Asian Style Fried Rice and Beans

I was visiting with some friends recently that are from Louisiana.  A place I've dreamed of going, but haven't had the chance to get there yet.  Bucket list!

Inevitably when the conversation turns to food there is a lot of talk about Red Bean and Rice.  I mean a LOT.  A symbol of Creole cuisine and thought of as major comfort food.  It uses simple ingredients that may even be leftover from a previous meal.

So why not make a variation of this comfort food displaying the comforts of a different global cuisine.  Let's take this to Asia.  Fried Rice is a popular and common dish.  So why not jazz it up, add some beans, and create another comfort dish sensation.  PLUS...let's use leftover rice.

Do you ever make leftovers?  Rice is a great dish to make a little extra.  It keeps well, you can freeze it, and you use it in so many other dishes from soup to salads, to stir fried rice!

This dish came out so well that everyone loved it.  Second helpings were all around.  There might even have been thirds if you are truely counting.

The pineapple lends some sweetness, the bean protein, and the different sauce ingredients used help make the dish.  There are no eggs in this dish as in the typical one.  The beans are the protein substitute.

It's very easy to whip up and good for you.  Hearty enough for a main course dish.  I hope you enjoy the flavors and a new spin on rice and beans.

Asian Style Fried Rice and Beans

Serves 4

8 ounce can pineapple slices

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

2 medium of carrots, thinly sliced on the bias

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger

2 cups of cooked brown rice or white rice

1 14 ounce can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained

1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

3 tablespoons of reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons of sesame oil

1/3 cup of snipped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 lime, halved

Quarter pineapple slices. In a large skillet heat 2 teaspoons of the oil over medium heat. Add pineapple; cook about 2 -3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. 

Pour the remaining 1 teaspoon oil into the hot skillet. Add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes until tender.  Add garlic and ginger; cook for 30 seconds.

Stir in brown rice, garbanzo beans, and peas. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil. Cook and stir about 4 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the 1/3 cup cilantro. Return pineapple to skillet; heat through.

To serve, squeeze lime over rice. If desired, top with additional cilantro leaves.

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

They say breakfast is the most important meal of they day.

After the body has been at rest it's a good idea to feed it in the morning so you energy to last you to the next meal.  It's simple really.  A good energy laden breakfast will satisfy you and give you the pep you need to feed your brain and muscles until lunch time.

During the week I'm not that great of a breakfast eater.  Toast on the run kind of girl.  So when I came across these wonderful breakfast cookies (yes, I said cookies!) that promised me a healthy start to my day I jumped at the chance to make them.  I mean, who doesn't want to eat a cookie for breakfast?

These are low in fat, contain whole grains, and lots of energy producing ingredients that are perfect for breakfast.  Much better than that muffin you pick up at Starbuck's with your morning coffee...

These are also a great snack.  One you should feel proud to feed your kids, and they're gonna love them too!  And since this makes a big batch you can freeze them.  Just pull them out of the freezer to thaw whenever you crave one.
 

They turned out wonderful.  Moist and chewy with some sweetness.  Do you like trail mix, or energy bars?  Well this is just like that, in a cookie.  And I tell you, they will fill you up.  What a perfect way to avoid those mid-morning cravings and avoid all the extra calories.  Perfect in every way.  

Enjoy!

Banana Oat Breakfast Cookie

Adapted from BHG

Yields: 12 breakfast cookies

1 large banana, mashed (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dried cranberries 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat two cookie sheets with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together banana, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.   Add oats, flour, milk powder, cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir until combined. Stir in dried cranberries.

Using a 1/4-cup measure scoop, drop mounds of dough 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. With a thin metal or small plastic spatula dipped in water, flatten and spread each mound of dough to a 2 3/4-inch round, about 1/2-inch thick. Once baked, each cookie will be about 3-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.

Bake, one sheet at a time, for 13 -14 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months; thaw before serving.

Valentine's Day Breakfast and a Product Review

 February is all about Valentine's Day, and love, chocolate, and hearts!

Why not take some time out this Valentine's Day and make a breakfast that shows you love them.  Making an easy meal such as pancakes goes a long way to show you care.  What is even better is making heart shaped pancakes.  Just a little spin on the traditional by free forming a heart shape when pouring the batter on the griddle.  

If free forming isn't your forte, you could use a mold...or one of those handy squirt bottles for batter.  They all work well and the sentiment will be appreciated.

You can even go modern and make XOXO pancakes.  Too cute!

So let's talk about the batter.  You can use your favorite pancake batter but, I wanted to introduce you to a new product I came across.  I'm sure you've all used an baking mixes before.  There are quite a few different brands out there.  I recently came across one from one of my favorite brands, King Arthur Flour.  I just love their flour (and many other items as well...) because it seems to make my baked items so much more tender than any other.  So I new I had to try it.

King Arthur Flour Buttermilk Pancake and Waffle Mix comes in a 36oz box for $6.95.  here's what they say about it.

Make tender, golden pancakes or waffles with our easy mix. Flavored with a hint of malt for "diner-style" flavor. Just add milk, egg, and butter or oil. See instructions on the box.

WHAT YOU GET

Classic Diner-Style Pancakes and Waffle Mix. 16 oz. package makes 20 large 4" pancakes.

DIETARY INFORMATION

• Kosher.

TEST KITCHEN TIPS

Want to make waffles? Prepare the batter as directed for pancakes, doubling the amount of butter or oil. Bake according to your waffle iron's instruction manual

The pancakes came out light and fluffy with a slightly tangy flavor which is from the buttermilk powder. Tasted just like homemade. I must say this is a superior mix to the old stand by. 

Hope they come out with a whole grain version too!

So remember that you can take a shortcut and make wonderful Valentine's Day pancakes that are quick and easy, tasty, and full of love.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Pancakes

2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Baking Mix (or other brand)
2 eggs
1 cup milk

In a large bowl add the baking mix. Then add the milk and egg and stir until combined.

Preheat a griddle and use either cooking spray or butter to grease the griddle. Pour batter in heart shape and allow to cook over medium heat until small bubbles form on top. Flip over when golden brown and cook another 1-2 minutes until cooked through.

Serve with butter and heated maple syrup.

Valentine's Day Dishes

Love is in the air!

This year Valentine's Day is on a Friday.  Will you celebrate that day, or will you wait for the weekend?  For years we took a trip to Vegas around Valentine's to have a little getaway which was really nice.

This year haven't made definite plans to go away, but we are talking about it.  For Valentine's we'll most likely go out for a nice dinner and come back for a yummy Valentine Dessert.

For those of you who like to serve up some love I wanted to bring you some Valentine's Day ideas for breakfast, dinner, or dessert.  These are all special in my book and would please any recipient, whether a loved friend, child, significant other...or to share with you beloved dog!

And don't forget to share the love with yourself!  You deserve some too...

Filet Mignon with Bearnaise Sauce  (dinner)

Be My Valentine Dessert  (dessert)

Raspberry Balsamic Chicken  (dinner) 

Valentine's Day Cornmeal Cookies  (dessert)

Sweet and Sour Chicken  (dinner) 

Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins  (Breakfast)

"In the Mood" Chocolate Mousse Pie  (dessert)

I'm making more Valentine's Day goodies so stay tuned...

Mother's Butter, Tomato & Onion Sauce

Being a foodie lover I'm also a knowledge junkie.

I confess that I love taking cooking classes.  You may think you know everything, but there is SO MUCH to learn from other chefs.  Even if it is just a technique or a tip that makes something simpler, or just makes things make sense.  It's worth it to always seek to enhance your knowledge about a subject.  

Recently I been taking classes online through Craftsy.  Have you heard of them?  They are wonderful online classes with various subjects, one being cooking.  So browsing the class topics I decided to purchase one by the famed chef Guliano Hazan on Classic Italian Pasta Sauces: Meat and Tomato.  

 (Excuse the messy bowl, I tossed the pasta and sauce in this bowl and should have swapped it out...but I was too impatient and hungry!)

The classes are videos taped in segments that you can watch at your own pace, rerun, and even have discussions with class participants and the chef himself.  I must say it is wonderful!  I learned so much more about making pasta sauces than I never knew before.  


Today I'm sharing the first sauce I made from the class.  It's called Mother's Butter, Tomato & Onion Sauce.  It's just that.  Tomatoes cooked with butter and an onion.  It's cooked down into a fabulous rich sauce that's best served over an egg pasta.  Try looking in the artisan section of the pasta aisle for something like egg fettuccine.  One other item he suggests is that you use San Marzano canned tomatoes (real San Marzano tomatoes) such as a brand like Cento.  Both are easily found in the grocery store, but if you can't find them, substitute with the best that you can find.   Since the ingredients are so few it is important that they be of the best quality to allow the flavors to shine.

This sauce is like comfort heaven!  I hope you try it and let me know how you liked it.  I also hope you check out Craftsy, I think it's a great site.  I can't wait to try one of Peter Reinhart's bread classes next!

Note:  This is not sponsored, I am just sharing my opinion of a site I came across that I think you would like.


MOTHER'S BUTTER, TOMATO & ONION SAUCE
From Hazan Family Favorites by Giuliano Hazan
Serves 4 people

INGREDIENTS
• 3 cups (31 ounces/907 g) canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
• 5 tablespoons (2½ ounces/75 g) butter
• 1¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 medium (6 ounces/ 170 g) sweet yellow onion
• Tagliolini made with 3 eggs and 2¼ cups flour (or 12 ounces dry store-bought narrow noodles)
• 1/3 cup (11/3 ounces/57 g) freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Coarsely chop the canned tomatoes. Trim both ends of the onion, peel it and cut in half lengthwise.

2. Put the tomatoes, butter, onion and salt in a 4 to 5-quart (3.8 to 4.7 L) saucepan and place over medium heat. When the tomatoes begin to bubble, lower the heat to a slow but steady simmer. Cook, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes are no longer watery and the sauce has reduced, 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the sauce is done the butter will have separated from the tomatoes and there should not be any liquid left.

3. When the sauce is ready, fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts (5.67 L) of water, cover, and place over high heat. When the water boils, add 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling pasta water, put in the tagliolini, and stir until all the strands are submerged. Cook until al dente. When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve at once.

Chai Chocolate Pudding

Sometimes we need a little something sweet after dinner.  Do you?

Both MGG and I are ice cream freaks and usually go for a scrumptious ice cream cone.  I think it reminds of of being kids.  I just keeps saying it's portion control...

But last night I was craving chocolate and chai.  I got this craving from a recent trip earlier in the day to my favorite coffee house, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.  Love that place!  I had a wonderful Chai Tea Latte.  Yum Yum...my favorite.  And the fact that they have a "no sugar added" option is tops in my book.  

So I guess I hadn't had my fill of chai flavoring and twirled around with the idea of making us a Chai Hot Chocolate.  Then I spotted a chocolate pudding mix I had just waiting for me to make it.  Bingo...Chai Chocolate Pudding was born. 

Doesn't get much easier than this.  You don't really even need a recipe.  All you do need is some Chai Tea Latte concentrate.  Something like the Oregon Chai or Tazo brand works great.  

Simple, quick, chai pudding.

Love it!

What's your go to sweet after dinner?


Chai Chocolate Pudding

serves 4

1 1/2 cups cold low fat milk
1/2 cup chai liquid drink concentrate (like Oregon chai)
1 package (1.4 ounces) sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Additional whipped topping and mini chocolate chips, optional

In a large bowl, combine the milk, chai concentrate, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Whisk until thoroughly mixed, about 2 minutes. 

Spoon into serving dishes and allow to set about 5 minutes.  Garnish with whipped topping and mini chocolate chips if desired.