South of the Border Beans

South of the Border Beans

2 T. Canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large red or green bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/4  t. garlic powder)

*15 oz. can low-sodium red beans (any variety you like- I usually have kidney on hand)

*15 oz. can  white beans (pref. low sodium, but they are harder to find than red or black)

*2 - 15 oz. cans low-sodium black beans

28 oz. canned, diced tomatoes

2 cups frozen corn (may use canned – drain first)

1 1/2 t. chili powder

1 1/2 t. cumin

1/2 C. fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Cooked plain white or brown rice.

In a large soup pot, sauté onion, pepper and garlic until soft (about 10 minutes).  Drain and rinse all cans of beans and (corn if using canned).  Add beans, corn and spices to pot and stir to combine.  Heat to simmering.  Stir in cilantro.  Serve over rice with a sprinkle of grated cheese, and your favorite corn chips on the side.

This recipe makes enough for two meals for a family of 4-6 people.  I always freeze half for another time.  Keeps well in freezer for a few weeks.  Thaw in fridge overnight for best results, but it will thaw in the microwave on defrost. Stir frequently. 

*  You can also prepare this recipe using dried beans.  You will need 2/3 cup each of dry white and red beans, and 1 1/3 C. of dry black beans.  Sort and rinse the beans, soak for 8-12 hours and drain.  Then cook the beans in a generous amount of water (may add 1 t. salt) for 2-3 hours until they are to your desired softness.  Drain the beans and prepare the recipe as directed.

Taco Chicken Bowls

Taco Chicken Bowls:
Serves 9

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast
16oz jar salsa
15oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese per serving
salt and pepper to taste
Brown rice

Place chicken breast (whole) in bottom of crock-pot with 1/4 cup water. Then place all ingredients on top of chicken. Stir to mix everything while keeping mixture on top of chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours take a fork and shred chicken while in crock-pot (it should shred very easy).

Place 1 to 1/2 a cup of brown rice in a bowl and top with 1 cup of chicken mixture--then top with cheese (i use weight watchers cheese). TA-DA. So delish and your house will smell yummy too!

Fried Rice

Fried Rice 

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce


On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated! **You could really play around with this rice too! Try adding some diced ham, or green onion :) Yum!

Chickpeas and Tofu with Rice

Chick Peas and Tofu with Rice
Amy - amylz

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch cayenne
1 package tofu, cut into cubes
1 16oz. Can undrained chickpeas
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 pinch salt, or more to taste
Cooked Rice of choice

Saute the onion and garlic until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric, pepper, salt and cayenne.  Add the cubed tofu and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly.  Add the chickpeas with liquid and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until thoroughly heated.  Add salt to taste. Serve over rice.  I prefer brown rice but Coconut Basmati rice is a great choice too!

Rice Pilaf with Arugula and Pistachios

Rice Pilaf with Arugula and Pistachios
teamgulley via cookinglight.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped shallots (about 5 shallots)
1 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice
3 cups canned vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups trimmed arugula (about 4 ounces)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in the rice, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the broth, wine, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in arugula and pistachios.

Smokey Blue Cheese Risotto with Almonds and Pear Sauce

Smokey Blue Cheese Risotto with Almonds and Pear Sauce

(source: unknown)

In a medium sized sauce pan, heat approximately 3 cups ofvegetable broth* with a pinch of saffron to just under a simmer. Keep this nice and warm, not boiling, on a back burner.

In a second pan, prepare your pear sauce. over medium heat add:

• three peeled, sliced and cored pears [or one can of pears in juice, drained, reserving liquid]
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of pear juice or wine or water

Simmer over medium heat while preparing your risotto, approximatley 30 minutes. Mash your fruit to small sized chunks, or blend to make smooth.

In your designated risotto pan [wow, you're going to have three pans going at once! Good job, now you're cooking!], heat on medium:

• 1 Tbs of olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter

Add to risotto pan and saute:

• 3/4 of a small onion, diced
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt

When your onion is translucent [I actually like to take mine to golden around the edges], add to the saute pan:

• 1 1/2 cups of arborio rice
• 1 Tbs butter

and bring heat up to med high, stiring your rice almost constantly, for approximately 1-2minutes, not allowing the rice to color.

Now, procede to make your risotto in the traditional style:

• add to your sauted rice a good splash of white wine, stiring constantly. [I used headbutt's Vintners Reserve throughout the cooking of this dish and enjoyed it.]
• add one ladle of your warm, backburnered broth, at a time, stirring almost constantly
• when the broth has been absorbed by the rice mixture, add another ladle of broth
• continue ladling and stiring until the rice is just cooked all the way through, approximately 20-25 minutes
• I like my last liquid addition to be wine rather than broth, so add a splash here at the end

Turn off the heat and stir in to your risotto:

• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/3 lb of blue cheese, crumbled [I used a variety calledFourme D' Ambert]
• about 3 Tbs grated parmigiano reggiano
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup smoked roasted almonds, bashed a bit into chunks [roasted hazelnuts work very well too]

Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Plate risotto, splash a wave of the pear sauce over the top and sprinkle with any leftover nut bits you may have.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

Via bunsinmyoven.com (and Pinterest)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, grated (I used my food processor but a cheese grater would work well, too)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste
• splash of milk, as needed

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn golden.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover.
4. Cook, covered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from the heat and add the butter, grated zucchini, cheddar, and garlic powder. Stir until well incorporated. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Stir again and add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of milk if you'd like to thin out the texture a little bit.

Rice Cooker "Risotto"

Rice Cooker “Risotto”
lvlupfood.com
JDTMamma

1 1/2 cups long grain rice
1 cup water
2 cups chicken broth
bay leaf
sage
poultry seasoning
salt and pepper
1 browned chicken breast
1/4 cup cream or half and half
4 TBS Parmesan

Add rice, water and brother to rice cooker bowl. Add seasonings to taste. Place lid on rice cooker and turn on. After ten minutes add chicken and stir, re-cover. When almost all the liquid is absorbed add cream or half and half and Parmesan. Top with extra Parmesan if desired, re-cover. Once rice cooker switches to warm mode let sit for five minutes. Serve.

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf

Baked Garlic Rice Pilaf (fact:bearseatbeats)

via http://annies-eats.com/2009/09/23/garlic-rice-pilaf/

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup long-grain white rice
2½ cups chicken broth, divided
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Have ready a covered casserole dish. In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, the salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1½ cups chicken broth and bake, covered, for another 45 minutes. About 15 minutes before it is finished baking, stir in a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Note: This recipe can be doubled without increasing the baking time.

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole
(jtwinzz)
1 C. Lentils
1 C. Brown Rice
4 C. low salt chicken broth OR water
1/2 t. salt (omit if using broth)
2 T. butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 C. celery, chopped
1/2 to 1 whole bell pepper, chopped (to taste)
1 large carrot grated
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
14 oz can diced tomatoes
Optional -- 1 cup diced veggie you like (zucchini, broccoli...)

1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese

Bring broth or water and salt to a boil and add lentils and brown rice. Return to a boil, cover and simmer for 50 minutes - do not stir or lift lid. Meanwhile, melt butter in a frying pan and saute onion, celery, pepper, carrot, any other desired veggie and mushrooms till soft. Stir in the tomatoes and heat through. When rice and lentils are done, stir well, then combine with the veggies. Stir in the cheese.
You may serve just like this, but to make a prettier presentation, spread it in a baking dish, top with bread crumbs and a sprinkle of cheese and put under the broiler till bread crumbs brown.

Spicy Fried Rice with Chorizo

The-Skipper-bunch · Pass a Note!
Posted 06/22/2011

Spicy fried rice with chorizo: I forgot to review this when we had it. I grilled the chorizo while I was cooking the bacon. I also added 1Tbsp more of water to the sriracha mix to tone the spicy down a bit. I also added diced red bell pepper with the onions. It gave it a nice flavor. It wasn't an overwhelming spicy which I liked. The kids at it no problems. I don't remebr where I got this recipe, sorry.

Spicy Fried Rice with Chorizo
Summer aka The Skipper Bunch

2-3c leftover cooked rice
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 pieces bacon chopped
1 sm onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, chopped
2 lrg chorizo sausages, cooked and chopped
2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce or other hot sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp sesame oil
3 eggs, beaten
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

-----In a med bowl, mix rice with butter; set aside. In a small bowl, mix sriracja sauce, sugar and hot water, till sugar is dissolved; set aside. In a large skillet over med-high heat, fry bacon until brown and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towel. Drain all but 2 Tbsp of bacon grease from skillet. Add onions and cook 5 min, or till softened. Add garlic and half os scallions, saite 1 min. Add rice to pan and pour sriracha mix over to, mix well. Stir fry 3-5 min or until rice starts to brown. Push rice mix over to side of skillet, add eggs and cook 2-3 min, stir often. Stir in bacon and chorizo; cook until meat is warmed. Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil and remaining scallions. Serve.

Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Spinach

Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Spinach
~*~Sandy~*~

2 T unsalted butter or margarine
1 onion, finely diced (or 2 T dehydrated minced onion)
2/3 cup raw rice
1/2 cup orzo
3 cups water (or one can broth plus water to equal 3 cups)
1 tsp dry onion soup mix, or more to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
10 oz pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed out
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

In medium saucepan, melt butter. Add the onion, rice and orzo. Sauté, stirring often until toasty golden (not brown). Slowly add water to the rice-orzo combination, it will sizzle. Add the onion soup mix, salt, and garlic powder. Cover tightly and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the thawed spinach and heat through. Add Parmesan before serving.

· I did use a whole onion, and did 1 cup chicken broth with 2 cups water. I bumped up the dry onion soup mix to 1 tablespoon and used fresh spinach that I sauteed in olive oil and garlic prior to adding.

·

Maque Choux with Chicken and Turkey Kielbasa

Light(er) Cook’s Illustrated Maque Choux with Chicken and Turkey Kielbasa
Serves 4 to 6
Adapted (again) from Cook's Illustrated Best 30-Minute Recipe.

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 ounces turkey kielbasa
1 onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped medium
1 pound frozen corn, thawed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

CI HINT: "Chop the kielbasa, onion, and pepper while the chicken browns. Blend the corn while the vegetables cook."

1) Pat chicken dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat "until just smoking." Cook chicken about 2 or 3 minutes per side, until browned. Place on a plate and set aside for juices to redistribute

2) In the same pot, add remaining oil and heat over medium-high. Add kielbasa, onion, bell pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook around 8 minutes, or until kielbasa is fairly browned.

3) While kielbasa browns, combine half the corn and all of the broth in a blender. Puree until smooth.

4) Add garlic and thyme into pot. Cook about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Pour in corn mixture. Add chicken and any juices on plate. "Cover and cook until thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes."

5) After chicken is done, remove it with tongs and place on a plate. Add other half of corn to pot. Jack heat up to medium-high and cook another 2 or 3 minutes, until corn is warmed.

6) While corn is warming, use two forks to shred chicken as best you can. Kill the heat on the stovetop. Add shredded chicken and parsley to pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice and lots of sauce

Approximate Calories, Fat and Price per Serving
6 1-cup servings: 290 calories, 8 g fat, $0.90
4 1-1/2 cup servings: 435 calories, 12 g fat, $1.35