Cilantro Lime Rice

Another great component of the burritos we had recently (the meat recipe is coming up soon!), this rice had a great flavor. Historically, I have usually made plain white rice without adding any seasonings other than salt. Lately, I am really liking the idea of seasoning rice so that it complements the flavor of the other parts of the meal. I made these few last minute additions to the rice and I was really pleased with the results.

1 cup white rice

2 cups water

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

juice from 1-2 limes (approximately 2 Tbsp)

1 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, boil water, rice and salt for approximately 20 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is soft. Stir in lime and cilantro just before serving rice.

Black Beans

I use black beans a lot in burritos, tacos, nachos and other things. Of course I like them best when they are freshly boiled, but lately I have eaten a lot that were canned. I often heat them up and add a few spices, but this time I decided to add a few more things for a little bit of extra flavor. I thought they turned out great - perfect for the burritos that we used them for. I may just use this as my "go to" black bean recipe in the future.

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 can (about 3/4 cup) diced tomatoes, rinsed

1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp oregano

salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Preheat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the oil glistens, add onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to be transparent. Then add remaining spices and ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until everything is thoroughly heated. The longer you cook it, the more the flavors will combine.

Coconut Rice

This rice has just the right amount of coconut flavor. Enough that you can taste it, but not so much that it is overpowering. It was the perfect complement to the Mandarin Orange Chicken that I posted a few days ago.

1 cup white rice

1 14 oz can light coconut milk

3 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 cup coconut

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, and salt in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. When it comes to a full boil, reduce to medium-low and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the liquid has completely absorbed and the rice is soft. Stir in the coconut and serve hot.

Zucchini Tomato Casserole

I bought some zucchini on a great sale the other day and wanted to find a great recipe to showcase it. I found this one on allrecipes.com. After reading the reviews, I decided to make it - with a few of my own alterations, of course. There were a couple of people who reviewed the recipe and said that it tasted like pizza. I really like pizza so I was excited to see if it was true, and it kind of was - if you usually make crustless pizza with no meat and no sauce... and only top it with fresh zucchini and tomatoes. Okay, so it tasted nothing like pizza. But I loved it anyway. Even though we ate it as a main dish, I think it is meant to be a side.

Prep time (including baking): 1 hour 20 minutes

Serves: 4-6 people

1/3 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced

1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp butter

2/3 cup Italian bread crumbs

In a bowl, combine mozzarella, Paremsan, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Lightly coat a 9x9" pan with cooking spray. Layer 1/2 of the zucchini, 1/4 of the cheese mixture, 1/2 of the tomatoes, 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers. 

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute onion in melted butter for 3-4 minutes. When the onion begins to soften and become translucent, stir in the bread crumbs. Spread mixture over top of the casserole. 

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top begins to brown.

Potato Wedges with Herbs and Parmesan

I love making potato wedges. And I hate that the modern world somehow thinks that they are unhealthy. Maybe it stems from the fact that potatoes are often served as french fries. Or maybe it has something to do with that silly low-carb diet that was all the rage a few years ago. Either way, let me just tell you that nutritionally, potatoes are more similar to vegetables than they are to any other type of food. They are high in iron, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, and potassium. No matter what those diet people say, I consider potatoes to be a healthy food.

6 medium red potatoes, cut into thin slices
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste

Prepare potatoes by slicing them and tossing them in olive oil in a bowl or large ziplock bag. Combine spices and pour over potatoes, stir or shake to coat. Place on a large baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top and return to oven for a minute or two until cheese melts. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Fried Rice

This is the best fried rice I have ever tasted. I was watching Man vs. Food Nation with my husband a few weeks ago. Actually, I think it was the Thanksgiving episode. They visited a restaurant in Hawaii who claimed to have great fried rice. Although they didn't give away their secret recipe to the entire viewing audience, they did mention a few key ingredients, which we quickly wrote down and vowed to incorporate the next time we made fried rice. I am including rough estimates of the amounts that we used, although we didn't actually measure things out this precisely.

1/4 lb. bacon, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 lb. chorizo, cut into small pieces

2-3 Tbsp canola oil 

4 cups cold prepared white rice

1/2-3/4 cup peas and carrots

3-4 Tbsp oyster sauce (according to preference)

2 eggs

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a wok or large skillet, cook bacon and chorizo over medium-high heat. When it is fully cooked add oil and rice. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add oyster sauce. Stir in peas, carrots and green onions. Push rice to the side and scramble eggs, stirring them into rice when they are finished cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Freezer Fresh Green Beans

This past Saturday we also bought fresh green beans at the Farmer's Market. They gave us TONS of them and, after they sat in the refrigerator for a few days, I realized that we wouldn't be able to eat all of them before they started to get old and wrinkly. So before that happened I read up on how to preserve fresh green beans in the freezer. It is actually very easy. 

Green beans

boiling water

Ziploc bag

Rinse green beans and remove stems with scissors; cut to desired length. Heat water in a saucepan (or larger if you prefer) until it comes to a rolling boil. Blanche green beans for 2-3 minutes, then run them under cold water. Dry before placing in plastic bag or freezer container. Leave in freezer until you are ready to eat them.Vegetables can be stored at 0° for approximately 5-7 months.

Supposedly, blanching helps to retain the green color and fresh flavor. That is why it is important before you freeze most vegetables.

Scalloped Potatoes

This is one of the potato dishes that seems to be most commonly made among people that I know. Everyone seems to have their own version of the recipe. Here is one that I tried for a Sunday dinner; we had them with barbecue chicken cooked in a Crock Pot. I used Corn Chex because I didn't have Corn Flakes and they still tasted great. I have also heard of people topping them with Rice Krispies and a number of other types of cereal.

About 6 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, and grated or sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup margarine
2 cups Corn Flakes or other cereal crumbs

Put potatoes in a casserole dish. Blend cream of mushroom soup, milk, and onion in a saucepan over medium high heat until smooth. Add cheese, sour cream, and 1/4 cup of margarine and heat through. Pour over potatoes in dish and work sauce through potatoes as needed. Melt remaining 1/2 cup margarine. Spread cereal crumbs over potatoes and drizzle melted margarine over crumbs. Grate a little extra cheese over top if desired. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Asparagus

I think this is probably the best asparagus that I have ever had. My brother makes asparagus quite often so I asked him what he usually does. His method is very simple and I love it! It is way better than the steamed asparagus I have had a few times.

Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place asparagus on a baking pan and drizzle olive oil over it. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top. Bake at 350° for 10-20 minutes.

Italian Meatballs

Making these meatballs was a great Sunday afternoon activity for my husband and I. I had actually never had homemade meatballs; and, in fact, thought that I didn't like meatballs before when we decided to make these. Well, it turns out that I do like meatballs. These were great.

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork sausage
2 c. Italian bread crumbs (or homemade bread crumbs with Italian seasoning)
1 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

We made the bread crumbs with 100% whole wheat bread that we had in the house by putting it in the oven at about 300° for 10 minutes (give or take a few). Then we put the bread in the blender to grind it up. After this was done, we combined the meats, bread crumbs, 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning, and all of the other ingredients. Then we formed meatballs and baked them in the oven on 350° for 22 minutes.

The below pictures are before and after baking pictures:

Zucchini Tomato Sauté

This dish is inspired by one that a friend of mine in Guatemala made for me a few years ago. Frying things in excessive oil or lard is pretty much a way of life in Central America so of course the original dish had a lot higher fat content and different spices. I really like to make this side dish in combination with Fettuccine Alfredo. This time I made it as a side dish to steak and potato wedges.

2 cups zucchini, sliced
1-2 cups tomatoes, diced (I often use canned tomatoes with italian seasoning)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (less if using canned tomatoes)
Salt to taste

Combine ingredients in a medium skillet and saute over medium-high heat until onion and zucchini soften. Serve warm.

Rosemary Garlic Potato Wedges

Having recently learned that potatoes are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals (even vitamin C! I never would have expected that.) I have wanted to incorporate them more into my diet. I really like making potato wedges; it kind of "dresses up" a plain old potato and makes it seem almost gourmet even though it is a very simple process.

Potatoes
Rosemary
Garlic Powder
Parmesan cheese
Salt

Clean as many potatoes as you wish and cut into wedges (I usually cut each potato into four wedges). Place on a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Sprinkle a generous amount of rosemary, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese over potatoes. I have found that I should use a lot more of my spices than I would naturally use. Bake at 375º for 30-45 minutes or until cheese starts to turn golden. Add salt after cooking.

Fresh Green Beans

My husband's favorite vegetable is green beans. We usually eat them from the can but recently found a really good sale at the local grocery store. There are many different ways to cook them, but we decided to fry them in just a little bit of butter because it kept them crispy on the outside and kept their fresh taste. They were really good. Even better than they are canned.

1 Tbsp butter
1 lb. fresh green beans

Wash and remove stems from green beans. Fry for 3-4 minutes in butter.

Battered Onion Rings

Every once in a while we like to make something good and fried as a special treat. These onion rings are actually way better than the kind that you buy at a restaurant. A lot of times in a restaurant you bite through the crunchy outside only to have a slimy onion that you can hardly bite and usually slips right out of the breading. My husband told me that is because onion rings from restaurants have usually been frozen and re-cooked so the onion gets really soft. But these were the perfect texture. Soft enough to enjoy but firm enough to bite through.

1 large sweet onion
2 eggs
3 Tbsp evaporated milk
3 Tbsp water
Salt and Pepper
Flour to thicken

Combine ingredients, making sure to add plenty of salt (it took a lot more than we thought). Also, leave the mixture at a somewhat runny consistency. If you add too much flour the batter will be very thick and the rings won't get crispy enough. Deep fry until golden brown. If using a more shallow pan you will have to flip them. Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes

I didn't grow up eating homemade mashed potatoes. In fact, I remember the first time that I found out that mashed potatoes were made from real potatoes. It was almost Thanksgiving a few years ago and I was a missionary in Honduras (obviously they don't celebrate it there). My companion and I decided that we wanted to throw a Thanksgiving feast for all of the missionaries in our zone. We decided to make peach cobbler rather than peach pie, we made rolls, juice, salad, and the zone leaders brought rotisserie chickens (because they don't eat turkeys in Honduras). My companion said we should make mashed potatoes but I told her that would be possible because they don't sell potato pearls or flakes there. I remember being pretty shocked when she said we could make them from real potatoes. And it turns out it's not difficult at all. I made them last night for dinner in only about 30 minutes (including boiling time).

Potatoes, peeled and cut (unless you use red potatoes, which I did this time)
Milk
Sour cream
salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder to taste

Boil cut potatoes until soft. Drain water and smash the potatoes in a bowl using a potato masher. Add a little bit of milk and a few spoonfuls of sour cream (depending on how many potatoes you used). Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. You can even add other things like cheese and green onions if you want to!

Potato Wedges with Bacon, Onions, and Smoked Cheddar

This week we have been trying to eat our way through several days of leftovers so I haven't been doing a lot of cooking. Finally I felt like the fridge was empty enough to cook again so I started brainstorming. My first idea was to make potato wedges and some sort of crock pot chicken. I ended up deciding against the chicken in favor of fish but the potato wedge idea blossomed into this amazing deliciousness and was a huge hit. 

4-6 medium potatoes cut into wedges

1/2-1 lb bacon (I used ends and pieces)

1 medium onion, sliced into rings

1-2 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp paprika

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 450º and heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and cook bacon and onions 4-5 minutes, until onions begin to soften and bacon pieces begin to be crisp. Drain fat from pan. Add potatoes, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper (this requires a generous amount of salt to achieve the perfect taste). Cook, stirring, until potatoes are well coated in seasonings then spread onto a cookie sheet. Let potatoes bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven when potatoes begin to turn golden and crispy. Move potatoes to a serving dish and sprinkle shredded cheese over top. If needed, put them back in the oven for a minute or two to melt cheese.

 

Fried Potatoes

I have recently discovered that fried potatoes make a delicious breakfast (especially coupled with bacon and eggs). It is also a great side dish with any meal.

5-6 potatoes, chopped into small chunks
1 small onion, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat olive oil in pan. Saute onions with garlic. Add potatoes and spices. Cover potatoes and fry on medium low for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Grilled Pineapple

Who would have thought that grilled pineapple would taste so good? But the first time we had it at a Brazilian restaurant, we were in love. My husband was the chief engineer and author of this recipe. It is a very easy side for a meal when you are already firing up the barbecue.

1 fresh pineapple
3 Tbsp honey
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter

Heat honey, brown sugar, and butter on stove over medium heat until melted. Cut pineapple into long, thick strips. Place pineapple on barbecue and brush on the brown sugar mixture. Grill for approx. 2 minutes or until the mixture caramelizes. 

Twice Baked Potatoes stuffed with sauteed mushrooms and onions

I found this recipe in a cookbook that my husband bought from a thrift store the other day and made a few alterations. It was very delicious. The only thing I might change about the potatoes is to use a more pungent cheese. Gouda is delicious and has a great texture; I would also like to try the recipe with Blue Cheese or something equally as strong.

2 large Russet potatoes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb button mushrooms (cleaned and thinly sliced)
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 c sour cream
1/3 lb smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat olive oil on a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to brown, about 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and stir frequently as they continue to cook, about another 4-5 minutes.

Prick potatoes with a fork and bake either in the oven at 350º for about an hour or microwave for about 15 minutes. When the potatoes are soft, cut them lengthwise and scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl. Add sour cream and smash with a potato masher until combined.  Stir in the sauteed mushrooms and onions, shredded Gouda, salt and pepper (make sure to add enough salt - it really brings out the flavor). Spoon into potato shells and place on a cookie sheet. Broil 4-5 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

I served this with Bacon-wrapped Beef Tenderloin (seasoned with salt and pepper) and Spinach and Strawberry Salad.