Chicken Wild Rice Portabella Soup

Last night's tasty Chicken Wild Rice Portabella Soup was created again by Keri Miles.

Ingredients:

3 sm onions

2 lg portabella mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2-3 tbsp olive oil

¼ cup red wine

1 cup wild rice (uncooked)

1 cup brown rice (uncooked)

16 cups chicken broth

4 cups cooked chicken

4 carrots, sliced thin

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)

Directions:

- Saute onions, mushrooms, garlic in olive oil (just enough to coat ingredients lightly) for 10 minutes on medium heat, stir often.  Add red wine, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes on ultra low heat.  Add onion/mushroom mixture to broth.

- Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add both wild and brown rice.  Simmer until water is absorbed.  Rice will still be firm to hard (cooked about halfway).  Add rice to broth.

- Add remaining ingredients to stock, simmer soup on low heat for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with Braided Herb Bread

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups water

2 tbl olive oil

2 tbl honey or sugar

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-2 tsp of fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or other favorite herb)

2 cloves fresh garlic, finely pressed

2 cups ‘bread’ flour

2 cups whole wheat (or other whole grain) flour

2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast (one packet)

Directions:

- With a mixer or by hand, mix all ingredients until blended.  In mixer, use bread hook for several minutes until dough forms a ball, then knead by hand another 4 minutes until dough is smooth (not sticky) and bounces back.

- Coat a bowl lightly with oil, put dough ball in bowl, cover loosely with saran wrap, let rise 60-90 minutes at room temp (or until roughly doubled in size).

- After the first rise, separate dough into 3 equal parts.  Roll them out long and skinny and lay side by side.  Pinch tops together and turn under, then braid the three parts together, pulling dough gently as you braid to keep it long.  Pinch bottom end and turn under.

- Set on cookie sheet, let rise again, 30-60 minutes at room temp.

- Coat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.