Easy Fried Rice

I know I have mentioned this before, but growing up, my very few experiences with restaurant food was almost entirely relegated to Asian take out.  What can I say, my Dad hasn't met an egg roll he didn't like.  Fried rice was always a staple of our order and it always seemed like a real crowd-pleaser.  I have just realized that I imagine Chinese restaurants are very happy when people order fried rice.  Why, you ask?  Because it's best made with LEFTOVER rice!  What a great way to cut down on product waste!  That said, it's a delicious use of leftovers and so unbelievably simple to recreate at home, it makes me think twice about ordering it in a little paper box again.  

Easy Fried Rice

(makes two large meal sized portions or four sides)
2 cups leftover cold cooked rice
3 eggs
cooking spray
salt and pepper
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup pea pods (optional)
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1-2+ tablespoons light soy sauce
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup bean sprouts (optional)
3 green onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1/2 cup leftover cooked meat of your choosing, cut into bite-sized pieces *see note*
 
Lightly beat the eggs and scramble with salt and pepper in a wok or large frying pan coated with cooking spray.  Once eggs are scrambled, break up into bite-sized chunks (if they aren't already), remove from pan and set aside.  Return pan to stove and over high heat, add diced carrots and pea pods (if using) and 1/3 cup water.  Boil vegetables uncovered until water evaporates and vegetable are crisp-tender (watch closely so they don't burn, the water will be gone quickly).  Remove from pan and set aside with the eggs.   Return the pan to high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and sesame oil so you have a decent film over the bottom of the pan.  Add the rice and stir fry for a couple minutes, stirring frequently to break up any chunks of rice.  Once rice is heated through, add soy sauce to taste.  Return eggs and vegetables to rice mixture.  Add frozen (the heat of the rice will thaw them quickly) peas, bean sprouts (if using) and any diced, cooked, meat desired to the pan and cook an additional minute, stirring frequently, until mixture is heated through.  Serve immediately, chopsticks optional. 

*Note: If you like meat in your fried rice you have a lot of potential options.  I used leftover chicken from a chicken and broccoli stir fry I had made the night before but pork chops basted with hoisin sauce is a really delicious addition and brings back happy memories of when my mom would make "Young Jewel Fried Rice" from the LeeAnn Chin Chinese Cookbook--was that just a Minnesota think?).  Really, just about anything works--you could even use leftover Thanksgiving turkey (I have done it and it turns out great!).

*You could even make fried rice from leftover restaurant take out (if you have any left--we always seem to have leftover white rice that starts to petrify in its little paper box).  And, you can use some remaining meat from an entree to turn your fried rice from side to main dish.  

A Taste of South Africa: Bobotie

If you were ever in a recipe rut, this is the dish for you!  Bobotie is a savory and sweet, traditional South African dish made of curry-spiced ground meat (or "mince" as they call it) covered with an egg-based topping served with rice and mango chutney.  Don't be intimidated, it's incredibly easy.  The flavors and texture are complex and addictive.  To be honest, I was not a fan of curry flavors and still am picky when it comes to ground meat dishes, but I fell in love both when used in this dish!

We were introduced to Bobotie in Switzerland, of all places.  Five years ago, we traveled to gorgeous Switzerland (and lovely, romantic, Italy...it was a fantastic trip for this European History major...) for a seminary class for my husband (you think I would've let him go alone? No way!).  Our host family was from South Africa and they showed us an incredible example of hospitality.  They welcomed us into their home and family for the week, left chocolates on our pillows, taught us about rugby, shared incredible stories of daring escapes from wild animals, introduced us to Settlers of Catan, opened my eyes to the gloriousness that is Rooibos tea, shared with us some divine-tasting Amarula Cream liquor over ice cream and gave us our first taste of Bobotie.  Clearly, they made an impression.  I carried the recipe home with me in my suitcase and have replicated it many times since.  As a nod of thanks to a family that taught me so much about caring for others, I wanted to pass on this recipe and hopefully, create some more Bobotie-lovers in this world!  

Bobotie
2 slices white bread
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
2 pounds ground meat (ground beef and or lamb is traditional, I used 1/2 ground been and 1/2 turkey breast)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons jarred mango chutney (or apricot jam plus 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
juice from half a lemon
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
two eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
4 bay leaves (or lemon leaves, if you have access to such things, which in that case you can omit the lemon zest!)
jarred mango chutney (or apricot jam) for serving
toasted sliced or slivered almonds for garnish (optional)
hot cooked rice for serving

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a small bowl, pour milk over slices of bread and allow to soak until needed.   
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute, stirring frequently until softened, about 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute just until fragrant (about one minute).  Add in ground meat and brown, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat so it is crumbled.  When meat is fully browned, drain any grease (if necessary) and stir in curry powder, turmeric, salt and pepper.  Squeeze milk out of bread, reserving milk and crumble bread into meat, stirring to combine.  When fully mixed, stir in chutney (or jam), lemon juice and raisins and almonds (if using).  Spread ground meat mixture into a lightly greased baking dish. 
Beat eggs and add to milk.  Stir in lemon rind and mix thoroughly.  Pour custard mixture over top of meat mixture.  Stick bay leaves into top.  Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes or until custard is set.  Serve over hot cooked rice and garnish with almonds and extra chutney to taste.
 

 

Indonesian Peanut Chicken

When my first son was born, some friends of ours were very kind and brought us a really delicious dinner, Indonesian Peanut Chicken.  We were very impressed and I told them I must have the recipe.  Little did I know, I already had it in my Betty Crocker cookbook!  Now, my extremely weathered cookbook falls open to the page with this recipe on it.  I have modified the recipe a bit and in doing so, shortened the cook time (always a plus in my book!).  The other night, we served the exotic peanut chicken over rice noodles, but usually eat it with rice.  However you do it, it's a fast family-pleaser.  Serve it with a steamed green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, peapods) and call it a day!


 Indonesian Peanut Chicken 
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 med.)
1 chopped red bell pepper, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 chopped peanuts
hot cooked brown or white rice (or rice noodles as pictured)
Note: can substitute 1/4 cup chili sauce for ketchup and spices cinnamon through cayenne (usually found in condiment aisle by ketchup).

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  In large skillet over medium high heat, brown chicken in oil until cooked through.  Remove from skillet.  Add onions and bell pepper until tender.  Stir in peanut butter, ketchup and spices.  Gradually add chicken broth, stirring, until peanut butter is melted.  Add chicken back into pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, until chicken is heated through and sauce begins to thicken.  Serve over rice and sprinkle peanuts and fresh red pepper over top for garnish.

Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

Since we're taking a trip down culinary memory lane, I thought the next post should pay homage to my Minnesota roots.  Wild rice is a proud Minnesota ingredient and I love the nutty taste and chewy texture.  If we're sticking with the Minnesota theme, the next logical jump would mean to assume the recipe would be a casserole (or a "hot dish," you may hear it called) and no "hot dish" would be complete without at least two canned of condensed cream of .... (fill in the blank) soup!  All kidding aside, this is definitely a comforting dish that is perfect for the changing weather (and Minnesotans know comfort food--what else is there to do during the looonnnggg winters???).  
 
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
1/2 - 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Montreal steak seasoning or salt and pepper
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup wild rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
optional goodies, see notes

Bake chicken seasoned with steak seasoning or salt and pepper at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear.  Remove from oven and shred chicken into bite sized pieces.  While chicken is cooking, in a medium pot combine rices, butter and bouillon.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender (about 40 minutes).  Or use a rice cooker and set it and forget it! : )
Once rice is cooked through, remove from heat and fluff with fork and allow to stand uncovered to cool a bit.  In a large bowl, thoroughly combine soups, mayonnaise and sour cream.  Add rice and chicken and any optional goodies.  Stir in cheese.  Pour rice mixture into a greased 9x13 pan (or split into two 8x8's for two smaller meals--one for later or to share with a friend!).  Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until rice is heated through and bubbling.  Top with a sprinkle of more Parmesan cheese for garnish.

Notes: You can substitute two boxed wild rice blend mixes (Rice a Roni or another brand) for the rice and bouillon.  Just prepare according to package directions.  For the picture, I used 1 cup of an unseasoned mix from Trader Joe's (includes parboiled brown rice, black barley and radish seeds) and 1/2 cup of wild rice.

Also, there are lots of really delicious stir in possibilities for this recipe (i.e. "goodies").  Some suggestions, sliced mushrooms, artichoke hearts, diced pimento, canned green beans (rinsed and drained), sliced almonds are just a few...feel free to add and experiment! 

Spinach "Souffle" and Riso Verde

I realized I still had leftover egg whites from the most recent banana cream pie I had made.  If I had been smart and 1) combined the leftover egg whites from all my pie-making escapades last week and 2) had been careful to make sure I didn't get any yolk in one of the batches of egg whites (egg whites won't stiffen up if there's even a smidge of fat--i.e. egg yolk--in them) I would have made an angel food cake.  I adore angel food cake...
That said, with the original egg whites, we just had some very healthy scrambles last week and with the three most recent egg whites, I thought I would try and do a quick, healthy version of Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle.  If I had had more time, I probably would have made the riso verde (see recipe and notes below), but I think this was a pretty good (and guilt-free!) substitute!


Spinach Souffle
(makes about 2 servings, feel free to double all the ingredients except for the egg whites--up that to four--to make a bigger batch)

6 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and extra water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons half and half
1/4 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
cooking spray
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine spinach, seasonings, half and half and shredded cheese.  Fold in egg whites and transfer mixture to small baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until souffle is browned and no longer "jiggly."
(or, if you're in an even bigger hurry, microwave on high for 2 minutes and then finish off in the oven for about 5 more)

The inspiration for the above recipe was this Riso Verde.  I think the original recipe came from one of my mom's friends.  I loved this as a kid and have recreated it many times since then.  It's very rich and has a lot of room for nutritional improvement (I have experimented quite a bit by reducing the amounts of butter and cheese), but this is pretty close to it's indulgent glory.

Riso Verde (Green Rice)  Serves 6-8

1 8 oz. package frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained (can substitute broccoli, if preferred)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cups cooked white rice, cooled
4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded Swiss or Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 eggs, separated

Beat egg whites until stiff.  In a separate bowl, stir together egg yolks, cheeses, seasonings, onions and spinach.  Add rice and stir until well-combined.  Fold in egg whites just until combined.  Pour into greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and top is lightly browned.

Sushi Roll Salad

For those of us who love a good California Roll, here's all the components mixed up in a delicious, summery salad. This is one of our favorite recipes. It's adapted from one of my most beloved cookbooks, "The Best of Cooking Light." We just finished a big batch of this and I'm already thinking it's time to make some more. Yummy!
Sushi Roll Salad

2 cups uncooked sushi rice (or can substitute a short grain variety)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Dressing:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 -3/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi (Japanese horseradish), optional

Other ingredients:
1 cup cucumber, julienne-cut
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 8oz package flake-style imitation crab
1 small avocado, diced
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
sheets of toasted nori (seaweed), cut into strips

Directions:
Combine , salt and rice in a medium sauce pan or rice cooker. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until all the water is absorbed and rice is tender (about 20 minutes).

Once rice is cooked through, remove cover and allow to cool to room temperature. You can speed this process by spreading it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet.

While rice is cooking, prepare dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients in the bowl you will be serving the salad in. Stir in rice, cucumber, onion and crab. Toss to combine. Sprinkle evenly (or dish into individual bowls) with the avocado, sesame seeds and nori to garnish.

Notes: you can also substitute imitation lobster for the crab. Black sesame seeds are especially pretty in this salad but somewhat harder to find. Currently, Trader Joe's has a toasted seaweed snack package for $.99 that is perfect for the strips of nori, but you can also find it in the Asian section of any major grocery store. Wasabi can be found in paste or powdered form (aslo in the Asian section of the grocery store). If you find the powdered form, mix desired amount with water to form a paste. Allow to sit a few minutes to allow flavors to develop, then stir into dressing. Finally, for a "Spicy California Roll," stir together 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise and desired amount of Sriacha (or other Asian style spicy chili garlic sauce) and add to dressing mixture.

Who Knew Rice and Beans Could Be This Good?

Having celebrated Easter not too long ago, we were on a serious ham kick (actually it was awhile ago, but with how quickly time seems to be flying maybe it just seems like it was a recent event). I was snagging them for under a dollar a pound and our poor house church was being subjected to every kind of ham dish under the sun. They’re such good sports. I am loathe to let a good ham bone or turkey carcass go to waste, and boiling the ham bone to make pinto beans is my most recent favorite application (for making turkey stock, my Minnesota roots demand to make Turkey Wild Rice Soup, but that is another post for another day…).

Pinto Bean and Brown Rice Bowls
1 ham bone
1 medium onion, quartered
1 pound bag dried pinto beans, washed and sorted
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons minced garlic, (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste, add just before serving

For serving:

hot, cooked brown rice
cilantro, chopped
shredded cheese
salsa
sour cream

Directions: In a large pot of water, boil ham bone and quartered onion for several hours until all the meat falls off of the bone. Strain through cheesecloth (or paper towels work pretty well too!) in a strainer into a large bowl or another pot. You can also pick through the meat and add any back to the broth, if you like. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off any fat that has solidified at the top. Now, you have ham broth!

**you can also use chicken broth or water and a couple boullion cubes and skip this step**

For Beans: Wash and sort beans to remove any foreign debris. Soak beans according to package directions (I prefer the “fast” method of bringing beans and water to a boil, boil for one minute and then remove from heat and let soak while covered for an hour, although you can ). Drain water and rinse several times until water is clear. This will remove a lot of the “hard to digest” compounds.

In a large pot, combine broth, soaked beans, thyme and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender (about an hour). Once beans are cooked through, add salt and pepper and adjust any other seasonings (garlic powder, cumin, etc.). Occasionally, I’ll add some chili powder to taste as well.

To serve:
In a bowl, layer cooked brown rice, pinto beans and desired toppings.

Topping ideas: shredded cheese, salsa, diced avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Other ideas for the beans (since they make a large pot and there’s only so many rice and bean bowls you can eat in a week–no matter how tasty they may be! : ):
use as a topping for nachos
filling for burritos
in chili
put in a gallon ziploc bag, lay flat and freeze

A speedy tip: Just use a can of pinto or black beans. Stir in a teaspoon of cumin, a half teaspoon of garlic powder and a squeeze of lime juice. Heat and serve over rice and top as you wish!