Have you noticed that I have a lot of rice recipes on this blog? The reason is twofold: I really like rice - more than pasta and more than potatoes - and it is very inexpensive. In the past few years, I have come to love brown rice. I even eat it for breakfast sometimes. If you haven't quite converted to brown rice, though, the recipe below is great because it has a lot of flavor going on, so the brown rice isn't as noticeable. This has become a family favorite.
Recipe from Kristin in Her Kitchen
Fiesta Rice
2 t olive oil
10 oz. frozen corn, thawed
1 T butter
1 c chopped green onions
1.5 c uncooked brown rice
1 t ground cumin
1 t fresh minced garlic
3 c reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 t ground black pepper
dash salt
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1-2 T fresh lime juice
Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn and cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Melt butter in pan, add onions, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in uncooked rice, cumin and garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add broth, black pepper, salt and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes or until rice is done. Remove from heat and stir in reserved corn and beans. Heat through and stir in cilantro and lime juice.
I serve this as a main dish with sour cream and avocado on top.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Great Granola
When I get tired of regular hot oatmeal for breakfast or it's too hot to eat hot cereal , I like to bake up a batch of granola. I've tried lots of recipes and none has been bad, but our all-time favorite is below. It may not be the healthiest (thank you, butter), but it is definitely the best (thank you, butter).
Homemade Granola
Recipe from EricaLea on TastyKitchen
4 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 cup Shredded Or Chipped Coconut
1 cup Nuts Of Choice, Chopped Coarse
¼ teaspoons Sea Salt
½ cups Butter Or Coconut Oil
¼ cups Honey
¼ cups Maple Syrup
½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Dried Fruits (cranberries, Cherries, Apricots, Raisins, Etc.), Optional
1. Preheat oven to 300° F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Either grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, coconut, nuts, and salt.
3. In a small saucepan set over medium low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the honey, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the butter mixture.
4. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every five minutes. Do not over bake.
5. Place on a wire rack to cool. You will notice that the granola is still sticky when you remove it from the oven, but it will become crisp and dry as it cools. Once the granola has completely cooled, stir in your choice of dried fruits if desired. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. It will keep for several weeks.
Homemade Granola
Recipe from EricaLea on TastyKitchen
4 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 cup Shredded Or Chipped Coconut
1 cup Nuts Of Choice, Chopped Coarse
¼ teaspoons Sea Salt
½ cups Butter Or Coconut Oil
¼ cups Honey
¼ cups Maple Syrup
½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Dried Fruits (cranberries, Cherries, Apricots, Raisins, Etc.), Optional
1. Preheat oven to 300° F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Either grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, coconut, nuts, and salt.
3. In a small saucepan set over medium low heat, melt the butter. Remove from heat. Stir in the honey, maple syrup, and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients and toss together, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the butter mixture.
4. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every five minutes. Do not over bake.
5. Place on a wire rack to cool. You will notice that the granola is still sticky when you remove it from the oven, but it will become crisp and dry as it cools. Once the granola has completely cooled, stir in your choice of dried fruits if desired. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag. It will keep for several weeks.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
"Homemade" Baby Food
Kids don't come cheap, but there are plenty of ways to lessen the financial hit of having children. One of the easiest is to make your own baby food. You don't have to be a good cook to make your own baby food, you really don't even need a recipe. It doesn't take any longer than you would spend sorting coupons and standing in the baby food aisle of the grocery store. And adding in a couple extra sweet potatoes, avocadoes, or bananas to your weekly shopping trip has a minimal impact on your budget. So let's get started.
Most pediatricians recommend babies start solids around six months of age. Rice cereal is the traditional first food, but it doesn't have to be, especially if baby is already six months old. I think rice cereal is good to practice on, but after the first few feedings, I prefer mixing it with fruits or vegetables. Other good first foods that are simple to prepare include sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, apples, pears, bananas, green beans, avocadoes....and the list goes on. I don't make baby food from produce that is expensive or out of season - like peaches in January. You can also use frozen fruits or vegetables to make your purees. Remember to wait 4-5 days in between new foods to check for any reactions.
Preparation is simple. If it has a peel, take it off, cut into small pieces, and steam with a little bit of water - a steamer basket is perfect for this. Once the food is soft, puree it in the blender, adding as much of the cook water as necessary to reach your desired consistency. Avocadoes and bananas don't need to be cooked; just peel and mash, adding liquid if you need to.
Storage is also simple. I have these baby food containers from One Step Ahead, and they are nice, but you don't need anything special. The simplest thing to do is to pour your puree into clean ice cube trays and stick them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, pop them out and store them in a large ziploc bag. Then you can pull out as many as you need at a time.
Once your baby is used to single food purees, you can start combining foods. I really like this website - it has a lot of ideas on food combinations and recipes. The recipe posted below was one of Lauren's favorites.
Please, please don't feed your baby bananas from a jar. Have you ever tasted those? They taste weird. Save yourself some money and your baby that weird jarred banana taste, grab a banana from the bunch and mash it up.
Hearty Chicken Mash
2 oz (1/4 c) cooked, boneless skinless chicken, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 oz (1/4 c) grated cheddar
1/2 t chopped chives
Boil or steam the sweet potato and carrot until tender. Drain, add the cheese and mix until cheese has melted. Add the chicken, then mash or puree as necessary. Top with the chives.
Most pediatricians recommend babies start solids around six months of age. Rice cereal is the traditional first food, but it doesn't have to be, especially if baby is already six months old. I think rice cereal is good to practice on, but after the first few feedings, I prefer mixing it with fruits or vegetables. Other good first foods that are simple to prepare include sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, apples, pears, bananas, green beans, avocadoes....and the list goes on. I don't make baby food from produce that is expensive or out of season - like peaches in January. You can also use frozen fruits or vegetables to make your purees. Remember to wait 4-5 days in between new foods to check for any reactions.
Preparation is simple. If it has a peel, take it off, cut into small pieces, and steam with a little bit of water - a steamer basket is perfect for this. Once the food is soft, puree it in the blender, adding as much of the cook water as necessary to reach your desired consistency. Avocadoes and bananas don't need to be cooked; just peel and mash, adding liquid if you need to.
Storage is also simple. I have these baby food containers from One Step Ahead, and they are nice, but you don't need anything special. The simplest thing to do is to pour your puree into clean ice cube trays and stick them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, pop them out and store them in a large ziploc bag. Then you can pull out as many as you need at a time.
Once your baby is used to single food purees, you can start combining foods. I really like this website - it has a lot of ideas on food combinations and recipes. The recipe posted below was one of Lauren's favorites.
Please, please don't feed your baby bananas from a jar. Have you ever tasted those? They taste weird. Save yourself some money and your baby that weird jarred banana taste, grab a banana from the bunch and mash it up.
Hearty Chicken Mash
2 oz (1/4 c) cooked, boneless skinless chicken, diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 oz (1/4 c) grated cheddar
1/2 t chopped chives
Boil or steam the sweet potato and carrot until tender. Drain, add the cheese and mix until cheese has melted. Add the chicken, then mash or puree as necessary. Top with the chives.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
Oatmeal is standard breakfast fare around here, but I can't seem to figure out how much we need every day, so we sometimes end up with leftovers. I am fine with hot oatmeal for breakfast, but leftover oatmeal kind of makes me want to gag. So I was happy to find this recipe for leftover oatmeal muffins and everyone was happy with the result. They are perfect for tossing in lunches or for snacks.
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I generally use all white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil (I sometimes use 1/4 oil and 1/4 applesauce)
2 eggs
1 c leftover oatmeal
2/3 cup raisins
1 t vanilla
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, stir oil, eggs, oatmeal, raisins and vanilla together. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. These freeze well.
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I generally use all white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil (I sometimes use 1/4 oil and 1/4 applesauce)
2 eggs
1 c leftover oatmeal
2/3 cup raisins
1 t vanilla
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, stir oil, eggs, oatmeal, raisins and vanilla together. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. These freeze well.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Honey Baked Chicken and Baked Brown Rice
Chicken legs are one of the cheapest cuts of meat you can buy. I have found them for as low as 59 cents a pound. If you usually shy away from dark meat because you think it is less healthy, now is the time to change! I even heard Dr. Oz say that this is a fallacy and white meat has no greater health benefits. In fact, dark meat may help lower your cholesterol. It also has more iron, plus I think it is tastier. This recipe takes minutes to prepare and is a perfectly warm dinner for a chilly evening. The original recipe is from the More with Less cookbook, but I found it on Whole Eat & Whole Treats.
Honey Baked Chicken
4 chicken leg quarters
1/3 cup honey
2 T melted butter
1 T prepared mustard
1.5 t curry powder
1 t salt
Place the chicken in a casserole dish. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake at 350 for about an hour and a half, basting 3 or 4 times with the pan juices.
This chicken is delicious with brown rice. If you have a hard time cooking rice on the stovetop, try baking in the oven following the recipe below. It always turns out perfectly. The chicken would probably also be great with mashed potatoes, spooning some of the sauce over the top.
Baked Brown Rice
1.5 cups brown rice
2.5 cups water
2 t butter
1 t salt
Put everything in an 8 inch casserole dish and cover tightly with foil. Baked at 350 for an hour to an hour and a half.
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