Cilantro Lime Rice

This rice is super flavourful, super easy and a great accompaniment to any southwest dish.  We love it in our burritos, or on the side of THESE amazing taquitos. 

Source: http://nikkisfixins.blogspot.ca/2012/01/cilantro-lime-rice.html

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Jasmine Rice, Uncooked (or whatever white rice you'd like)
1 Large Lime, Zested and Juiced (or 2 small)
2 Cloves Garlic - minced or grated
2 TBS Butter, cut into small cubes
1 Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
1 large handful of FRESH Cilantro, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the rice with the chicken broth according to the directions on the bag.

While the rice is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside. After you've let your rice sit for the 5 minutes, pour the bowl over the rice and mix well.

Fish Tacos

After a week of spring cleaning, I was completely lazy on Friday and did next to nothing.  I felt like putting the girls to bed, having a nice in-home date night with my husband: ordering some food, watching our show we missed the night before.  Just relaxing.  But then I started looking at the different menus.  And the more I learn to cook, the less happy I am with take out food.  I was looking at Cactus Club, Earls, those kinds of places.  But as I added the prices in my head and anticipated the disappointing food...I changed my mind.  I decided to pick a recipe that was over a normal nightly dinner budget but still well under a take out amount.  One of my husband's favourite treats is fish tacos.  So that's what we did.  Unfortunately, the fish market was closed that day because it was moving.  And Thriftys only had Halibut fresh, everything else was frozen or previously frozen.  I was looking for Tilapia or cod- something cheaper than Halibut since it was going in a taco.  So here is a simple, lovely recipe for some fish tacos.  But I suggest using something cheaper than Halibut since it's being topped with salsa anyways.

Ingredients:

1 lb white fish
cajun seasoning (the recipe for my favourite is found HERE)
butter
small tortillas (6-8, depending on how much fish you put in each one)
shredded cabbage
Pico de Gallo
Sauce

Pico de Gallo
5 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
handful of cilantro, chopped
half a jalapeno, finely diced (optional)
salt
1 lime, juiced

Sauce
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (Greek yogurt is delicious as a substitute if you’re not a fan of sour cream)
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1-2 limes, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1 hot pepper of your choice, seeded and minced (jalapeno is what I used).
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped


Directions:

Whisk sauce ingredients together; put in fridge for at least an hour.

Combine your pico de gallo ingredients.  Add salt and lime juice to taste.  Set aside till ready to assemble tacos.

Pat your fish dry, and make sure the skin is removed.  I cut mine into fillet strips- you could also cook your fish whole and then cut it.  I dusted mine with cajun seasoning- you could choose whatever you like.  Dip your fillets in melted butter and then place in a hot pan, over medium heat.  Let them cook for a 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.  Cut one in half to observe the doneness if you're unsure.  It should be moist and completely opaque white.  Taste it even, you'll know if it's done.  Don't over cook your fish.

Assemble tacos: take a tortilla, add fish, cabbage, sauce and salsa (pico de gallo).  Enjoy!
I served along side some lime cilantro rice, recipe found HERE.  I haven't uploaded it to my blog yet because I keep forgetting to take a picture.  It is delicious though!

Parmesan and Pea Risotto

I have been wanting for a while to add risotto to my cooking arsenal.  I spent a lot of time watching TV chefs make it, I was on youtube for a long time studying it, I went to a nice Italian restaurant, ordered the risotto and then studied that as well.  In the last month I've made it 3 times and I feel confident enough to post a recipe now. 

Tips:
-Arborio or Carnaroli rice needs to be used.  You need a short grain, high starch rice.  Arborio is the easiest to come by.  I found Carnaroli in a small Italian market in Victoria and can attest that it is the better variety.  It creates a creamier product.
-You have to make this right before you are going to eat.  It takes 30 minutes once all your prep is done.  You have to eat risotto as soon as its done.  So take that into account.
-Your prep has to be all done before you start.  Your broth HAS to be hot.
-You need a wide pan with higher sides so that your rice has room to develop all that lovely starch.
-You have to commit.  You can't be doing too much else while you're making risotto.  Be prepared to stand there the whole half hour, stirring most of the time.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
1 finely chopped shallot (or 1/3 of a large onion)
1-2 minced cloves of garlic
1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
1/4 cup white wine (or 1 fresh lemon+water to make 1/4 cup)
4 cups chicken broth (homemade is best- if you're going to use a box broth, use 1 cup broth to 3 cups water otherwise it will taste too artificial)
1/2 cup frozen peas
2-4 tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Directions:

Get your broth heated and keep it on low with a ladle beside your risotto pan.  Heat your pan over medium heat.  Add oil and shallot.  Cook for a couple minutes (lower heat if shallots start to darken, you want translucent not dark) then add your garlic.  After a minute add your rice and toast until the grains look white and opaque.

Pour in white wine and start stirring.  As soon as that's absorbed add in your first ladle-full of hot broth.  Keep stirring.  The risotto method is to add hot stock to the rice and stir till almost completely absorbed then repeat.  You will see the starch start to develop.  Keep adding more ladle-fulls of hot broth and stirring till it's absorbed.  At about the 16 minute mark, start tasting the rice to make sure it doesn't go over.  You want your grains to still be al dente.  When you get to the last 1/3 of your broth, add it in smaller batches so not to overcook your rice.  If you get to the end of your broth and you don't think your rice is done, add some hot water. 

Once your grains are al dente, add in the parmesan, parsley and peas.  Taste and add salt/pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.  Now you know how to make a basic risotto.  The possibilities are now endless.  No more paying $20 for a bowl of this stuff!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

A friend sent me this recipe over Pinterest and I decided to try it out the night after we roasted a chicken.  This is an excellent day to try out this soup because you use the leftover shredded chicken and HOPEFULLY this also means you will have just made homemade broth from the chicken bones.  This soup is DYNAMO with homemade broth.  It sends a simple recipe just way over the top flavour wise.  So so yummy.  There are few things in the food world I relish more than a hot bowl of homemade soup with soft pillowy white (homemade) buns.  I know I know- white flour is of the devil.  But nothing else tastes so good with homemade soup.  It just doesn't. 

Source: http://www.ablossominglife.com/2014/01/creamy-chicken-and-wild-rice-soup.html
-Some changes were made

Note: To make homemade bone broth, save the bones from your roasted chicken.  Put them in the pot with some garlic and onions and whatever herbs you have on hand (bay, parsley, thyme, etc).  Add salt to preference.  Fill to almost the top with water.  Bring to boil and then gently simmer for a couple hours.  Pour through a strainer and you are left with delicious homemade chicken broth.  Freeze whatever you won't use in the next 24ish hours.

Ingredients:

4-6 pieces of bacon, diced
butter/oil
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth (homemade bone broth)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded chicken
2 cups cooked wild rice
1 tsp italian spices (I have a blend I use- you use whatever you have on hand you like to use)
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

In a pan, cook your bacon.  Set off to the side.

In a large soup pot, add a few tbsp butter or oil (or combo), chopped carrots and onions.  Cook until soft.  Stir in garlic and herbs/spices.  Cook for a couple more minutes.  Add in broth, let it come to boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Reduce heat and stir in cream, cooked rice and chicken and simmer for 10 more minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't over boil.  Add back in reserved bacon.

Serve along side homemade buns/bread (one would hope!).  Serves 6.

Cheesy Zucchini Rice

A great alternative to your usual rice dish.  Again, no picture, but it looks just like it did from the site I got it from: bunsinmyoven.com/2012/06/28/cheesy-zucchini-rice/

All four of us at the table took seconds.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini, grated (I used my food processor but a cheese grater would work well, too)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (didn't have any so I used half a clove of garlic grated in at the same time in the directions as the powder- very nice!)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• splash of milk, as needed (totally forgot about this part, but it was great without it)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the rice and stir to coat. Toast the rice, stirring often, just until it starts to turn golden.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, add 1/2 tsp of salt, bring to a boil, turn heat to low, and cover.
4. Cook, covered, for 15 - 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Remove from the heat and add the butter, grated zucchini, cheddar, and garlic (powder). Stir until well incorporated. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
6. Stir again and add pepper to taste and a splash of milk if you'd like to thin out the texture a little bit.

Jambalaya

Michael Symon's recipe: http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Jambalaya-Michael-Symon

This recipe isn't hard but takes some time.  Spicy and delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Andouille Sausage or Polish Kielbasa (Sliced) - I used hot italian sausage
• 1/2 pound Chicken Thighs (Bone-In) -I used some drumsticks I had in the freezer
• 1/2 pound Shrimp (Peeled and Deveined with tails removed)
• 3 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
• Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Onion (small diced)
• 1 cup Celery (Small Diced)
• 1 cup Green Bell Pepper (Small Diced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
• 1 Large Jalapeño (seeds and ribs removed and then minced)
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Flakes
• 14 1/2 ounces Can Petite Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cup Chicken Stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 cup White Rice
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Lemon (Juice and Zest)
• 1/2 cup Scallions (Sliced Finely)

Directions:

Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and place the shrimp in another mixing bowl. Mix together the smoked paprika and cayenne.  Add 1 tablespoon of this mixture to the chicken and 1 tablespoon to the shrimp along with some salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside the chicken and refrigerate the shrimp, as it is not used until later. Set aside the rest of the spice mixture.

Place a Dutch oven (or big soup pot) over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the sausage. Sear the sausage until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
-If you are using a raw sausage like I did, see Rachael Ray's trick to easily cooking sausage:
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/back-basics-braised-sausage/

Remove the sausage to a plate, then add the chicken with another tablespoon of olive oil. When the chicken is seared on all sides, remove it to a plate.  

Then add 2 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Add the onion, celery, and green pepper with a large pinch of salt and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, and then add the garlic and jalapeno.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes.

Next add the rest of the smoked paprika mixture, the chili flakes, tomatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire and rice. Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot. Stir and add the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime, take your shrimp out of the refrigerator to take the chill off.

After 15 minutes, remove the lid and stir gently, then fold in the shrimp. Turn the heat off, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, add the lemon juice and zest and any additional salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into bowls and garnish with scallions.

Rice

How to Jazz up Your Everyday Rice

Serves 3-4:
1 cup rice
1/2-1 onion
1 packet of vegetable soup mix
1 1/2-2 c chicken broth

Chop up your onion, saute in a little oil till soft, add rice and toast for a few minutes, add stock and vegetable soup mix, bring to boil, lower heat to minimum, cover and wait 20 minutes. 

My Mexican Rice:

Serves 4:
1 c rice
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1/2-1 onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I often don't include this)
1 small-medium can diced tomatoes, drained (you can also just dice a tomato or two)
1 cube chicken bouillon
1/2-1 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, grated
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

In a medium sauce pan, saute onion and rice and garlic in oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Stir in green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomatoes. Season with bouillon cube, cumin, and a little pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked, add cilantro and fluff gently with a fork (the recipe calls for the cilantro to be added with the other seasonings, but I prefer my cilantro fresh not cooked). I often squeeze fresh lime juice over this as well.

I cook quite a bit of southwest/mexican food so I like to find ways to season my rice to use in my dishes.  Another easy way to jazz up your plain rice to go along with your southwest dish- add lime zest and cilantro.