Indian Beans and Rice

Here's another take on rice and beans.

Jasmine yellow rice:
2 Tbsp butter
diced half onion
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 cups uncooked long grain jasmine rice (see directions below for how much rice I used for the rice cooker)
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf, optional

I sauteed the onion and garlic in butter, added 3 cups of rice using the rice cooker measuring cup (which is about 3/4 cup), browned the rice a bit, and then threw everything in the rice cooker. I could have upped the spices, but it was good. I want to figure out the logistics of making this in the Instant Pot next because I love the saute feature!

Chickpeas:
15 oz can chickpeas
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste

Use the same pan as you used for the rice, add all the ingredients, and cook your chickpeas to desired brownness/crispness.

This might be a menu-in-progress. What veggies would be best with this? Special kind of sauce? Something with coconut milk or yogurt? Anyway, my idea was to substitute our usual cilantro/lime flavors wrapped in tortillas with a curry flavor wrapped in pita bread. I loved it (so did Hans), but the kids not so much. So I guess it's good for our Thursday night easy dinners.

Roasted Roots

I've made this enough that I need to put it on the blog. I love this way of getting my vegetables in the winter. You can do any combination of veggies. I've done regular potatoes for my kids who don't like sweet potatoes, I've done Brussels sprouts (they might not need to cook as long as other things), and Karin has done kale. Karin says to add summer sausage to make it a meal.

½ lb. sweet potatoes
5 carrots/parsnips (a combination) scrubbed and cubed
1 red onion peeled and cut into wedges (I've done sweet regular onion too)
1-2 turnips peeled and cut into cubes or wedges
2 beets peeled and cut into cubes or wedges
5+ cloves of garlic (up to a whole head) peeled, and halved
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and red onions in a large bowl and toss together.
3. With the side of a knife, gently smash each clove of garlic and add it to the bowl of vegetables.
4. Add the herbs and olive oil to the vegetables and generously season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the seasoned vegetables onto a large roasting pan and spread in a single layer.
6. Roast vegetables in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. (Gently stirring the vegetables halfway through the cooking time) Serve.

Hummus

Garbanzo beans in the crockpot:

7 cups water
1 pound dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Place the water, chickpeas, and baking soda in a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or low heat for 8 to 9 hours, or until tender. Drain and serve immediately, or use in desired dish. Makes enough for over 2x the hummus below.

Hummus:

3 cups cooked and drained well garbanzo beans (you can used canned)

1/4 c. lemon juice

3/4 c tahini, creamy (1/2 c is also ok, since it's expensive)

2 TB soy sauce

1 TB olive oil

2 tsp cumin powder

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Blend in food processor. Add water in small amounts until smooth.

Also, if you want it really yummy, roast 2 red bell peppers and add that to the food processor (cut them in half and roast in 400 degree oven until soft and a little black on outside). When my kids first tried this they said it tasted like C*fe Rio's queso.

I divide it in 3 portions and freeze 2 of them in freezer jam containers for later.

Macaroni and Cheese

I like this version better than my standby with Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder from Betty Crock*r. This is less tangy and more spicy (as spicy as you want), with the crumb topping kids love.

Cook 8 oz. elbow macaroni with
salt
Drain.

SAUCE
Melt on medium heat:
3 TB butter
Whisk in: 3 TB flour
and once smooth gradually add:
2 cups milk
Increase heat to medium high. Bring to low boil, stirring often, for 6 minutes.

Add:
8 oz. cheese (calls for half extra-sharp cheddar and half Monterey jack; I just used the Kirkl*nd 4-cheese shredded blend that my kids really like)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I used T*basco)

Combine pasta and cheese. Now, I think next time I'll put about 3/4 of this mac and cheese in a 9x13 glass pan and put the crumb topping on it. The other part I will leave in the pot for those in my family who don't like crumb topping.

Crumb topping:
3/4 cups panko combined with 1 tsp. olive oil

Sprinkle the mixture on top of the pasta. Broil until desired crispness (watch it!)

Rice and Beans, Beans and Rice

When our food budget is out of control, we go back to [insert sing-songy voice] "rice and beans, beans and rice." I think the first time I did it I made normal rice and heated up some cans of black beans. Then maybe added some cheese. Ate them in cheap tortillas a couple times. So boring. Now, I'm pretty happy with this meal, though it's not as simple as it started out.

Rice in the rice cooker (jasmine or a fancy kind is yummiest, of course, but we do regular and brown too)
3 rice cooker cups (perfect amount for us)
cilantro leaves, chopped
splash of lemon or lime juice
splash of olive oil or butter
chicken/vegetable broth up to the #3 line

Black beans (in all honesty, Hans still prefers them straight out of a can, but not me!)
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil/butter/broth
Add rinsed and drained canned black beans (we need 2 cans for our family)
chicken/vegetable broth or water
Let simmer for a while to make the beans nice and soft(er) and yummy

Homemade tortillas
Let's be honest, I'm such a bad roller-outer that mine are more the thickness of pita bread

Cafe Rio copycat dressing. This has become an obligation--enough that Luke will mix it up himself.

Shredded lettuce, maybe salsa or fresh tomatoes.

No one even asks for cheese.



Oh, and last time I bought cilantro I chopped the whole bunch and then froze what I wasn't using then in ice cubes to use later. Perfect for the salad dressing and rice!


Here's the beef copycat that we used for New Year's 2018 nachos (nacho sauce in #10 can from C*stco). We seared the beef before putting it in the crock pot, and we kept the onions in instead of discarding them. Oh, and then we reduced some of the liquid afterward to make it thicker.