Coconut Rice with Broccoli and Fried Edamame

Plain white rice.  It’s a jumping off point for many who have just entered the kitchen.  It’s easy, it’s versatile, but let’s be honest, it’s also pretty boring.  So, how do you make it tastier?  You could go the down dairy drive, adding butter or cheese.  You could stop into sodium station for some soy sauce, Sriracha, or barbeque sauce.  You might even try to sweet talk it with a little brown sugar.  But what through me off my rice rocker was coconut milk.  

 Now, it won’t make your dinner taste like a plate of Mounds or Almond Joy.  Coconut milk isn’t super-sweet, and has only a faint coconut taste.  All the same, coconut milk gives rice a rich, meaty flavor that does not compete with bolder notes.  Although the flavor of the milk is considered mild, it adds a pleasant silkiness.  Add some aromatics like ginger, green onion, and garlic and you are on your way to a fragrant Thai-style curry.  

 This recipe was simple; it only took about 30 minutes.  It was hardly more involved than plain white rice, but with much more flavor.  The nutty, meatiness of the edamame complimented the tart lime, garlicky Sriracha, and hints of ginger that pecked through the smoothness of the meal.  Plain white rice, no more. 

Coconut Rice with Broccoli and Fried Edamame

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil

3-4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 T fresh ginger, grated

1 (15 oz) can coconut milk

¾ cup water

1 tsp salt

2 T lime juice

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice

2 T olive oil

1 cup shelled edamame

1 tsp salt

2-3 cups broccoli, chopped

1 clove garlic, finely diced

1 T lime zest

¼ cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Sriracha (optional)

Instructions:

1.       In a large saucepan, heat 1 T oil over medium heat.  Once hot, add green onions and ginger.  Cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. 

2.       Add coconut milk, water, salt, and lime juice.   Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

3.       Add rice, cover.  Turn heat down to low and simmer until rice is fluffy, about 15-20 minutes.

4.       Meanwhile, in a medium sized frying pan, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat.  Once hot, add edamame, toss with salt.  Fry edamame until golden brown and slightly crispy, about 5-6 minutes. 

5.       Add garlic and broccoli to frying pan, cook for about 3 minutes. 

6.       Add edamame and broccoli mixture to rice (mix well) in the last 5 minutes of cooking to steam broccoli. 

7.       Add lime zest to rice before serving.

8.       Garnish with peanuts and Sriracha, if desired. 

"All Red" Rice and Beans

Red Bull, red carpet, red light, redheads: all things we are attracted to because of their vibrant common color, right?  Some believe our eyes are physically drawn to this color.  Just think of all the companies that incorporate red into their marketing schemes.  There’s always a reason…

 During my last grocery shopping trip, I guess was seeing red.  Out of the paper shopping bags, I pulled a can of tomatoes, a red onion, a red pepper, and a can of red beans.  They say you need to strike a color balance on the dinner plate.  I failed that test– you caught me red handed.  So I called malarkey on this rule for the day and created a tasty, but completely red, dish.  It was a hybrid of Spanish rice with beans and goat cheese for a more filling, warm and creamy meal.  I love the familiar flavors of chili powder, cumin, and sautéed garlic and onions, and the red bell pepper adds a varied texture.  And goat cheese…what is it not good in? For those of us looking for a quick, filling, and cheap meal, this fits the bill well.  There is lots of room for experimentation, as well.   Almost nothing is irreplaceable in this recipe, so don’t sweat it if you’re short a couple ingredients or want to substitute in others.  Follow your stomach!   

“All Red” Rice and Beans

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain Basmati rice

2 cups tomato juice (like V8)

1 chicken bouillon cube

½ cup diced canned tomatoes, drained

1 cup water (add incrementally as needed while rice cooks)

5 T olive oil, divided (3 T/ 2 T)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ cup red onion, finely diced

½ cup red pepper, chopped

1 (15oz) can red kidney beans

1 t salt

Chili powder

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Cilantro, garnish

Instructions:

1.       In a large pot, combine rice, tomato juice, bouillon cube, tomatoes, and 3 T olive oil.  Place over high heat until comes to a boil.

2.       Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

3.       Meanwhile, in a small non-stick pan, add 2 T olive oil, and place over medium heat. 

4.       Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook for 1 min.  Add onions and peppers, cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until onions have become translucent and peppers are soft.

5.       Add onion and pepper mixture, beans, and seasoning to rice about 5 minutes before rice is finished cooking. 

6.       Once rice is done, add goat cheese and gently stir to incorporate.  Garnish with cilantro for a pop of color.

Carrot Risotto

A challenge taken to the next level may qualify as an obsession, but none have enjoyed the fruits of their labor more than hungry college kids. With Arborio rice rounding out to about $3.25 a pound, we have selected the vegetable additions carefully so we do not waste a morsel. But honestly, how often does a risotto go to waste? This time around we chose carrots, inspired by the most recent episode of Iron Chef, Battle Carrot.

Mushroom Risotto is often the first thing people rattle off when asked about risotto. With a rustic combination of wine and mushrooms, it entices even the staunchest opposition. It always has my mouth watering, although I have been disappointed in the grayish color it takes on the plate. Even a garnish couldn’t rescue it from its storm-cloud appearance. It needed a punch of color.

Teeny, vibrant orange chunks of carrot and a carrot puree gave the entire dish a warm, orange hue; specks of fresh parsley added more than just a contrasting color. Caramelized in a fatty mixture of butter and oil, the carrots melted in your mouth like soft, sweetened snowflakes. Shredded Parmesan cheese tightly hugged each piece of risotto rice, even as the broth swam in between. Every heaping spoonful coated my mouth with a creamy cover, carrots giving me a sweet kiss at the end. In just a few bites, you are full. It’s both the beauty and the cruel joke of risotto. It demands you to save some for lunch tomorrow, even if your eyes tell you to gobble it all up now.

Carrot Risotto

Ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil, divide

3 T butter, divided

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped very finely and evenly [about 2-3 cups]

1 t salt

1 t sugar

1 t pepper

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

¼ cup minced onion

1 ½ cup Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

½ cup Parmesan and Asiago Cheeses

2 T butter

3 T fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 T fresh thyme, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 T and 1 T butter over medium heat in medium sized pot.

2. Add carrots and stir until well coated. Add ½ cup water, ½ t salt, and the sugar. Cover and cook 5 min, or until tender.

3. Uncover and cook, until water evaporates and carrots are just starting to brown, stir occasionally.

4. Reserve half the carrots. In a blender, puree the other half with ¾ c hot water.

5. Heat broth in another pot, keep at a simmer.

6. Heat remaining oil and butter over medium heat in same pot used for the carrots.

7. Add onion, cook until translucent, about 3 min.

8. Add rice, coat with butter and oil. Lightly brown.

9. Add wine and cook until wine evaporates, stirring.

10. Add carrot puree and cook until mixture no longer looks soupy, stir constantly.

11. Add ½ cup hot broth, stirring constantly, until rice absorbs most of the liquid. Repeat until rice is al dente [about 20 min; remaining broth: about 1 cup].

12. Fold in reserved carrots, cheeses, butter, parsley and thyme.

13. Add in broth to loosen the risotto. Season with salt and pepper.

Make Your Own Rice-A-Roni: Homemade Asparagus Rice-A-Roni

Usually on the same aisle as Hamburger Helper and other highly processed, low budget foods, Rice-A-Roni has been known to find a home in many college kitchens. When I first tried the stuff out of the box I conceded that, for the price, it seemed like a mildly satisfying college meal. Then I took a gander at the nutrition facts. One box contained nearly my entire daily amount of sodium and would set me back over 600 calories! What had come in such a tiny box would take a large toll.

A challenge arose: could I make it myself and cut down on the bad while increasing the good in my own kitchen? Rice-A-Roni has a nice combo going on – rice AND pasta, both common staple foods, make the dish stretch further for cheaper. Rice-A-Roni has the aisle-side appeal of easy, and on sale, but homemade versions will always allow you more control on taste, texture and other additions. In fact, if you want to give your dish some texture diversity then fry your spaghetti in butter until it is golden brown and crisp, then separate and add at the end to your cooked rice for the perfect contrast between crunchy and fluffy. For variations on flavor you can use beef or chicken broth, add other types of veggies, maybe even some nuts.

My rice-a-roni was delicious, buttery and light – a perfect use of the asparagus that went on sale this week. The asparagus was just fork tender so that it still had a little snap when you took a bite. The vegetable broth is the key for depth of flavor in this dish. I made my own, but feel free to pick up your favorite brand of broth on the soup aisle. Overall, it’s an easy, tasty dish that’s a far cry from bland, boring or boxed.

Homemade Asparagus Rice-A-Roni

Ingredients:

2 T butter, unsalted

1 oz angel hair, broken into ¼ths

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup rice

1 cup vegetable broth

¼ lb asparagus

Instructions:

1. Melt butter in medium sized saucepan over medium heat.

2. Once butter is hot, add in angel hair and fry until golden brown and crispy.

3. Add in onions, cook for about 3 min. Add garlic, cook for another 2 min.

4. Add in rice, cook for about 5 min. Add in vegetable broth, bring to a boil.

5. Cover, cook for about 15 min until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

6. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, boil about 1 cup of water; steam asparagus for about 3-5 min or fork tender.

7. Add asparagus to rice. Dig in!

Makes about 2 large portions.

Your Favorite Jerk: Chicken

Finally a weekend without a white out blizzard! But it’s still the dead of winter. And you know those days where you wake up, look outside and it’s bright sunshine everywhere? It really should have been a warm Friday…all the visible signs said it was about 60 degrees outside. So I pull a t-shirt over my head and put some shorts on, ready to greet the first day of spring weather. When I step outside I am met with a gust of 40 degree wind. Then about midday, clouds cover the sky dropping the temp back down into the 30s. Awesome. So I turn on my heel, put on a sweater and begin preparing a classic summertime dish indoors. The weather cannot dictate my appetite.

The tangy sweet smell of marinade over meat has all the allure of a warm summer night, eating charcoal grilled chicken or beef kabobs over hot rice and tender vegetables. Yes, perhaps I am being unreasonable, hoping that February will yield summer-like temperatures, but we can dream right? Caribbean flavors, that spicy sweetness, came to mind and produced such a strong sensation that I knew what I was having for dinner tonight. Calypso beans and rice is another one of those recipes stolen from my parents’ cookbooks and cooking class recipe series, but it has become a family favorite for a reason. This rice dish is a conglomerate of flavors all at once; not like those fun-boxes of long grain and wild rice you pick up at the store that separates each grain into an awkward individual. In its entirety, the dish is savory with the tomatoes and kidney beans, while the capers, olives, lime juice, cilantro and cayenne pepper give you a jolt of flavor-shock in each bite. The only things I did not add this time were: capers, didn't have any; and bacon, fried up some turkey pepperoni and olive oil instead. It does make a whole ton, so either invite over your favorite bottomless-pit guest or put the leftovers to use. Try it with in a soft tortilla with sour cream and cilantro, crumble tortilla chips and some chopped breaded chicken patty into a steamy bowl of it, or just eat it plain. It is one night of leftovers you won’t regret.

When paired with some Caribbean or Jerk chicken though, Calypso Beans and Rice is extraordinary; and when you can grill the chicken, it’s even better. But all I had thawed was some stew beef. I have made this jerk recipe with chicken and it is excellent, but beef was what’s for dinner. Well, why not give it a try.

Here is why NOT to use stew beef for a Jerk recipe:

1. I didn’t have a grill, so I had to pan fry it. And stew beef cannot just be cooked in 20 minutes. It needs a few hours to become tender. Needless to say, it came out pretty chewy, but thankfully my guest still scarfed it down, accompanied with compliments as he ate.

2. The acidity of the vinegar in the marinade started to cook the beef too early.

3. The flavor of the meat did not lend itself as well to the marinade flavor as chicken did.

Don’t get me wrong, we still ate it all and enjoyed what it offered. But next time we either need to cook the beef far longer or use chicken.

Jerk Marinade

Ingredients:

¼ c onions, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

½ c olive oil

2 T vinegar

2 T brown sugar

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground cayenne pepper

½ t ground nutmeg

½ t dried oregano

½ t ground thyme

½ t dried rosemary

¼ t ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix all together.

2. Pour over meat [i.e.: chicken] in large bowl or plastic bag.

3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Adjust for amount of meat. NOMS: 8

Calypso Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

4 strips bacon

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 medium sized onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ c long grain rice

1 can red kidney beans, drained

1 c beef broth

2 T lime juice

1 c Spanish olives

1 ½ c diced tomatoes, canned

1 T capers

1 T dried basil

1 T dried oregano

1 t allspice

1 t ground cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

¼ c green onions

2 T chopped cilantro

Instructions:

1. Sauté bacon over medium heat in cast iron pot until fat rendered, about 8 min.

2. Add peppers, onions, garlic. Cook over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, about 6 min.

3. Add rice and cook. Stir for about 2 min.

4. Add all remaining ingredients, except green onions and cilantro.

5. Stir, cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 min.

6. Gently combine green onions and cilantro.

7. Serve hot, nom-city.

Makes A TON! About 6 servings NOMS: 9.5