Brown Rice Risotto Kicked My Butt

At 8:30 p.m. last night, I realized that the brown rice risotto I just spent the past 2 hours on was not going to turn into that wonderfully creamy and soft concoction I had dreamed up. *sigh* I know a risotto is a bit ambitious, I mean you literally have to stir a pot for an hour, but add on top of that the fact that I threw in long grain brown rice to make the dish "healthier" and you might think I'm crazy. Well, as the saying goes: if it 'aint broke, don't fix it. Google gave me some assurance that others have mastered the brown rice risotto, but for some reason mine just didn't cook right. The flavor of my risotto was amazing, exactly like I'd dreamed it up to be, the mixture had exactly the right creaminess to it, despite brown rice being low in starch, but the rice just wasn't cooked enough and far too crunchy for the amount of time it had been cooking. I have a sneaking suspicion it was because I used long grain brown rice.

So I'm writing this post a little disheartened, because all weekend I was so excited to "wow" my husband with this risotto and also to share with you all, but let this be a lesson: it's ok to fail every now and again. (even in the kitchen) As sad as it was, and as silly as I felt being that "wife" who burned the dinner, it gave me that much more motivation to get down and dirty and make it right the next time. I WILL master the brown rice risotto and it will be amazingly delicious. You all will be the first to know! Before I consult Google for any tips and tricks with brown rice risotto, any kitchen chefs out there have any suggestions?

A Summer of Sangria

Summer is beginning...well sort of, we're still experiencing rather chilly weather, but I'm hoping that making a fresh batch of my summer sangria will get things moving in the right direction. It's really a simple recipe, as it should be, and with some creativity, I'm sure you can add some interesting twists. Sangria is the perfect summer drink: fruity, cold, refreshing, and fizzy. Mmmm

Here's my recipe:
1 bottle of Chardonnay (white)
1 bottle of Merlot
1/3 cup peach schnapps
2 8 oz cans of Izze blackberry or pomegranate soda (add to taste, some like it more sweet than others)
2 white peaches, sliced
2 apples, sliced (I prefer to use Fuji or Golden Delicious)

Pour everything into a giant pitcher, stir, add the peaches and let it "ferment" in the fridge or freezer until cold. Usually an hour in the freezer is good for quick serving, but a few hours is always best to really get everything just right. Happy summer!

Side Dish: Red Potato Salad

Potato salad has been a tradition in our household, and when summer rolls around and the BBQs start firing up, it's an even more integral part of our meals. Now I love that smooth and creamy texture, with just the right amount crunch potato salad that grandma used to make, but I aways feel so guilty indulging in too much of it. I recently tried a new potato salad recipe that I was quite pleased with. Still has everything you love in a potato salad, just minus a few calories and grams of fat. ;)

Ingredients:

• 8-10 medium red potatoes (cubed)
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp. mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• Paprika (to taste)

How to:

Before

Dressing

After!

1. Let's start by geting the potatoes ready. Once the potatoes are cubed, put them in a pot of cold water with salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and cook until tender (pierced with fork to test), approx. 10 minutes. Pour into colander and rinse with cold water to cool potatoes. Let sit and prepare the dressing.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk together. Dressing will taste very tangy, but don't fret, once they sit with the potatoes in the fridge, the flavors compliment each other very nicely.
3. In a separate bowl, add potatoes and pour the the liquid mixture over them (including peppers and onions), toss gently to coat. Cover and place in fridge for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!

The Perfect Sunday Morning Breakfast

Fruit Bowl: Banana and orange (add a little orange juice and toss the fruit with it for an extra kick)

Makeshift Bacon: 2 slices of deli turkey meat, cooked up in a drizzle or two of pure maple syrup.

Scrambled Eggs: 2 eggs, salt, pepper, and  little onion powder. Sprinkle a little cheddar on top, and add some fresh tomatoes.

Toast: Well, it's just toast. ;)

Breakfast has been devoured, and now the only thing left to do is to make a pot of hot coffee. 

Happy Sunday!

Spruce it Up: Spaghetti and Homemade Tomato Sauce (Vegetarian)

Let's be honest, I've never made my own pasta sauce. We've been long time subscribers to the stuff in the jar. It's so easy to throw a jar in the cart when the pasta isle in the store is just so tempting. The bright fluorescent lights make all the shiny jars glow with deliciousness and the options....oh my....so many. That being said, I've recently been convicted about the processed foods we still buy, and wanted to see if I could try my hand at tomato sauce for spaghetti. The end result is tasty, plus the sauce is hearty and healthy with all of the veggies you added. Next time, I'm thinking of adding even more veggies to beef it up some more. I should also mention that the cost to make your own sauce is significantly cheaper than buying a jar.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. canned of diced tomatoes (juice and all)
• 1/2 a carrot shredded
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup (give or take) diced yellow onion
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• Dried oregano
• Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

How to:

1. Dice away and prep all the ingredients. 
2. Bring water in a pot to a boil to cook the spaghetti. Cook when ready.
3. Heat (over medium heat) 1 tbsp. olive oil and the minced garlic in a medium sized sauce pan for approx. 1-2 minutes.
4. Toss in veggies, but leave out the canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté the veggies until softened. 
5. Once veggies are ready, pour in the can of tomatoes and season with dried oregano and italian seasoning (shouldn't need too much). Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until a majority of the liquid has thickened/evaporated. Give it a quick taste to make sure it's seasoned to your liking.
6. Serve over the spaghetti and enjoy!

$5.00 or Less: Veggie Fajitas with Homemade Tortillas

It was a weeknight, and my motivation to cook a meal, was dwindling. Realizing that my only options would be to: 1) Order take-out (which I would feel extremely guilty about), 2) Cook something from scratch or 3) Heat up a can of soup (not appealing), I sucked it up, and decided to get creative. I've never made my own tortillas, and I'm sure I have much to learn, but this simple recipe will do the trick for a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

Tortillas: (yields approx. 4 med. tortillas)

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2-3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. salt

Veggies and rice:

• 1 bag frozen (or fresh) sliced red, green and yellow bell peppers + sliced white onion
• 1 packet of fajita seasoning
• 1 cup jasmine rice

Extras: (optional)

-Sour cream

-Shredded cheese

How to:

1. Start with the tortillas, they will take the longest to prepare. Mix the flour and water in a medium sized bowl. Add at least 1/2 cup water, add more if needed. You want a consistency similar to dough. Let the dough "rest" for 10-15 minutes. 
2. Sprinkle flour on a large cutting board. Make small balls out of the tortilla dough and flatten each ball into a thin tortilla. (I prefer to flatten each tortilla as the one before it was cooking)
3. Heat 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. When pan is heated, place your first tortilla in the pan. Let cook on each side until slightly browned (you'll just have to watch it), and you'll likely have to add a little more oil as you go along. Repeat the process.
4. Next, get the rice cookin'. I use a rice cooker, it's easy. While the rice is cooking, cook the veggies in a medium sized skillet with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Cook the veggies until almost cooked through, and then add 1/4 cup water and use about 1 tbsp. of the fajita seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. (There's really no rhyme or reason to it, just according to personal taste and preference)
5. Once everything is done cooking, you can assemble the final product. I put everything on top of each tortilla: a scoop of rice, veggies on top, and added just a bit of sour cream and shredded cheese. Each person had 2 of these and they were quite filling.

This meal is extremely cheap ($5.00 or less), and I'd like to think it is pretty healthy for you. You could of course, lose the sour cream and shredded cheese to make it even healthier. Tortillas are a bit messy to make, but nothing over the top, and well worth the satisfaction of making them yourself rather than buying them from a store. We will definitely make this again!

Healthy Comfort Food: Chicken Pot Pie

My husband has been sick, and as you would imagine, he is getting quite sick of your traditional chicken soup. I decided to whip up, from scratch, chicken pot pie. Just the very sound of the name makes my stomach growl with anticipation. I was so excited to begin cooking, when I realized that I did not have the ingredients to make the proper crust, and did not have the motivation to venture out to the store, so I decided to play the "use what's in the cupboard" game and came up with an alternative to the crust: mashed potatoes.

Serving Size: I'd say this recipe makes enough for 2 hungry people, so I'd double it if you're cooking for more.

Ingredients:

• 1 large, boneless skinless chicken breast (thawed)
• 1/4 cup sliced, semi-diced, onions
• 2 carrots, sliced 
• A handful or two of snow peas, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3-4 large potatoes (or you can cheat and used the most natural boxed version you can find--no flavors added)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 2 tbsp. flour

How to:

1. Boil your chicken breast first. (this step takes longest, but the boiled chicken shreds very easily.) Place your thawed chicken breast in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, immediately cover the pot, reduce heat slightly, and let cook for 10-15 minutes or until cooked. Remove chicken breast, let cool for a bit, and then shred the chicken. Set aside for later.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 425.
3. Peel potatoes, quarter them, and place them in a large pot with cold water (don't forget to add some salt), cover and bring to a boil.
4. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium heat, add the onions, garlic, some salt and pepper, and sauté until softened. Add in 1 cup of the chicken broth, stir together. Next, add the flour to the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth and whisk together. Whisk in this mixture, and bring to a boil (keep stirring). Once it boils, reduce to a simmer. Let cook for approx. 5 minutes, so it will thicken.
5. Next, add your sliced carrots to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add in your shredded chicken and bring back to a boil. Remove skillet from heat and stir in your sliced snow peas. Pour mixture into your medium sized, casserole dish. (Make sure to spray it with a little cooking spray before hand)
6. Let the mixture cool while you prepare your mashed potatoes. Your potatoes are ready to mash when they are soft, and easy to pierce with a fork. Once they are ready, drain the water, and in the same pot, or in a separate mixing bowl, mash the potatoes. Add in the final tbsp. of butter (or more if you so desire), the 1/2 cup milk (or more if the potatoes look too thick), some salt and pepper. Mash until creamy.
7. Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the chicken mixture in an even layer. Put the dish in the oven, and let cook until the potatoes are slightly browned on top--maybe 5 minutes. (Keep an eye on them.)
8. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, and then...chow down! It's a delicious and fresh take on traditional comfort food. It is much healthier than what you'd buy in the store or at a restaurant, so you don't need to feel guilty. ;) Enjoy!