bcmom's kitchen

bcmom's kitchen
Showing posts with label rice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rice. Show all posts

Friday, September 7, 2018

Pressure Cooker Mongolian Beef

I love my pressure cooker. It makes everything so easy! OK, I don't do everything in the pressure cooker; there are still things that just need to be cooked on the stove or in the oven, but I certainly do use it a lot. This is one of our favorite recipes. The flavors are so good!


Pressure Cooker Mongolian Beef
adapted from Pressure Cooking Today

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound steak, cut into 1/4″ strips
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 broccoli crown, cut small
  • 1 carrot, cut into *matchsticks
  • 1 red pepper, cut into strips or squares
  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 3 T water
  • 3 green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces
Directions:
  1. Season beef with salt and pepper. 
  2. Mix brown sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and water. in PC.  Add beef; marinate for 30 minutes or longer.
  3. When ready to cook, place insert in PC and cook for 13 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
  4. Once pressure has released, remove lid and set PC to Sear. Add vegetables and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix water and cornstarch and add to PC; cook until thickened and bubbly.
  5. Turn PC off and stir in green onions. Serve with rice.

Optional: add a pinch of red pepper flakes. You can also add some sliced onions if you're like me and can't cook without onions. I really think some snow peas would be good in this, though I haven't tried it that way yet. Tonight was the first time I used the red pepper, and it was really good - so I'm officially adding that to the recipe. Of course, if you don't have a red pepper, feel free to leave it out. Add a bit more broccoli; add an extra carrot. I think it can be pretty flexible.

Also, I never actually pay attention to how much steak I have, or even what kind it is. I just grab whatever I have in the freezer. The PC makes it all good and flavorful and tender.


And, since there are just the two of us, we have enough leftovers to have this again in a few days. I warm the leftovers up in the pressure cooker, too, and they taste just as good as the first time. Or maybe better.

*there are different ways of cutting carrots into matchsticks, but I use the method described on this page. I guess I didn't come up with that all on my own... It's really quite easy, and they just seem like the right carrots for this recipe.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Spring Greens

It's a good thing we like salad, because there is a whole lot of lettuce out in the garden.  Last year's lettuce went to seed, and so we have a lot of new lettuce this spring.  I also followed some advice I read from an old friend and scattered some seeds in the garden sometime in early March on the chance that some of them would survive the freezing and thawing and come up.  You guessed it - more lettuce.  And some radishes.

I've also got a couple chard plants that somehow survived the winter and are growing like crazy.  So, I have chard and radish greens to use, too. The other night I sauteed some of the greens with garlic and olive oil, added a bit of balsamic vinegar, and then fried a couple eggs to go on top - over easy so the yolks could run down into the greens.  It was incredible easy but oh so tasty.  (and I didn't think to take a picture until after I'd savored every last bite)


 The next night I added a bit of rice to the greens and served them with grilled chicken.  (Yes, I had this two nights in a row.)  Both were really yummy and a great way to use all those happy spring greens. I'm throwing radish greens in my salads, too - so good!

Sauteed Spring Greens

Ingredients:
  • Olive oil
  • Minced garlic
  • Chopped greens - Chard, radish, spinach, whatever you have
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Cooked rice (optional)
Directions:
  1. Heat olive oil in medium skillet;  add garlic and saute for a minute or two.
  2. Add greens and cook until softened and tender, stirring often.  You may need to add a bit of water as the greens cook.
  3. When greens are cooked, add salt & pepper and drizzle with a bit of Balsamic vinegar.  If using rice, stir it in and cook until heated through, stirring.
  4. Serve topped with fried eggs or grilled chicken. 

Seriously, super simple.  And I didn't really use any measurements, just tossed things in the skillet.  Just remember that greens cook down a lot, so you'll want quite a bit of greens to start with.  And they're good for you, so you can eat as many as you want.


I pushed the greens to the side of the skillet and fried the eggs right beside the greens, and I suppose you could actually cook your chicken in the same skillet, too.  But I seasoned mine and grilled it on the George Foreman grill.  I used a boneless thigh, but if you prefer breasts that would work just as well.  And, I'm sure there are plenty of other things that would be good on a nice bed of greens.  Any ideas?

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Black Beans and Rice

I made this a while back to go with some crockpot chicken fajitas (not the exact recipe, but similar).  Normally I just make some cilantro lime rice, but I didn't have any cilantro so I figured I'd try something different.  The fajitas definitely need some kind of rice because they always turn out so juicy.  I just put some rice on my plate and then hold over the rice while I eat, and all the juices go into the rice and make it even more yummy. (and keep me from having to just lick all those juices off the plate, because they definitely should not be wasted)

Black Beans and Rice
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients:
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
  • water
Directions:
  1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high.  Add onion; cook and stir until tender.
  2. Add oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and rice; cook for a few minutes, until fragrant.
  3. Drain liquid from tomatoes into measuring cup; add water to equal 2 cups.  Stir tomatoes and beans into saucepan; then add water.
  4. Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This rice had a really nice flavor on its own and was especially good with the juices from the chicken.  I really love the addition of the beans.  Cilantro stirred in would have been excellent, but since I didn't have any we just had to do without.

I ended up mixing the leftover chicken fajita mix with the leftover rice and adding a can of tomatoes or so - it's been a while; I can't remember exactly - and we had soup.  It made really good soup, too.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

I was looking for some kind of crock-pot recipe to take to a potluck.  Since I just cooked a turkey, I wanted something with turkey, but didn't really have anything else in mind.  This recipe came up, not because it's a crock-pot recipe, but because someone had made a note that she made this and threw it in the crock-pot on low until dinner time.  And that's pretty much what I need - something I can make on a Friday and then take on Sabbath and just warm up with the crock-pot.


So, I made it Friday, had some for lunch, and threw the rest in the crock-pot to warm up for the potluck.  Good thing I had some for lunch, because there was none leftover to bring home after the potluck.  The recipe says it's "a healthier twist on a classic creamy turkey and wild rice soup" but since I've never made any kind of creamy turkey and rice soup, I don't really know about that. I do know that it's a simple soup to make with a really good flavor, and with plenty of veggies in it, there's no reason why it wouldn't be healthy.


Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
adapted from Delish

Ingredients:
  • 1 c. uncooked wild rice or wild rice blend (I used a wild rice and brown basmati blend)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 c. sliced mushrooms, about 4 ounces
  • 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
  • 3/4 c. chopped celery
  • 3/4 c. chopped carrots
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. parsley flakes
  • 4 c. turkey broth
  • 2 c. cooked turkey, chopped
  • 1/2 c. sour cream
Directions:
  1. Cook rice according to package directions.
  2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, celery, carrots and onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, and parsley and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
  3. Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in turkey, sour cream, and rice and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes more.  Taste and season with additional salt & pepper if needed

The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, which I did not have, so I substituted dried parsley.  If you use fresh, add it at the end with the turkey, rice, and sour cream.


Time-saving tips:
  • The rice will take 45-50 minutes to cook; cook it early in the day or the day before and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Slice mushrooms and chop the rest of the vegetables; store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Tuna & Broccoli Pie

I was looking for some kind of tuna rice casserole recipe when I ran across this Broccoli and Tuna Rice Pie, and it looked so good I just had to try it.  It wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but it reminded me of the eggs my dad always made when I was growing up.  His didn't include rice or broccoli, just eggs, tuna, and cheese baked in a cast iron skillet.  So good!  (Why don't I make that once in a while?)

Anyway, we had this the other night for dinner, and it was really good.  The leftovers tonight were even better!


Tuna & Broccoli Pie

Ingredients:
  •  1 to 2 T butter
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1 T dried chives
  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 1 can tuna, drained
  • 8 oz. broccoli florets (if frozen, run under water to thaw)
  • 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Melt 1 T butter over medium heat.  Add onion and saute with basil and chives until onion is translucent.  Add more butter if needed as onion is cooking.
  3. Turn off heat and stir in rice, tuna, and broccoli; add cheese.  Spoon mixture into greased deep dish pie pan.
  4. Whisk together eggs and milk; season with salt and pepper.  Pour over rice mixture. Shake dish to settle eggs and remove any air bubbles.
  5. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. If necessary, cover with foil if the top starts to brown too much.   Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes; Cut into wedges and serve.
Serves 4

I baked this in my cast iron skillet, because I used it to saute the onion and I figured it could go in the oven, so why dirty another dish.  And because my dad always baked his eggs in a skillet.  BUT, I won't be doing that again.  The cleanup was harder than I expected.  Maybe my skillet just isn't seasoned properly... but usually I can just scrub it out with a bit of salt and this time I had to do some soaking and a lot more scrubbing.  So, next time I'm using a pie pan.


Since there are only two of us, we ate half of this for dinner one night and then I heated it up again for dinner tonight.  For the leftovers, I heated it at 350° for 15 minutes covered and then I removed the cover and heated for an additional 15 minutes.  And then I added just a touch more cheese to the top and left it in the oven just long enough to melt it.  I'm not sure what the reheating did, but this was even better the second time.  The bottom and edges of the already cut wedges crisped up a bit, and the flavors had blended better.  We really enjoyed it.  Oh, and a little hot sauce on top is good, too.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Shish Tawook Chicken with Rice

It's time again for Secret Recipe Club reveal!  My secret blog assignment this month was Sawsan's blog Chef in Disguise.  Sawsan lives in the Middle East, and her blog focuses on easy and authentic middle eastern, Levantine and Arabic recipes, as well as sharing exactly what it's like to be a woman in the Middle East.  This is one blog I am going to have to read thoroughly and visit often!

I love the description of middle eastern cuisine - "middle eastern cuisine is rich in healthy recipes that focus on fruits, vegetables, spices and making the best out of seasonal and fresh ingredients."  Sounds perfect to me!  Sawsan calls herself a 'food explorer' so her blog also contains recipes from around the world, many of them from her participation in SRC as well as a couple other recipe groups, but I really wanted to try one of her authentic middle eastern recipes.


Here are some that caught my eye:
In the end, I chose this recipe which Sawsan claims "is better than the shish tawook you get at the best middle eastern restaurant."  Never having it anywhere, I am going to have to take her word for it.  She must be right, because this chicken is amazing!!  Amazing.


We liked it so much I had to make it twice!  My husband says that this recipe needs to go into the regular rotation.  Not that I have an actual rotation, but there are certain recipes that I tend to make on a fairly regular basis.  And this will definitely be one of those.

Shish Tawook Chicken
from Chef in Disguise

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. skin-less boneless chicken cut into cubes or strips (I used thighs)
  • 1 T dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 2 T ketchup
  • 1 T mustard
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T plain yogurt
  • salt
  • pepper
Directions:
  1. Mix the marinade and add chicken, making sure to coat all the pieces. Marinate at least a half hour, preferably longer.  Note: mix this up in the morning, let it marinate all day, and it's ready to cook for dinner.  It can also be marinated overnight.
  2. When you're ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through.  (You know it’s done by trying to divide a piece with a spoon..if you do it easily…it’s ready)
  3. Alternately, you can skewer the chicken and grill in the oven or on a grill.

Right before you're ready to cook the chicken, start the rice.  I used only half the onion, pepper, and tomato that the original recipe called for - because that's what I had.  You can use more if you like.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion finely diced
  •  1/2 green pepper chopped
  • 1 large Roma tomato, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon all spice
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 2 cups water
Directions:
  1. Saute chopped onion in olive oil. When onion starts to soften, add the pepper and saute for an additional 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add the tomato and spices; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
  3. Add rice and water. Bring to a boil; lower the heat, cover, and cook till the rice soaks up all the liquid, 15-20 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and let sit while you cook the chicken.  Fluff before serving.


This rice is amazingly good all by itself.  It might even be good enough to eat cold. With your fingers.  Just saying.  Even better is when you pile some of this chicken on top and plop some Middle Eastern garlic sauce “Toum” on top.  Yes, I had to make some of that, too.  So good!

We had a few leftovers the second time I made this, so I heated the rice and chicken together, and then we had it wrapped up in tortillas.  Pita probably would have been more appropriate, but I didn't have any. The tortillas were pretty good, though!



Sunday, April 7, 2013

Rice Pudding Muffins

It's time again for  Secret Recipe Club (Secret Recipe Club) reveal!  This month I got to choose a recipe from Kate's blog Food Babbles.  What a great blog!  She pulls together her love of food, family, photography and writing into one very enjoyable place to visit.  I especially love the pictures of those adorable daughters of hers, but oh, the recipes!  The hardest part of any Secret Recipe Club assignment is choosing a recipe.

I thought about making these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pancakes and the Lemon Biscotti, just to name a couple.  I probably will make them in the future because they look so good, but I chose to make Rice Pudding Muffins this time.  They just sounded like comfort food, and I guess that's what I was in the mood for.  Isn't that how everyone decides what to cook or bake?


I never thought of putting rice in muffins. It really adds a nice texture.  These muffins are really moist and have a very nice subtle flavor.  I put raisins in only half of them because my husband thinks he doesn't like raisins.  I think the raisins are very important, and he likes the muffins just fine without them.  He said he still likes my banana muffins best, but he really likes these, too.

I used yogurt instead of the heavy cream in Kate's recipe - because that's what I had.  I also used brown sugar because I think it adds a nice flavor to things, but cut it down a bit so the muffins wouldn't be too sweet - and they aren't.  Of the 1-1/2 cups flour, I used 1/2 cup white whole wheat because I like whole wheat flour in my muffins, but I think a traditional whole wheat would be too heavy and dense.

Kate's recipe said to use muffin liners, but I usually like my muffins without them so I tried them both ways - with and without the liners.  I like them better without because the bottom of the muffin gets browned, and I think it adds to the flavor of a muffin.  They are good either way.






Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

Also from the What the Bible Says about Healthy Living Cookbook - I made this rice to go with the burritos last night.


Spinach and Cilantro Green Rice

Ingredients:
  • 2/3 bunch cilantro (stems OK)
  • 1 cup firmly packed fresh spinach
  • 1-1/4 cups milk
  • 1-1/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 T)
  • 1-1/2 cups brown rice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Several generous grindings pepper
Directions:
  1. Trim the cilantro stems to 1 to 2 inches.
  2. Add the cilantro, spinach, milk, broth and lime juice to a blender and puree the ingredients.
  3. Combine the liquid mixture with the remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
  4. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid, and simmer fo r45 minutes.
  5. After 45 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for 10 minutes, without removing the cover.  Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

1/3 bunch of cilantro for the burritos, 2/3 bunch for this rice - you'd think all my cilantro would be used, but those aren't really good measurements, and cilantro bunches vary - so I just used quite a bit of cilantro and called it enough, for both recipes.  I also used frozen spinach because I didn't have any fresh.  I'm not sure how much frozen spinach equals a cup of fresh, so I just threw some in.

I made half this recipe because we just didn't need that much rice.  I usually cook my brown rice 40 minutes so I thought the 45 minutes would be plenty long enough, but there was still liquid in the pan when I took the lid off, and the rice was a bit chewy.  It tasted really good though, so I'm either going to cook it at a higher temperature next time or do like it says and turn the heat off and let it sit - instead of removing it from the heat to let it sit.  The rice should continue to cook on the still-warm burner for a bit longer.

I put some of this on my Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito for lunch - along with the salsa, sour cream and guacamole.  Yum!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Brown Rice Salad with Salmon

I read an interview with Claire Robinson on My Wooden Spoon this morning.  I was not aware of her or her show, but I like the idea of easy, flavorful recipes, so I'm going to have to check her out.  What caught my eye was her approach to recipes:

She says you should read the recipe, put it away, and do your own thing. Don’t be afraid to swap an ingredient out or add more or less.
Yep!  That's pretty much my approach to any recipe.  I use them for ideas, and then proceed to throw in the ingredients I have.  It's more fun that way!  The only problem is that, when I come up with something we especially like, I usually can't repeat it.

All that to say that I found this recipe on Oprah.com for Brown Rice Salad with Salmon (by searching for 'salmon rice salad' - imagine that!)  The recipe already has a lot of leeway built into it - but I thought I better jot down what I used this time - just in case it's the perfect combination.


Brown Rice Salad with Salmon

Salad:
  • 2 c. cooked brown rice
  • 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, sliced
  • 8 oz. cooked salmon, broken into small pieces
Dressing:
  • 2 t. cider vinegar
  • 4 t. soy sauce
  • 2 t. olive oil
  • sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
In mixing bowl, combine rice and vegetables.  Mix vinegar, soy sauce, oil and salt & pepper; pour over rice mixture and mix well.  Add salmon, and toss lightly to combine.  Chill well.

I'm already noticing that the original recipe called for some cooked vegetables, where I used green pepper and celery, but the rice was hot when I mixed everything, so I'm going to figure that's OK.   Besides, they'll add a little crunch.  I'm thinking some chow mein noodles on top will be good, too.


Potluck tomorrow.  We'll see what everyone thinks.  It certainly smelled good when I mixed it up.

Update:  Definitely the perfect combination!  This salad has become a favorite around here.  It's great for not only a potluck, but as a cool summer meal.  It's great with chow mein noodles, on a bed of greens, or just by itself.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Hearty Skillet Meal

Dinner tonight. The original recipe came out of my favorite cookbook, The Best of Mennonite Fellowship Meals. I adjusted it slightly.

Hearty Skillet Meal

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup coarsely shredded cabbage
  • 1/2 cup uncooked rice
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup diced potatoes
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. salt 
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions:
  1. Saute ground beef and onion until beef is browned.  Drain excess fat.  
  2. Stir in cabbage and rice and cook for a couple minutes.  Stir in carrots, potatoes, and garlic salt.  Add water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer, 40 minutes.
  3. Immediately before serving, stir in soy sauce, salt and pepper.

The original recipe called for 1 lb. of ground beef instead of the 1/2 lb. I used, but 1/2 lb. is what I had because I used to other half in the meatballs I made today.  Cabbage was not in the original recipe, but I thought it sounded good, so I added it.  I didn't actually measure it, just cut some up and tossed it in, so I'm guessing on the 1 cup, and I wasn't real strict on measuring the carrots and potatoes, either.  With this kind of recipe, it doesn't really matter.  Also, I increased the water called for in the original recipe, from 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups, and that seemed perfect.

This has a really nice flavor, and it's really easy to make.  We had some green beans and some sourdough bread along with it.  I would've taken a picture, but it's not all that exciting to look at - just good to eat.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

One-Pan Tomato Basil Chicken

I found this recipe ages ago in the coupon section of the newspaper, but I hadn't made it in years. I don't know why it's been so long. This is really good, and so easy.

One-Pan Tomato Basil Chicken
ready in just 30 minutes
  • 1 package (6.9 ounces) Rice-a-Roni Chicken Flavor
  • 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 2 cups broccoli flowerets, or green beans
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)
  1. In large skillet (10 inch), prepare Rice-a-Roni mix as package directs, except simmer 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in chicken, basil, broccoli, and tomato.
  3. Cover, continue to simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with cheese before serving, if desired.
Serves 4

I used cooked turkey instead of chicken, and peeled and chopped a frozen tomato. The original recipe calls for broccoli, but green beans are good, too. Also, I did not have any Mozzarella, so I used cheddar. Parmesan works, too.

More Rice-a-Roni recipes.


Thursday, February 12, 2009

Turkey Rice Casserole

I bought a wild rice and brown basmati rice mixture last time I went to the grocery store. About the same time I had some cooked turkey and turkey broth, and I put this recipe together:

Turkey and Wild Rice
  • 1 cup wild rice and brown basmati
  • 2 cups turkey broth
Bring to boil in 2 quart saucepan, cover, turn heat to low, and cook until done and all broth is absorbed.
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped cooked turkey
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 soup can water
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped broccoli
Add to cooked rice and mix well. Put into greased 2 quart casserole and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through.

You could also add a little salt and pepper if desired, depending on how salty your broth is. Overall, really good and really easy.

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