MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CILANTRO-LIME BLACK BEAN RICE

My dish this week came from Julia's Album. The original recipe can be found here. It is described as an easy, light, delicious, gluten free side dish. It is flavored with lime juice and cilantro, which made it very yummy. If you don't enjoy these two items, you could replace them with your own choices. I especially enjoyed the added lime juice. I also like the idea of pairing it with Julia's recipe of Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Salmon. You can find it at this link, but other favorite proteins would suite very nicely. 

Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice - 4 servings

Approximate calories per serving: 321

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup Jamine rice, uncooked (you can use any rice that says on the packet that it cooks in 15 minutes)

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed (use one tablespoon first before adding another, to suit your own taste)

15 ozs. can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Use a large, deep skillet or a large sauce pan.

Add chicken broth, uncooked rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and minced garlic to the skillet or saucepan.

Bring to a boil. Mix everything well and reduce the heat to a low boil/simmer. Cover the skillet with the lid. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, until the rice is cooked through.

Remove skillet from heat. Mix in 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice, rinsed and drained beans, and fresh cilantro into the rice. Add more salt and small amount of lime juice if needed to suit your own taste. Julia suggested 1 extra tablespoon.

Julia's note: she thought 2 tablespoons of lime juice (fresh squeezed only) are just perfect, but the lime flavor might be too strong for some people, so you might  just add 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons instead of the two she used. I actually ended up adding more lime juice at the table but it's entirely up to you how much.

If you go to her website you will be able to read the full nutritional value of this meal, and see other very appetizing recipes.

(Less would be more trying to add the lime slices to pretty it up a bit, but it worked out as far as adding flavor to the dish.)

I read several comments and thought it would be a good thing to read first next time. Here are some of the things that took my interest.

Adding a fresh corn-on-the-cob and eating it on the side made a great meal for one commenter.

Another said that instead of the whole 2 cups of chicken broth, she substituted a can of coconut cream and then enough chicken broth to make up the 2 cup measure.

Someone else used a bowl with a bed of lettuce, topped with the beans and rice, plus tomatoes, onions, peppers and papaya.

Another commenter asked about making this dish the day before. The answer was yes, it can be made up to two days in advance and kept refrigerated.

Reheating can be done in the microwave, adding a small amount (a tablespoon or 2) of water, or freshly squeezed lime juice. This will prevent the rice from sticking.

Someone said hers was very starchy. Julia said to thoroughly rinse the rice with cold water before cooking and that should take care of it. This is something we noticed and we realized we had forgotten to rinse the rice.

Another person used cauliflower rice instead of rice and said it was delicious.

Someone used a few dashes of green Tabasco sauce (we splashed a little sriracha on ours). 

The dish can be served cold or at room temperature. (We said this would be a great dish to take on a picnic.)

One person used it in a family favorite which was a burrito bowl topped with salsa verde, honey-lime chicken and all the fixings for their particular dish.

Someone else used kidney beans instead of black beans, though the black beans made it look extra pretty in my humble opinion.

What did we think. Out of 10 out of 10, 10 being the best, Gregg gave this a 7 and I gave it a 9. He found it a bit bland and stodgy (the stodginess I think was because of not rinsing the rice. I didn’t think it was bland, just not highly seasoned.  There are times when I would rather have tasty but plainer tasting food). However, the more he ate, the more he liked and by the time he finished, his number became 8-1/2. He said he would eat it again but as a small side served next to a protein.

The first night we served it with an already cooked rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. The second night we bought shrimp which were sauteed in a separate frying pan.

I had this on its own for a vegetarian meal on the third day. There was just enough left for a light lunch and it was delicious. I had a quarter of lime left and sprinkled the juice on my serving. The more lime juice for me the better. I would definitely make this again.

Here is the full address if you want to copy and paste instead of using the link above.

https://juliasalbum.com/cilantro-lime-black-bean-rice/

Thank you for looking at this week's recipe. 

Have a great day!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - RED CURRY TOFU WITH COCONUT CHILE, CARROTS AND BOK CHOY

Another blog, another delicious recipe found here at "Eats Well with Others", hosted by Joanne.  I haven't used Tofu in a while. I haven't cooked anything new this week, so this recipe was transferred from my old blog.

Red Curry Tofu with Coconut Chile Carrots and Bok Choy

Servings: 4 to 6

Serving size: 1/4 of the recipe

For the carrots:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon coconut milk

1-1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch lengths

1/2 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

For the tofu:

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon Canola oil

12 ozs. super firm sprouted tofu, cut into 1-inch slices

1 head of bok choy, coarsley chopped

(I also had snow peas left over from another recipe, which I sliced and added to this mixture)

You will need enough rice depending on how many people.  I usually use Jasmine rice but also have used brown rice.  Quinoa was also suggested in the original recipe.

(Because there is just the two of us, I put 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, waited for water to boil before adding 1 cup of uncooked white rice.  Lower the heat and cook the rice according to package directions.  For us this took 20-25 minutes.)

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

For the carrots: in a large bowl combine the oil, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce and coconut milk.  Toss together with the carrots, onion and chile.  Add salt to taste, or if watching sodium levels, leave salt out. 

Pour into a large baking pan and roast for 45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.  Stir every 15 minutes.

While they are roasting prepare the tofu.  In a small bowl whisk together sugar, soy sauce, red curry paste and minced ginger.  Set aside.

In a large wok heat the oil over medium heat and add the tofu slices.

Sauté until lightly brown on each side, about 5 minutes per side.  Add in the bok choy, along with the snow peas if using them.  Sauté until bok choy is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the sauce and coat all the vegetables thoroughly.  Cook for a few more minutes.

Serve tofu and carrots on top of a bed of rice, or Quinoa.

What did we think of this recipe?  Very much enjoyed and is in the make-again folder.  Tofu may seem bland, but it is one of those foods that takes on the flavors of the sauces and other ingredients it is being cooked with.  We are still trying to add meatless meals into the week, and this fits in perfectly.  You can, however, use any other protein, like chicken or shrimp for instance.  Any favorite will do.

That's about all I can think of but if you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for looking,

have a great week and good appetite!

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BROWN RICE BREAKFAST WITH EGG - FOR ONE PERSON

I never thought of eating rice for my first meal of the day until I found this recipe here at "thekitchn".

Brown Rice Breakfast with Egg For 1 Person  

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (I found I only needed 1 teaspoon)
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cooked brown rice (I have also used Jasmine Rice)
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 large egg

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over low heat.  

Add the onion and cook for about one minute, until the onion turns a bright green.  

Add the rice, season with salt and pepper and stir gently until rice is hot.  

Add the peas and cook until they heat through and are bright green.  

Spread the rice in an even layer over the bottom of the frying pan.  

Crack the egg into a small bowl and carefully transfer them to the top of the rice layer.  

Season with salt and pepper and cover.  

Cook the egg the way you like it.

Carefully spoon into a bowl.

What did I think of this recipe?  

This is one of my favorite breakfasts.  It is very yummy if you enjoy rice.  I'm thinking you could use Cauliflower Rice in this also.

I have made the recipe several times since I found it, not only for breakfast but it has made a lovely lunch and a nice light supper.  

I have substituted Edamame for a few of those meals  if I don’t have peas.  I bought the PicSweet Steamables - shelled Edamame soy beans - from the freezer section in my supermarket, and took out half a cup at a time.  They were a good substitution for  the peas.

This would be one of those meals for changing ingredients to suit your own taste.  Suggested veggies in original recipe, chopped carrots or chard, after being cooked for about 3 minutes first before adding the green onion. You can also add garlic, ginger or peppers. Other suggestions are the addition of chicken or salmon, as well as tofu. Basically, anything that appeals to your taste buds.  

I liked this with the ingredients mentioned but did enjoy it once with tofu that I sautéed to crisp up a little, in the same pan as the onions and peas.

I ended up cooking the egg separately but in the same pan, after I had put the rice mixture in my bowl and covering it with aluminum foil.  It didn't take long to cook and the rice mixture was still hot when I popped the egg on the top.  I sautéed the egg in about a teaspoon of olive oil but I have also poached as well, and I am sure scrambled would be very nice.

A little cracked pepper sprinkled on the top is a nice addition.  I don't usually add a lot of salt to my food and didn't use any while preparing.  

A new favorite condiment in my collection is Furikake, pronounced "fury-kah-key", which I like to sprinkle over the top at the table.  I use it on other meals whenever I feel like it.  This is the one I have and I enjoy the taste very much.   It is one of those items introduced to me when we used to buy Blue Apron food packages.  

There is a lot of information about its nutritional value at the link above.  My Furikake is Umeboshi which you can read about here.  I bought it from Wegmans Supermarket but I expect it is available in several other places, maybe under different brand names.

It is always a good idea to read the original recipe, and look at all the other delicious recipes available. I go back to The Kitchn often.

Bon Appetit!