Category: Sides

Cilantro Lime Rice in Rice Cooker

This evening I started rice in my rice cooker and about 10 minutes later realized what I really wanted was cilantro lime rice.  I googled for inspiration and didn’t find a recipe that exactly fit my needs.  My mother-in-law makes wonderful cilantro rice, but hers is stovetop and I was already past that point and I didn’t have all the ingredients.  I decided to try my hand at makeshift rice.  As suspected, I was able to just add the desired ingredients to the rice once it was cooked, so I didn’t have to mess with stovetop rice.  Yay!  If you don’t have a rice cooker, you could just do this on the stovetop.

Ingredients:

2 c. uncooked brown rice

water (the amount your rice cooker says to use for 2 cups of rice)

2 T. non-dairy butter

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp salt

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

 

Directions:

Cook rice according to rice cooker directions.  Once it is cooked, add the butter, lime, salt, and chopped cilantro.  Stir well and serve as a side.  Pairs well with my enchiladas.

 

Adapted from: http://www.familyfreshmeals.com/2015/04/copycat-chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice.html

 

Refried Beans

The name isn’t actually true.  I didn’t actually recook these.  They really should be “mashed and seasoned beans,” but that just doesn’t have the same ring to it, and it is a highly unlikely google search.

 

Ingredients:

3-4 cups cooked and mashed pinto beans, or 2 cans of pinto beans, drained

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can of rotel with juice (10 oz can)

Juice of half a lime

 

Directions:

Soak beans overnight.  Drain and put in crockpot.  Cover with water with an additional inch of water on top of beans.  Cook on low all day (6-8 hours).

Drain water.  Mash beans (I used an immersion blender.)  Add in all ingredients and stir well.  May be served as a side dish or used as the bean portion of my enchiladas.

Asparagus

Asparagus is wonderful, and sometimes it is on sale for a wonderful price.  This batch came in at 98 cents a pound!  My favorite way to cook asparagus is on the stove top.  I cut of just a little bit of the bottom (no more than 3/4 inch)- just until the woody part is gone.  Then I put it in a skillet, lightly drizzle it with olive oil and then I put it on medium heat and stir until the color changes to bright green.  Then I use the edge of a spatula to press on one of the spears.  If it gives a little, then it is done!  Sprinkle a little salt on it and serve!  I usually use a steak knife to cut it just because it makes it so much more pleasant.  Enjoy!

Find the chicken sandwich recipe here.

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Quick Sweet Potato Mash

I have a habit of buying potatoes and then letting them sit around for a really long time.  I know I should use them quicker, but sometimes they seem like they take forever to make and that effort seems wasted if it’s just on one potato.  When I recently had oral surgery, I was on a soft food diet for several days.  I quickly tired of guacamole, yogurt, and applesauce.  That’s when I saw my poor lonely sweet potato sitting on the counter.  I figured I could make a mash in the microwave pretty easily.  This is the result!

 

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato, washed and pierced with a fork all over

3-4 T. non-dairy butter (SmartBalance)

1 T. non-dairy milk (cashew milk)

 

Directions:
Wash sweet potato and pierce it with a fork all over.  Microwave on one side for 3 minutes.  Turn over and microwave for another 3 minutes or until you can easily pierce all the way through the potato with a fork.  Carefully peel with a fork or knife, scraping excess potato off of the skin and onto your plate.  Mash with a fork.  Add in 3-4 T. butter to hot potato and mash in.  Add 1 T. cashew milk to make it fluffier (you may need more or less depending on the size of your potato).

This works well as a quick side for one or two people or as a snack.

Oven fries

I love steak fries.  The thin ones just don’t cut it for me.  Here is a simple recipe for oven fries.

Ingredients:

1-2 large Russet potatoes or 4-5 golden potatoes

4-5 T olive oil*

1 tsp salt*

1/2 tsp pepper*

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Wash potatoes well being sure to remove any dirt.  Do not peel.  Slice potatoes into thick strips.  Mix olive oil with salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Dip potato strips into oil mixture and place on an aluminum-lined baking sheet.  Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes or until you can pierce easily with a fork.  You could turn them part way through but I never do.

*Measurements are approximate.  I do it by how it looks, but this should be pretty close.

 

Rolls

Gluten free rolls?  Yes!  I served these to guests one time and no rolls survived the night.  These are really easy!  Buy Pamela’s Bread Mix and follow the egg free bread recipe using flax eggs, except instead of putting it in a bread pan, put the dough in an oiled muffin tin.  Allow to rise for an hour as the recipe says and then bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes or until the tops are browned and they sound kind of hollow when you thump them.  Allow to rest in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes and then use a knife to loosen the edges.  I gently pulled them out and they regained their shape quickly.

I used them as bread for my Chick-Fil-A copycat recipe.  You can also bake the bread in spring-form bun pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Happy sandwich making!

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Chicken Fajitas

Last night we had company over and shared this meal with them.  Their little daughter kept requesting the chicken. There really is chicken in this fajita.  I was in a hurry while taking the photo and realized later it wasn’t really visible.

I remember my mom making this and everyone in the family enjoying it.  The marinade itself is easy and you can add as many sides as you want.  You can half everything in the recipe if you only want to use 1 1/2 pounds of chicken.

 

Marinade Ingredients:

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp cornstarch

juice of 2 limes or 6 T. bottled juice

4 T. vinegar

2 T. water

4 T. oil (I used canola)

3 pounds chicken

 

Optional toppings:

Red and Green Peppers and onions (recipe included), Black beans, Rice, Salsa, Lettuce/spinach, Cheese or a substitute cheese, Cilantro, Tomatoes, Guacamole

Tortillas or chips

 

Directions:

Cut chicken into thin strips.  Mix all ingredients in the marinade and pour over chicken.  Marinade for at least 15 minutes, but I marinated it for about 7 hours.

While chicken is marinating, prepare other toppings.

Slice one onions, one red pepper and one green pepper and saute them on the stovetop in 2-3 T. oil.  (I used 2 onions, 4 red peppers, and 2 green peppers because we had several people over for dinner and I wanted to have plenty.)

While those are cooking, cook chicken in a separate covered pan with marinade until chicken is cooked thoroughly (white all the way through- about 20-25 minutes).

 

Notes:  I put the rice in the rice cooker ahead of time and had the beans in the crockpot all day.  About an hour before serving, I added a dash of garlic powder, 1-2 tsp salt, and a handful of chopped cilantro to the beans and allowed it to continue cooking.

To make preparation faster in the evening, I chopped the spinach and vegetables and such in the morning so that all I had to do at the end was toss the onion/pepper mixture and the chicken mixture into their pans and cook them.

I toasted the corn tortillas in a pan for a few minutes to make them pliable.

 

A glimpse of the chicken.
With peppers and cheese.

Greek Salad

After I made skewers, I had leftover chicken and vegetables.  I searched the internet and found inspiration for this recipe.  It was, once again, a hit with the guys.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 c. olive oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 T. minced onions

1 yellow pepper, diced

3 roma tomatoes, diced

7-8 mushrooms, diced

2-3 cups of cubed, cooked chicken (lightly salted and peppered) (omit chicken for vegetarian option)

1-2 handfuls of fresh basil (optional)

Optional add-ins that I didn’t use:

Feta cheese

Black olives

Cooked pasta

Green onions

 

Directions:

 

Cook chicken and allow to cool.  In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, oregano, sugar, salt, and minced onions.  Dice the vegetables and add to the olive oil mixture.  Add cooled chicken.  Stir in some torn basil leaves and garnish with a sprig of basil.  Store in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before eating.

 

Recipe adapted from:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/11689/greek-pasta-salad-i/

 

Focaccia Bread

I made this the other day with a friend.  This picture was taken while it was still bubbling.  When I took it out of the oven I thought it was a failed recipe and my friend said, “It looks like fried bread.”  After about 20 minutes it soaked up the oil and was perfect!  With that said, make this and then let it rest before trying to wrest it out of the pan.  If you wait it won’t be hard :-).  Use fresh herbs if you can but dried herbs will work too.  I may or may not have eaten about half the pan the first day…

Ingredients:

Oil mixture:

1/2 c. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

1 T. fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

1 T. fresh basil, chopped (or 1 tsp dried)

1/4 tsp black pepper

Flour mixture:

1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees- I use a candy thermometer)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)

1/4 tsp honey (or use sugar if you want it to be truly vegan)

2 1/2 c. flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour- it already has xanthan gum in it)

1 tsp salt

 

Directions:

Combine olive oil, garlic, herbs, and black pepper in a small saucepan without the heat on.  After it’s combined, turn the heat on to low and stir occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes.  The herbs should start smelling good but the garlic should not brown.  Take off the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl (use your stand mixer bowl if you have one), stir together the warm water, honey, and yeast.  Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.  Add 1 c. of the flour blend and 1/4 c. of oil mixture.  Stir just until flour is moistened.  Allow it to sit for another 5 minutes.  Add the remaining flour mixture and the salt.  Don’t forget the salt!  Stir until blended.  Stir on low speed using a stand mixer for about 1 minute (the equivalent of being kneaded 10-15 times, but I wouldn’t try kneading with gluten free dough-it’s just too sticky.)

Oil another large bowl and move the batter into that bowl.  Cover it with a towel and set in a warm, undisturbed area for 1 hour.

When dough is almost finished rising, preheat the oven to 450 degrees (230 degrees Celsius).  Use 2 T. of the oil mixture to grease a 9×13 inch pan (I used a Pyrex dish).

Press the dough into the baking pan with your fingers making sure to leave dimples in the top (this should happen naturally as long as you don’t smooth it out with a spatula).  Drizzle the top with the remaining oil mixture.  Let dough rise for another 20 minutes.  Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Allow it to cool in the pan.*

*When it came out, mine looked like it was sitting in a bunch of oil and I thought it had failed.  As the bread started to cool, it soaked the oil back up which is what it was supposed to do.  Leave it in the pan until it cools.  After it soaks the oil up, I would suggest loosening the bread from the pan with a spatula but leaving the bread in the pan.  This should help prevent it sticking to the pan when it cools.  This could also work as a pizza crust.

 

Adapted from: http://www.inspiredtaste.net/19313/easy-focaccia-bread-recipe-with-herbs/

 

 

9 Day Slaw- Grandmother’s Recipe

I recently married and as I was flipping through a homemade cookbook, I said to my husband, “I found your grandmother’s coleslaw recipe.”  I brought the coleslaw to our Christmas gathering and it was a hit!  The best part is I didn’t have to change anything.  This is a no-mayo coleslaw.  It’s easy to make and keeps for awhile.

 

Ingredients:

Slaw:

1 head of cabbage (about 3 pounds), grated or finely sliced

1-2 onions, chopped (I used one)

1-2 green peppers, chopped (I used one)

1 1/2 cups sugar

Combine these ingredients in a large bowl and stir.

 

Dressing:

2 T sugar

1 cup salad oil (I used canola)

1 cup vinegar (I used regular white vinegar)

1 T salt

1 T celery seed

Stir the dressing ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour over the slaw and stir well.  Keep refrigerated and it just keeps getting better as the days go by.  Supposedly it keeps for 9 days, but I have not tested that part.  🙂 This makes a large bowl of coleslaw, so share with your friends!