spanish rice

I love Spanish rice.  I really do.  Before today when I made up my own recipe for it, I've NEVER had good luck making it myself.  Either the rice is still a bit crunchy while everything is finished, or the rice won't absorb all the liquid and everything is soupy... really, I could continue.  This recipe worked perfectly and I loved everything about it.  It is fluffy, flavorful, sweet, savory, and spicy-ish.  Heaven.  I just ate this rice with some black beans, but it also worked perfectly in Jeff's burrito (which he inhaled before I could get a photo).

I've been doing really well lately eating healthy balanced small portioned meals.  That mostly went out the window at dinner tonight.   This rice turned out even better than I'd hoped and I HAD to have seconds.  I'm really glad this recipe makes quite a lot because I'm already looking forward to having this for lunch tomorrow...

I started off (not pictured) making my rice in a rice cooker.  While that started I added my chopped onion and garlic into a pot of heated vegetable oil one medium low heat.  Stir to avoid burning.  Add a pinch of sea salt and give the onions a bit of time to turn opaque.

Add the chicken broth and the chopped tomatoes.

I used mostly sun gold tomatoes.  I love their bright golden color and sweetness.

Next add the tomato paste, salsa, and seasonings.  Mix well.  By this time the rice should be ready.  Add it in.  If the rice isn't ready yet, just take the pot off the heat and wait for it.

Mix in the corn and the diced green chilies.

Lastly add the can of petite diced tomatoes.

Mix everything together well and taste.  When the seasonings are to your liking and all the broth has been absorbed, you are done!  It should be hot and fluffy.  And probably make you realize that you're starving.  Or is that just me?

I'm one of those people who only needs to make small meals.  Two adults, a toddler who barely eats, and a baby don't need much.  And yet I continually make enough food to feed an army at every meal.  Good thing we all like leftovers.  :)  This rice is versatile though.  Side dish, burrito, paella... those are a few of my favorite ways to use extra rice.  Got any new ideas?

This recipe is great for parties or large groups (or if you love leftovers) because it makes a large pot full.  I like it with black beans, Jeff likes burritos.  Jack is a huge fan and will grab all the rice he can reach and shove it in his face.  This 9 month old likes his spices!

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spanish rice

by Liesl August-14-2014

Flavorful soft rice full of veggie goodness.

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice, uncooked
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 12 oz chicken broth
• 1 cup small tomatoes (like sun gold), sliced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup salsa (I used medium Pace)
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2/3 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
• 4 oz can diced green chilies
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes

Instructions

1. Grab a rice cooker and pour into it 2 cups each of white rice and water. Turn it on and cook. 2. Once the rice has started cooking peel 1/2 a yellow onion and 3 garlic cloves and cook them in a pot on medium low with the vegetable oil and salt. Stir them to avoid burning and allow the onions to turn opaque. Add in the sliced tomatoes and broth. Give the tomatoes several minutes to soften.3. Stir in the tomato paste, salsa, and the remaining seasonings. At this point add in the rice. If it not ready yet take the pot off the heat and wait for the rice to be ready. Lastly, stir in the green chilies, corn, and diced tomatoes.4. Once all the ingredients have been added stir the rice around to be sure everything is well mixed. The rice is ready when it is soft and fluffy, and there is no extra liquid in the pot. Enjoy hot and refrigerate the leftovers.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 8-12 servings

10 minute chili

This chili is my go-to meal when I've gotten distracted and forgotten to make dinner, when I'm short on time, or when I really need to go to the grocery store and all I have available is canned and frozen goods.

It really does take only 10 minutes.  That time even includes opening the cans.  It's that easy.  And Good too.  I could easily eat this all the time.  If I have extra time I'll make some corn muffins to go with it, but they aren't necessary.

Not only does this chili taste great, but it is full of protein.  Everything in this chili is a pantry staple of mine.  If I have extra fresh veggies on hand at the time I'll add those in too.  I love adding diced red bell peppers especially.  Plus, this chili works great as leftovers.  It refrigerates really well.

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10 minute chili

by Liesl July-31-2014

My favorite speedy dinner.

Ingredients

• two 15 oz cans pinto beans
• two 15 oz cans black beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
• 4 oz can diced green chilis
• 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the pinto beans and one can of black beans. Add the rinsed beans and the last can of black beans into a large pot. Add the corn and the seasonings and cook on medium high until well heated all the way through. Enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 3 mins Cook time: 7 mins Total time: 10 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

black bean croquettes

Jeff thinks he's hilarious because he calls these "black bean balls", and being a guy, the word "balls" is sooo funny.  Guys are dorks.  I think that croquette is kind of a stuffy sounding word, but it really is better than "balls".

This is one of those foods that even people like my mom who will try most foods at least once had to be forced to try.  For some reason people don't always see these as appetizing.  I don't know why, they look perfectly innocent to me.  Just give them a chance.  The croquettes are basically a tortilla-less burrito.  Who doesn't love burritos?

This recipe fits into my favorite category.
Meals that simultaneously:
1.  taste great
2.  are fairly healthy
3.  all or most of the ingredients are already in my fridge/ pantry
4.  a good source of protein
5.  easy to make and eat

Yeah, anything that fits all five points has got to be worth a shot, right?

The croquettes are great to bring to a party because you can eat them hot or room temperature, and you can eat them with your hands.  Also, you can prep them ahead of time, then ball them up and bake them quickly for an easy weeknight dinner.  These can be an appetizer or a side dish, but we usually have this by itself for dinner.  They're hard to stop eating!

It looks kind of random, I know, to use tupperware to mash food in, but this works best because of the flat bottom.  Mashing food in a bowl with sloped sides is ridiculous.  Sometimes I mash the beans and corn thoroughly and sometimes I leave small evenly sized chunks.

Oil, breadcrumbs, and salt.  Stir these together with a fork.  I like Progressive breadcrumbs because they are already seasoned.

Add the breadcrumbs and salsa.

The breadcrumb mixture should be like wet, course sand.

Form into balls.  These can be any size you want.  They are easiest to eat when they are small, because you can pop the whole thing into your mouth.  If you get lazy, that's ok.  You can make bigger balls, which is much quicker.

Pull out of the oven when the croquettes are golden, but not too crispy.

ingredients:
2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
1 C corn kernels
1/4 C plus 1/2 C breadcrumbs, divided
1/3 C salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp olive oil

directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2.  Mash black beans in a large bowl until chunky and no whole beans remain, if you are having trouble with this heat the beans for 30 seconds in the microwave.  The heat will soften them and make them easier to mash.
3.  Stir in cumin, garlic, corn, 1/4 C of breadcrumbs, and 1/3 C salsa.
4.  In a small bowl combine the remaining 1/2 C of breadcrumbs, the salt, chili powder, and olive oil.
5.  Roll the bean mixture into balls (I made 15), the size is up to you, I aim for a four bite ball.
6.  Lightly press bean balls into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat.   If you make the balls fairly small you might have to make more of the breadcrumb and oil mixture.  Place the balls on the prepped baking sheet.
7.  Bake the croquettes until heated through and the tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature with salsa for dipping.

black bean soup

First things first.  I am very much a soup person.  Soup is just so versatile!  You can make thousands of versions of just black bean soup alone.  I am a huge fan of soups where you dump whatever you have in your kitchen into a pot.  Nothing is easier, and somehow ALWAYS delicious.  I'm pretty sure I've only made soup once or twice in my life that I didn't really care for.  And that says a lot given my sometimes wild experimentation.  This particular soup can be pureed ( as I did) or not, if you instead dice your veggies.  It just depends on your mood.  I just find pureed soup lends itself much easier to having bread dipped in it.  Yum.  I used the bread from the previous post.

Cut up your veggies and place them in an oven safe bowl.  Roast them in the oven for 45 minutes, until they are tender but not browned.

Add all your ingredients into your pot and cook until everything has softened, and your kitchen smells heavenly.  Use a blender or immersion blender to puree your soup.  Simmer a bit longer if you like your soup thicker.  It will also thicken more when eaten as leftovers.

I'm still trying to figure out the color filters on the food setting of my camera, so bear with me.  The color in these pictures is not true.  They are both a bit too bright.


ingredients:
1 yellow onion, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 C tomato slices
2 carrots, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz. carton chicken broth (or substitute veggie broth)
2 cans black beans
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tsp cornstarch (optional)
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Chop the veggies and place them in a oven safe dish tossed with the olive oil.  Roast for 45 minutes.
2. If pureeing, place all ingredients in blender, and blend, or use an immersion blender.  Otherwise dump everything into a pot.  Heat on medium until hot.  If you prefer thicker soup add a little cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup water, and combine into the soup.  Serves 4-6.