Hearty Vegetable and Wild Rice Bake

Nothing says it's chilly out there like root vegetables in the oven. When you're in need of some non-cheesy, non-greasy, straight up hearty comfort food, this meal is for you.

Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 6 cups of chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips in any ratio (I used 2.5 cups sweet potatoes, 1 cup parsnips, and 1.5 cups carrots this time.)
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp parlsey
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 cup apple cider
- 3 cups vegetable broth

How To Cook It
1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Put the rice into 4 cups of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes, drain, and set aside.
3) Sauté the onion and shallot in the olive oil and salt until they start to brown.
4) Pour barley, drained rice, and the cooked onions and shallots into a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Stir together and spread out evenly.
5) Sprinkle a little of the sage and parsley over the top of the grain mixture.
6) In a separate bowl or container, mix the carrots, sweet potatoes, and parsnip pieces together. Spread them out on top of grain base.
7) Sprinkle the remaining sage and parsley across the top of your vegetables.
8) Pour the cider and broth over all.
9) Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and bake for an hour.

Note: You can bake this ahead of time if you need to. Once you've completed the above steps, simply put it in your 'fridge overnight and heat up in the oven (at about 200-250 degrees Fahrenheit) until it reaches your desired temperature. Before reheating, add a splash of additional cider or broth to keep everything moist.