One of the more underappreciated Disney movies of all time is The Black Cauldron. This movie has everything that a six-year-old is looking for in a Disney movie: a magic pig, an absolutely terrifying villain with an army of 1980s computer-generated undead zombie warriors, a fun and furry Gollum-esk character that sacrifices his life for his friends, and tons of smooching. I learned as a youth that this movie was actually based on a series of books by Lloyd Alexander called The Chronicles of Prydain. I read the books back in seventh grade and, since then, have been waiting for Disney to pick up the series again and make more movies. We’ve seen the Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings get multiple films and spinoffs. Disney is making live-action reboots of basically all its classic films. When will it be Prydain’s turn to return to the big screen? Give the people what they want, Disney.
Mushroom Wild Rice Soup Recipe:
6 cups chicken stock (can use veggie stock if you’re looking for a vegan recipe)
1 cup uncooked Wild Rice
8oz sliced mushrooms
4 cloves minced garlic
2 sliced carrots (I like big veggies in my soup)
2 diced celery stalks
1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced (again…I like it chunky)
1 small white onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 14-oz can unsweetened coconut milk (so you can freeze the leftovers)
2 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning (my all-time favorite seasoning to use in everything)
2 handfuls of kale, chopped with stems removed (because being healthy is in)
Salt and pepper to taste
(I didn’t make mine with a meat-based protein, but some diced or shredded chicken in this would be awesome)
- Get out your instant pot. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, make like it’s Christmas 2018 and go buy one.
- Combine stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf, and Old Bay seasoning in your instant pot. Give it a stir to mix it all up.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. Natural rest for 10. Open and remove the bay leaf. It is very important to remove your bay leaf before you add your kale otherwise it is very difficult to find it.
- Add the coconut milk and the kale to the pot, stir until the kale is softish. Season with salt, pepper and extra Old Bay.
