Chicken Curry with Rice and Green Beans

Ingredients: rice, 300 grams green beans, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 200 ml coconut milk, 100 ml chicken stock, 1 chicken breast,

Boil the rice according to the indication on the packaging. Boil 300 grams green beans until al dente. Bake in hot oil 1 finely chopped onion with 1 tablespoon curry powder until the onion is soft. Add 200 ml coconut milk and 100 ml chicken stock and let it boil briefly. Add 1 diced chicken breast and let the chicken breast be cooked in 20 minutes. Serve the chicken curry with the rice and beans. Enjoy!

Rice with Smoked Chicken

Ingredients: rice, 100 grams chorizo, 1 onion, 1 green pepper, 3 stalks celery, thyme, chili seasoning, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, worchester sauce, 1 smoked chicken breast, 300 ml water, cashew nuts

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Bake 100 grams sliced chorizo until crisp. Scoop the chorizo off the pan and keep aside. Remove any fat from the pan. Heat new oil in the pan. Bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green pepper and 3 sliced stalks celery until the onion is glassy. Add thyme, chili seasoning, 3 tablespoons soy sauce and some worchester sauce. Bake this brief. Add the chorizo and 1 diced smoked chicken breast. Pour 300 ml water, lower the heat and let it all simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Add to the last little bit to cashew nuts. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Rice with Sweet Pork

Today sweet pork or in Vietnamese words: thit heo kho kho

Ingredients: rice, 3 spring onions, 700 grams streaky bacon, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons sugar, 750 ml water, 2 tablespoons fish sauce

Boil the rice according pack instructions Bake in hot oil 3 chopped spring onions to soft. Add 700 grams diced streaky bacon and add salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir until the meat is no longer pink. Pour about 750 ml water and bring it briefly to the boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for about an hour. The water should almost be dry. Add to last 2 tablespoons fish sauce and heat for 10 more minutes. Serve the sweet pork with rice and snow peas, for example. Enjoy!

Rice with Beef and Spinach

Ingredients: rice, 300 grams beef strips, 1 leek, 300 grams spinach, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 100 ml stock, 100 grams of cashew nuts,

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 300 grams beef strips brown. Add 1 chopped leek and 300 grams of spinach. Stir fry until the leek is soft. Then add 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 100 ml stock. Heat for about 10 minutes and at last stir in 100 grams cashew nuts. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Rice with Green Beans In Cocos Sauce

Ingredients: rice, 2 shallots, 1 garlic clove, 1 teaspoon chilli jam, shrimp paste, galangal, 250 grams green beans, 250 ml coconut milk, 1 tablespoon soy sauce,

Number of people: 2

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 2 finely chopped shallots, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 teaspoon chilli jam, a little shrimp paste and galangal to taste at medium heat until the shallots are tender. Add 250 grams green beans and stir briefly. Add 250 ml coconut milk and 1 tablespoon soy sauce and let the beans gently cook in about 15 minutes or until done. The coconut milk will thicken an bit. Enjoy!

Rice with Sausages and Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients: rice, 2 sausages, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, chilli jam, 300 grams carrots, 1 yellow pepper, 200 grams peas, 1 tin diced tomatoes (400 ml), 100 ml water, thyme, salt, pepper,

Number of persons: 3

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 2 sliced sausages brown. When the sausages are brown remove it from the pan and keep aside. Bake in the remaining fat 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped garlic clove and 1 teaspoon chilli jam until the onion is soft. Add 300 grams sliced carrots and 1 sliced yellow pepper and stir fry a minute or 5. Add 1 tin diced tomatoes, 200 grams peas, thyme and 100 ml of water. Bring all to boil, put the sausages into the pan and then let it simmer 10 minutes on medium heat. Bring to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Rice with Chicken, Leek and Mushrooms

Ingredients: rice, 1 chicken breast, salt, pepper, curry powder, 1 leek, 250 grams mushrooms, 400 ml coconut milk, 1 cube vegetable stock,

Number of persons: 2

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Season 1 diced chicken breast with curry powder, salt and pepper. Bake the chicken breast brown in hot oil. Add 1 chopped leek and 250 grams sliced mushrooms. Stir fry until the mushrooms are soft. Add 400 ml coconut milk and 1 cube vegetable stock, bring it to the boil and let it simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. If needed season with salt and pepper. Serve it with the rice. Enjoy!

Rice with Carrots and Raisins

Ingredients: rice, 2 pork scallops, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tin tomato puree, 100 grams raisins, 300 ml water,

Number of persons: 3

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 2 sliced pork scallops to golden brown. Put the sliced pork scallops from the pan. Bake in the remaining fat 1 chopped onion and 1 small diced carrot briefly. Bring to taste with 1 tablespoon cumin and 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon. Add 1 tin tomato puree, 100 grams raisins and 300 ml water. Let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Add the last 5 minutes the pork scallops. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Rice with Green Beans and Cashew Nuts

Ingredients: rice, 200 grams green beans, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chilli jam, ginger powder, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 3 spring onions, 75 grams cashew nuts,

Number of persons: 2

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Boil 200 grams green beans al dente. Drain and keep aside. Bake in 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon sambal and ginger powder briefly. Add the green beans and stir fry about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 tablespoon soy sauce and stir fry briefly. Add 3 sliced spring onions and 75 grams cashew nuts. Stir fry about 5 more minutes. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Stir-fried Vegetables with Chicken and Rice

Ingredients: rice, 1 chicken breast, 1 carrot, 1 red pepper, 200 grams snow peas, 100 ml stock, 125 grams beansprouts, 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar,

Number of persons: 3

Boil the rice according to the pack instructions. Bake in hot oil 1 diced chicken breast golden brown. Add 1 diced carrot, 1 sliced red pepper and 200 grams snow peas. Stir fry about 5 minutes, add 100 ml of stock and let the stock cook until almost evaporated. Add 125 grams bean sprouts, 3 tablespoon sweet soy sauce and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Stir for about 5 minutes. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin Sweet & Sour and Rice

Ingredients: rice, 1 pork tenderloin, 1 onion, 1 yellow pepper, ginger powder, 200 ml vegetable stock, 100 ml red wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons honey, 3 spring onions,

Number of persons: 3

Boil the rice according pack instrictions or the way you normally do. Bake in hot oil 1 diced pork tenderloin brown. Add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped yellow pepper and ginger powder to taste. Stir fry about 5 minutes. Add 200 ml vegetable stock, 100 ml red wine vinegar and 4 tablespoons of honey. Bring to the boil briefly and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Add 1 minute before the end 3 sliced spring onions. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Porkcurry with Rice

Ingredients: rice, 2 pork scallops, 1 onion, salt, pepper, 1 tin diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1/2 tablespoon curry, dash of cream, 100 ml water, parsley

Number of persons: 2

Boil the rice according pack instructions or as you’re used to. Bake in hot oil 2 sliced pork scallops with 1 sliced onion rings. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake until the slices pork scallops are brown. Add 1 tin diced tomatoes, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1/2 tablespoon curry. Stir well. Then add a dash of cream and 100 ml water. Let it simmer fot about 20 minutes on low heat. Sprinkle some parsley over it. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Rice Vermicelli with Pork and Red Pepper

Ingredients: (rice vermicelli), 300 grams minced pork, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce, 1 red pepper, 3 spring onions,

Number of persons: 3

Prepare the rice vermicelli according to the pack instructions. Mix 300 grams minced pork with 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce. Leave it for a quarter of an hour. Then bake the minced pork loose in some oil. Add 1 sliced red pepper and 3 sliced spring onions. Stir fry for a minute or 5. Serve with the rice vermicelli. Enjoy!

Chicken Curry and Rice

Ingredients: rice, 1 chicken breast, salt, curry, 1 garlic clove, 1 leek, 250 grams mushrooms, 200 ml coconut milk, pepper,

Number of persons: 2

Boil the rice according pack instructions. Cut 1 chicken breast into cubes and season with salt and curry. Bake the diced chicken breast brown in hot oil. Add 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 chopped leek and 250 grams sliced mushrooms. Stir until the mushrooms have softened. Add 200 ml coconut milk and bring to taste with pepper and curry. Let it boil gently for about 5 minutes. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

RICE PUDDING POONTANG

Pudding & Poontang: My comfort foods.

Rice pudding is comfort food. Comfort = connection. Connection= banging. You can’t argue with sound logic. Granted, rice pudding isn’t as sexy as a chocolate soufflé or crème brule. But it warms the heart and inspires the mind. That is the conclusion I came to when I served this dessert to a date I assumed was a total prude. She was a colder fish than the chilled cocktail shrimp I served as an appetizer. Not even the CHECKENE could get her to flirt back. I was ready to admit defeat (something I rarely do) and show her to the door. But then I broke out the rice pudding I had chilling in the fridge. The ice in my frigid date’s heart and the block of ice between her legs thawed. She made the first move and the second and…let’s just say I felt a little violated after. Good thing I had more rice pudding to comfort me when she left after using me for sex.

Total time: approximately 40 minutes
Projected cost: $6
Drinking Buddy: SMOKKING HOT

Ingredients (serves 2):
1. 2½ cups milk
2. ½ cup raisins
3. ¼ cup brown sugar
4. 1 tbsp HONEY
5. ½ tsp of nutmeg
6. 1 tsp of vanilla extract
7. 1 dash of salt
8. 1 cinnamon stick
9. ½ cup of rice

Step 1
Throw the rice, milk, salt and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer until the rice softens (approx 25 min), stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to bottom.

Step 2
Turn off the heat and add the vanilla, honey, nutmeg, brown sugar. Turn the heat back on and cook until the pudding thickens (approx 10 min). Remove the cinnamon stick and mix in the raisins.

Serve the pudding up in bowls, using the cinnamon stick as a charming accoutrement.

Fried Rice and Baked Wonton Chips

Surprisingly we’d never made fried rice before, so we thought we’d give it a try. We made a vegetarian version of this recipe, omitting the meat. It was decent fried rice, but if we made it again we might try to seek out a different recipe.

Taylor thought the egg was supposed to be scrambled in the rice, rather than before, then removed, cut into pieces, and stirred back in.

Definitely don’t skip the mushrooms, this dish would have been lost without them (though strangely, while I can eat them fine, I can’t stand the smell of them rehydrating.)

We also doubled the sauce (but we tend to do that more often than not).

For the wonton chips – we had some leftover wrappers, and didn’t feel like wasting a quart of oil to fry them. So I cut them into strips, laid them on an oiled baking sheet, and baked them until they got crispy and golden (careful – they go from golden to burnt far too quickly, if anything, err on the side of less-than-golden when you take them out.) Pretty good, not as good as they’d be fried though! But they made for a nice ’scoop’ for the fried rice.

Anyone have a kick-butt recipe for fried rice? This one is more like a nice pat rather than a kick—good but could be so much better.

Fried Rice

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Food Network.

INGREDIENTS
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of kosher salt
4 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced
1/4 cup minced carrot
1 large clove garlic, minced
Pinch red chile flakes
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
3 cups cooked long-grain rice
1 cup cooked meat cut in 1/2-inch cubes, such as pork, ham, beef, or chicken (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted in a strainer at room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Put the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water and soak until re-hydrated, about 20 minutes. Drain, squeeze dry, and cut mushrooms in quarters. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a well-seasoned wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the pan. Pour in the eggs, swirl the pan so the egg forms a large thin pancake. (Lift the edge of the egg to allow any uncooked egg to run to the center.) As soon as the egg has set, turn it out of the pan onto a cutting board. Cool, cut into 1 inch pieces.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining peanut oil over high heat. Add the scallions and carrots and stir-fry for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, chile, and ginger, stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the meat, peas, and reserved egg, cook, stirring until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Feed Us, Day 5: Orange-Chipotle Glazed Tofu with Confetti Rice

Last day of our Feed Us challenge. We actually received a few more tempting recipes, ones that came in after we got back from the grocery store. Stay tuned, we might be doing more of those next week. :)

This was a delicious recipe, submitted by Thaxton. We’re always looking for new tofu recipes, and this one is a keeper. Taylor’s easy, feed him anything with Chipotle and he’ll be happy (he eats the stuff out of a can, weirdo). At first glance, the flavors seem a bit odd – chipotle, orange, and maple syrup? But surprisingly, it works, and it works well.

The rice side dish (hooray for an actual side dish rather than eating a sidedish as the main meal), was also a delicious and beautiful companion to the tofu. Don’t skip out and get a red or green bell pepper, you NEED the orange one to experience the full rainbow of rice that is this dish. Seriously. I’m not joking here. The rice (which we could have halved and still had leftovers) is also delicious the next day.

Orange-Chipotle Glazed Tofu

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Vegetarian Times.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs. rice vinegar or cider vinegar
2 tsp. minced seeded chipotle chile in adobo sauce, drained, plus 2 tsp. adobo sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 14-oz. packages extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 Tbs. vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together orange juice, maple syrup, vinegar, chipotle chile, adobo sauce, and salt in small bowl. Cover, and chill.

Cut each piece of tofu crosswise into 8 slices, each about 1/2-inch thick. Place tofu in large shallow glass dish. Add 1/2 cup orange juice mixture and oil to tofu, and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours, turning from time to time. Reserve remaining orange juice mixture, covered, in refrigerator.

Preheat broiler. Line large baking sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray. Place tofu on prepared baking sheet. Combine marinade and reserved orange juice mixture in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Cook over medium heat 12 to 15 minutes, or until syrupy. Keep warm.

Broil tofu 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until golden, basting occasionally with orange juice mixture. Serve with remaining sauce.

Confetti Rice Salad

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Vegetarian Times.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small orange bell pepper, finely chopped (1 cup)
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large tomato, chopped (11/2 cups)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2/3 cup chopped green onions (1 bunch)
1/4 cup lime juice
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, optional
1/2 avocado, diced, optional

DIRECTIONS
Combine rice, cumin, and 2 cups water in saucepan. Add garlic and salt, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of water is absorbed. Remove from heat, sprinkle bell pepper on top, cover, and cool rice in pan.

Transfer rice to large bowl, and remove garlic clove. Stir in beans, tomato, corn, green onions, lime juice, and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in sunflower seeds and avocado, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

Puerto Rican style stewed chicken and rice recipe

Stewed Chicken and Rice

The cuisine of Puerto Rico resembles that of Latin America and Spain, however the food is a blend of European, African, Taino Indian and American. Puerto Rican food is smoky, colorful and hearty. Many native dishes are stewed for long periods of time, many of which are paired with rice.

Before meeting my husband Pierre, I never knew the flavors of Puerto Rican food. Pierre is Puerto Rican and grew up in Hartford, Connecticut - home to a very large Boricua community. What I never knew is that chicken and rice is a very important part of Puerto Rican cuisine and it’s seen in multiple dishes, including the classic dish, arroz con pollo. On our second date, he made me stewed chicken over rice and I fell in love…with the food. According to him, he just made it up on the spot. Whether it was an impromptu recipe or he spent the whole day memorizing it, I always tell him that I only married him because of this dish. Since that date, I feel that I’ve mastered many Puerto Rican dishes, including his stewed chicken. This dish is a flavorful escape from the ordinary chicken and rice and I encourage you to take your mouth on a journey to beautiful Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican Style Stewed Chicken and Rice

1 ½ lb chicken breast cut into 1” pieces
1 small green pepper, sliced
½ yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 hot pepper, either Anaheim or jalapeno, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne (if the pepper isn’t hot enough for you)
2 8 oz cans Goya tomato sauce
15 oz can black beans, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Yellow Rice

Begin first by preparing your yellow rice as directed on the packaging.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Cook chicken, in batches if necessary, until brown on all sides but not cooked through; about 5 minutes. Once the chicken is brown, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Next, sauté green peppers, onion, garlic and hot pepper until soft; about 5 minutes. More oil may be added if needed. Add spices to the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant; 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce along with 1 can of water to the mixture. Stir the tomato sauce to combine being sure to scrap up any bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken back to the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 25 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the black beans.

Serve stewed chicken over yellow rice. Enjoy!