Fruited Wild Rice Pilaf (and chicken)

So my sister first made this dish for me as a side. It was incredible! Then I decided to make it and add chicken for our entree. YUMMY! Either way you make it...I PROMISE you'll love it. I also altered the recipe a bit to make it must FASTER and EASIER! So I'll write how I altered it at the end of the post.

1 small onion

1 celery rib, chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice

1/3 cup uncooked wild rice

1 can (14 1/2 oz) reduced sodium beef broth or vegetable broth

1 1/4 cups water

3/4 cup golden raisins and cherries (instead of cherries I used dried cranberries)

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp rubbed sage

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

*3 cups cooked, cubed chicken~optional*

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic in butter until tender. Add brown rice and wild rice; stir to coat.

Stir in the broth, water, fruit, parsley, salt, thyme, sage and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Remove from the heat; stir in pecans. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving. ENJOY!

***Okay here is how I made it faster and easier. I used the 90 second rice in a bag! One bag of brown rice and one bag of wild rice. I omitted the water and just added a splash of the beef broth (perhaps 1/8 cup or 1/4 cup)