Cookin'

Today I broke in my shiny new (got it in May for the wedding but hadn't used it yet) Crock Pot. Here's what I made:

Wild Rice Hot Dish

2 cups wild rice, uncooked
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery (that's about 1 stalk)
8-12 oz can mushrooms, drained
1 pounds cut up chicken tenders (they were on a great sale)
6 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp parsley

1. Wash and drain rice.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker, mix well.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours, or until rice is finished.

It turned out pretty decent, if rather bland. I cooked it on high for the last 45 min. or so because we were hungry and the rice wasn't quite done yet. The celery, almonds, onions and mushrooms don't seem to have added a lot of flavor. Next time I'll probably use more onions. I'll also probably add some cayenne pepper; not enough to really taste but enough to feel more warm. We had garlic bread with it. A salad would have been a nice complement.

Any suggestions on making this yummier? It was fine, and plenty edible, but not something that I'm going to crave. All told, it wasn't hard to prepare, is full of healthy whole grains, and is quite filling.