Mushroom & Peas Pulao

A pulao is an Indian rice pilaf. Honestly, this dish could be a meal in itself. It’s hearty and delicious; a perfect vegetarian dish.

Mushroom and Peas Pulao

2 cups brown or basmati rice, cooked

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

8-10  oz. mushrooms, any kind (I used baby bella crimini)

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

small onion, diced

3-4 garlic cloves, sliced thin or minced

1 green chili, minced (I used jalapeno)1/4 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cardamom (or 1/2 & 1/2 nutmeg-cinnamon)

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste

juice from 1/2 a lime (about 1 T)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook your rice according to package directions. I always prefer to cook rice with chicken broth over water. It adds flavor and a little protein.

2. While the rice is cooking you can get the onions, garlic and jalapeno going in the skillet in 1 T of EVOO over medium heat. While that’s happening you can wash and cut your mushrooms into quarters, or smaller pieces if you prefer.

3. Time to get those spices in the skillet (ginger, cardamom, cloves & chili pepper). Make sure the heat isn’t too high. You want to release all those flavors without burning up your skillet. What you end up with is like a paste so put it your broth now and whisk.

4. Add the mushrooms and peas (if frozen. If fresh, wait until mushrooms are almost done). You’ll see quite a bit of moisture come out of them. Cook it all down slowly and combine everything well. 

5. Combine with cooked rice and stir in lime juice, fresh cilantro, and salt & pepper.

May Menu ~ 2013

You may have noticed that I took a little sabbatical from blogging. I didn’t know I was going to take a break but it was obvious that I needed one. It’s also pretty obvious that I didn’t cook nearly as much of my April menu as I intended and I usually try to make those recipes up the next month, but alas, I probably won’t get to those any time soon. But I do have a whole menu of new and exciting recipes to share, and I appreciate all you wonderful readers and fellow bloggers for coming back to see what I’m cooking

Recipes I’m cooking that I’ve shared before:

Zucchini Noodles,  Cilantro Lime Rice,  Spinach Tomato Feta Frittata,  Cheeseburger Salad,  Black Bean & Steak Taquitos

Recipes I’m working on this month:

Quinoa, Black Bean & Corn Burritos

Fish Cakes with Cilantro-Lime Dip

Mushroom & Peas Pulao

Chicken Enchilada Pasta Bake

Skinny Cheeseburger Casserole

Southwest Chicken & Corn Chowder

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

White Bean Turkey Chili

Marinated London Broil

Cajun Chicken Fritters with Cajun Aioli

Bourbon BBQ Sliders with Garlic Aioli

Southwest Chicken Wraps

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

Chipotle Steak Burritos

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Crispy GF Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup

Crock Pot Short Rib Tacos with Queso

Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

 Sides & Other:

Thai Dragon Noodles

Turkey Bacon & Cheddar Potato Cakes

Four Bean Salad

Breakfast Enchiladas

Quinoa Cakes

Slow Cooker Macaroni & Cheese

Desserts:

Gooey Butter Bars with Fresh Strawberries

Mini Apple Tarte Tatin

Strawberry Tart with Basil Cream

Vanilla-Coconut Rice Pudding

Lemon Cake with Raspberries and Yogurt Frosting

Poor Man’s Mongolian Beef

This was sooooo good! Who would have thought you could get so much flavor from regular old ground beef, and feel like you’ve just ordered from a top-notch Chinese restaurant? Make this soon. You will love it. Seriously. Soon.

2 lb. lean ground beef (nothing less than 85%)

3 T sesame oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup green onions, sliced, greens too

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter, or more to taste

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

4 cups cooked rice

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the beef in the sesame oil with the garlic. Cook and stir often until the meat is browned. Allow to simmer so most of the juices and oil are absorbed.

2. Add the ginger, soy, brown sugar, cayenne, wine, vinegar, peanut butter, pepper, and salt. Combine well. Simmer for several minutes for the flavors to fuse together. Toss in a small handful of the onion whites and simmer.

3. Serve over warm rice and top with chives (green part of onion stalk).

 

Creamy Lobster Risotto with Green Peas

This is a very rich and filling meal. I love risotto any way, but the lobster gives it a bit of an elegant twist that makes it suitable for a main course even for guests. Make sure you serve it with a light salad and some crusty bread (or my Cheesy Pesto Bread!)

Lobster Risotto

1 cup Arborio rice

1/2 onion, chopped

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1/2 cup white wine

2 (6 oz) lobster tails, frozen is fine

1 cup frozen green peas

2 T EVOO

4 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided

salt & pepper

1. Heat EVOO in skillet over medium heat and saute onion for about 3 minutes.  Put dry rice in skillet and saute/toast for an additional 2 or 3 minutes.  Pour in wine and simmer until absorbed.

2. In a sauce pot bring 1 cup broth to a soft boil and throw the lobster tails in. Cover and allow to steam about 4 minutes, or until shells turn bright red. *If using frozen lobster it may take a few extra  minutes, but don’t worry if you see they are not completely cooked through when you shell them. You can get to that later.

3. Start putting broth into your rice 1/2 cup at a time while keeping the liquid at a gentle simmer. Stir frequently and allow broth to absorb. Salt & pepper a bit. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time.

4. Shell the lobster meat and cut into small pieces. Any bits not cooked through  can go back into the sauce pot broth for a minute or two.

5. If the rice isn’t cooked enough (it should be slightly al dente) you can add some of the broth from the sauce pot. Your rice should have about 3 1/2 cups of broth in it, plus the 1/2 cup wine.

6. Stir in the cream cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan, the lobster, and the peas. Allow everything to combine and heat through thoroughly.

7. Salt & Pepper again if needed, and serve with a sprinkle of the reserved parmesan on top.

Easter Brunch & Dinner Ideas

Easter is almost here and that usually means a big spread for your table. If you will be celebrating, and possibly even entertaining, you may want a few extra ideas – I know I am always looking for new ideas Here is just a simple round-up of breakfast/brunch, sides, main dishes, and desserts for you.

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Quiche Lorraine

Blueberry Bake

Roasted Potato Frittata

Poached Eggs with Hollandaise Sauce

Strawberry-Peach Pancakes

Chicken Salad with Grapes & Pecans

Sweet Cherry Caprese Salad

Wild Rice & Corn Muffins

Chicken in Cream

Lemon Chicken Piccata

Dijon Dill Salmon

Auntie Mary’s Meatballs (Porcupine Balls)

Apricot & Tequila Glazed Turkey

Maple Mustard Chicken

Parmesan Pesto Green Beans

Creamy Skillet Veggies

Carrot Mash Bake

Cheesy Rice Fritters

Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Brown Sugar Butternut Squash Tart

Luscious Tropical Dream Cake

Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Apple Pie Bars

Sweet Chicken Rio & Rice

This was AMAZING! I mean it- I LOVE THIS DISH! and I’m pretty sure you will, too Both of these recipes can be found on Jamie Cooks It Up! You can link to her blog from the button on the right blogroll of this screen.

Since Jamie’s original recipe called for pork, I changed it slightly. Otherwise everything else was pretty much the same. Instead of using chicken breasts, however, I threw a small whole chicken into the Crockpot with about 3 1/2 cups water, and let it cook slowly over night. This yielded a ton of fall-0ff-the-bone meat and about 4 cups thick, luscious chicken stock.

After picking through the meat, which was plenty, I saved the bones, skin, and gunk to boil down for another stock. There really was enough meat for me to make another meal from had I been feeling particularly savvy. I was not. Instead I used all the meat in this recipe, which gave me a HUGE amount of sweet chicken rio. It would not go to waste I was to find out

I love Crock-potting whole chickens. It just makes life so easy

After the meat was cooked, picked through and shredded, I placed it back into the (clean) Crockpot and added the necessary ingredients. At this point it only had to crock for about 4 hours on low.

Here is the original recipe (remember you can use pork or even turkey if you want.

SWEET CHICKEN RIO

3 lb. chicken meat, cooked and shredded

1 (16 oz.) jar salsa (2 cups)

1 can green chilies

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 can black beans, undrained

1. Combine all ingredients into Crockpot and cook on low to medium heat for 4 – 5  hours.

2. Serve with warm corn tortillas, cheese, lettuce or cabbage, tomatoes, and any other condiment such as avocado, black olives, & taco sauce.

**NOTE: If starting this recipe with raw meat do as follows: In the bottom of the Crockpot mix salsa, green chilies, brown sugar, and black beans. Add the chicken and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 hours. Take the meat out of the Crockpot and shred it up with a fork. Return the meat and cook 1 more hour.

I am a BIG lover of corn tortillas. Seriously, I think I can eat just about any meal in a corn tortilla. Something about them just makes me happy. I’m also a big fan of Mexican/TexMex, so this meal was right up my alley.

A perfect accompaniment to this was Jamie’s Cilantro Lime Rice. It was super yummy and yielded way more than her recipe said it would (I am sure this has more to do with me and the kind of rice I used than anything else. Short grain brown rice FYI.) But it gave me plenty of leftovers for another meal.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups uncooked rice

1 tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 chicken bullion cubes

1 tsp. lime zest

4 cups water

2 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1. In a large skillet combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, bullion, and water. Bring to a boil and stir well.

2. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

3. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro (I used dried and let it sit in the mixture for about 30 minutes). Pour over the top of hot, cooked rice, and stir to incorporate.

This rice was fantastic. The flavors are subtle yet they compliment the chicken dish so well. I was very glad I tried these recipes and they will definitely be repeated at some time. Enjoy!