The Perfect Pot of Brown Rice

Step away from the white rice!

I know you have heard by now that you should be eating whole grains. And I am not talking about just eating a bowl of cereal that has a whole grain label on the front. I am talking about preparing your own meals with whole grains.

Why whole grains? Because they are good for you! Overall, eating whole grains is linked to having a healthier life. Not convinced yet? Then let me refer you to the experts. Check out this article from the Harvard University School of Public Health about the importance of eat whole grains. The right hand column lists some great examples of whole grains. And with that, today's post is all about brown rice. But don't worry, there will be posts about black rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat, and other grains in the near future. 

You do know that white rice is actually brown until they strip all the nutrients off of the grain? Well, you definitely know now! The Harvard University School of Public Health conducted a study on rice consumption and found that consuming brown rice can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Here's the CNN summary of the study.

So now, have I convinced you to run out and get a bag of brown rice before you make your next meal? GREAT! But wait just a second. Before you make it, let me walk you through how to make a pot of rice you will enjoy. The first time I made a pot of brown rice it left a lot to be desired. It was almost like eating oatmeal and had no flavor at all. On another occasion, I undercooked it and it was awful. But you don't have to go through that because I am here! Aren't you glad you have me :)

Let's begin!

Ingredients:

2 c. brown rice or brown basmati rice

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small bay leaf

1/4 cup of minced shallots

2 minced garlic cloves

2 cups of chicken stock (you can also use veggie or beef stock)

2 cups of water 

1 teaspoon of Kosher salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

Heat your olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add your minced garlic, shallots, bay leaf, salt and pepper. (Note: I added a cinnamon stick to it to see if that enhanced the flavor. If you are feeling adventurous you can try it. The flavor was subtle but you can also just stick with my recipe as is.)

 Add your rice and stir it for a couple minutes, gently toasting it in the seasoned oil.

 Finally, add 2 cups of stock and 2 cups of water to the pot (During the holidays, I will show you how to use the stock from the turkey to make an even more flavorful pot). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low (turn the knob to about 2), cover with a lid and simmer  and cook for 45 minutes until rice is cooked. Start checking the rice after about 40 minutes. When it is done you should not be able to hear so see any liquid.

AND Voilà!

 Discard the bay leaf (and cinnamon stick if you used one) after it has cooled.

This rice goes well with TONS of dishes! And I am not just saying that because I made it :) 

And if you are anxious and would like to see some more whole grain recipes, check out 15 ways to eat whole grains. 

Enjoy! And feel free to send an email letting me know how it turned out!

~Peaches

For a Meatless Monday

Yes, Meatless Monday! If you have not heard by now there is a large movement to encourage people to choose one day a week to not eat meat. According to this CNN Article, this movement started in 2003 and research indicates that meatless meals lower your carbon footprint and is good for your overall health. I have always been an advocate for this movement because I believe you can come up with some wonderful and filling meals without meat. My mom has actually been doing this since I was a kid so I like to think she really started this trend.

Read more about the Meatless Monday movement here. Notice that Robin Roberts and Oprah also support this movement.

And to SHOW you that I really do believe in meatless meals, here are a few of my dishes.

Harvest grain blend, grilled baby zucchini, and grilled corn. 

The infamous meal I like to call "vegetarian's paradise" which consists of a baked sweet potato, sauteed purple cabbage, collard greens, sauteed corn with red peppers and poblano pepper, brown rice, quinoa, black beans with a hot pepper sauce (Bryant Terry's Hot Pepper Sauce), and a corn bread fritter (aka a hoe cake to my fellow southerners). No worries, this was was a shared plate.

Black bean cakes over a bed of brown rice and quinoa with hot pepper sauce (same recipe as above).

And these next two dishes might surprise you! RAW (YES RAW) Mock stir fry vegetables. This dish was from my three week journey of eating nothing but raw food. And it was REALLY good! I used Bragg's amino acid to marinate the ingredients. So no cooking at all with this dish. Snow peas, carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and broccoli.

RAW pizza! I found the raw bread I used for the crust from somewhere (probably Whole Foods) and then topped it with a raw cheese made from cashews (I do believe) and then some marinated mushrooms and a raw cheese crumble. And the green dollop is an avocado sauce. It was rather tasty too!

Here's a GREAT looking recipe I found recently that is on deck to make: Portabella Mushroom Pizza

Any favorite meatless dishes you want to share? Email me at singlesistasdish@gmail.com!

Hope your week is off to a GREAT start!

Cooking with Apples!

Cider-glazed baked apples (maybe even with a touch of bourbon), apple pie, apple cobbler (my specialty),  skillet baked apples, it's all yummy to me. Now is a great time to take a trip out to an apple orchard (planning to do this with my friends very soon) and pick some fresh apples while enjoying a cup of nice hot apple cider. And then you come home and turn those apples into something magical.

I can across this recipe today and it looks like something that will be on deck very soon: Apple Cake with Honey Sauce

There are ways to make tasty apple treats less fattening and portion controlled. For instance, I am an advocate for Earth Balance instead of butter. Same flavor as butter but vegan friendly. You can also use raw local honey to sweeten your desserts instead of sugar. I will save the rant about different sweeteners for another post but just in case you want a preview here is a good site: Sweeteners

I have also used the little puff pastry cups (for portion control) and served baked fruit in them with a dollop (there's my favorite word again) of whip cream. I actually prefer whip cream over ice cream. Here's a little snap shot of some puff pastry with some baked apples in a little ramekin.

For you "I want all the flavors and ingredients folks" Here a picture of a pie I made for my Bubbie (grandmother) a little while back. It was so YUMMY!

My Bubbie taught me that pears and apples together can take a cobbler to another level! Try it some time!

What are some of your favorite recipes with apples?

Chilli Time!!

Fall is in FULL swing (BIG smile), despite the random 75+ degree weather we had on Sunday. I've said it once I will say it again, I LOVE warm weather food!!

So I have been talking about it and now it's time to DISH about my chilli. My recipe is based on one by Emeril. He has several but since I work with ground turkey I started with one that he specifically created for ground turkey. Now, I know what you're thinking, "I thought she was going to have a completely original recipe." While a lot of my recipes are my own, I do use recipes from other chefs and cooks as the basis for some of my dishes. Think of it as writing a paper in college or graduate school. You have to cite all the well-known scholars and their contribution of the field and then you add your own perspective (flavor if you will). Cooking is the same way!  

So let's start with the ingredients!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions 
• 1 cup of diced shallots (these are small purple looking onions)
• 3/4 cup diced red bell pepper (roughly 2/3 of the pepper)
• 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper(roughly 2/3 of the pepper)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 pounds ground turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro stems
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 3 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin 
• 2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon ground coriander
• 3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce 
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 can cooked and drained kidney beans
• 1 can cups cooked and drained black beans
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

Directions (with great pictures)

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot and when hot add the onions and both the red and green bell peppers and cook until vegetables are soft. I recommend using a wooden spoon to stir.

 

The onions and peppers should loose some of their color when they are soft.

 

Add the jalapenos and minced garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. 

Add a little more olive oil to the mix (roughly 2 tablespoons) and then add the ground turkey. Next add the cilantro stems. Be sure you wash them before you cut them up as there is often a lot of stuff in between the stems.

Next up is your seasoning. Add the chili powder, cocoa powder, crushed red pepper, cumin, black pepper, coriander, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt, and oregano. 

Stir everything into ground turkey and make sure you break up any lumps, until the turkey is cooked through (meaning there is no pink anywhere in the meat). Notice that I have switched from the wooden spoon to a large fork. The fork helps to break up the meat. 

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Now is the time to check the heat levels of your chilli. Take your wooden spoon and scoop yourself a sample and place it on a plate/bowl. If you are one of those people that like to eat off the spoon then you need to have another spoon on hand. No double dipping!

If you like it a little hotter, add 1-2 more teaspoons of red pepper flakes and 1-2 teaspoons more of cayenne pepper. Add carefully because the heat will sneak up on you. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add the kidney beans and black beans and cook about 30 minutes longer. The chilli should start to become thicker.

Lastly, add the cilantro, remove from the heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

I like to eat my chilli with cornbread or over some brown rice. Some popular toppings are sour cream, cheese, and onions (I prefer shallots or green onions). I topped off this serving with some reduced-fat cheddar cheese and a dollop (I just love that word) of sour cream.

If you REALLY want to impress people, make it the night before you're planning to serve it. Dishes always taste better after they sit over night. I served this one year for a Super Bowl gathering it was DEFINITELY a hit.

Tada!

Roasted Butternut Squash (A Vegan Friendly Recipe)

I LOVE this time of the year!! The air is crisp and it's just a little chilly but not too cold outside. And it is certainly time for warmer dishes.

One thing that I have learned to appreciate more and more recently is roasting vegetables. It's a very healthy method for preparing food and it's efficient.

On that note, let me share my recipe for roasted butternut squash!!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

1 medium butter squash or 2 small ones (tip: If you are not willing to spend the time peeling and cutting the squash many stores sell it already cut up for you. In this case use about 2 pounds of the cut up squash)
4 tablespoons of butter or Earth Balance (Earth Balance is a vegan and gluten free spread)
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom (optional)
2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons of raw honey

(Complete these steps if you buy the squash whole and not pre-cut) Peel the outer layer of the squash using a vegetable peeler. Using a large knife, cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard.

Cut the squash into roughly 2 inch cubes. Place in a large bowl. 

Melt the butter or Earth Balance. Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon (optional), sugar and honey into the melted butter or Earth Balance. Pour the mixture over the cut up squash and mix well so that each piece is coated.

Place the cut and seasoned squash on a baking sheet, making sure that each piece is touching the baking sheet and not on top of each other.

Roast the squash in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Be sure to turn the squash over with a spatula about half way through the roasting process (after roughly 20 minutes). The squash should be nice and tender when done.

ENJOY!!!

What are you REALLY craving?

I sent this chart out to some family and friends a little while back. I definitely think it's worth reviewing and thinking about, especially when you have your next craving for something that may or may not be what you really need.

Shout out to Sporty Afros for this great information! Sporty Afros - Cravings Posts

Click on chart to make it larger.