans and rice with any remaining liquid.
6. Cook for several minutes until the vegetables are soft then stir in the aerials and spinach. Let the spinach wilt and then serve.

NOTE: If you leave out the pecans, this is free (I'm fairly certain) of major allergens!

*I'm currently going through an elimination diet to see if we need to add wheat to the list of things I really shouldn't be eating. However, my future with bread is looking pretty good. It never hurts to build up my mom-safe dish library.