Mushroom Risotto

Tonight I tried my hand at making a risotto. A risotto is a rice dish that is creamier than plain rice. It is made that way by adding the liquid slowly and stirring constantly so that the starch comes out of the rice and thickens the dish. Sometimes milk or cream is added as well.

Here's how I made mine.

Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:
1 ½ tsp olive oil
¼ cup onions, finely diced
1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup white mushrooms, diced
⅔ cup milk
½ cup rice (I used long grain)
2 ½ cups beef stock

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet or saucepan. Add onions and cook gently until they become soft but not browned. Meanwhile, put beef stock in separate pan on low heat.

Add salt, pepper, and mushrooms to onions. Cook mushrooms until soft. Add milk and rice and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup of warmed beef stock and stir regularly until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add another cup and repeat. Add the final half cup and repeat.

If you keep the heat set to medium, the rice should be cooked by the time the final half cup is absorbed. If not, add more stock and cook a little longer until rice is cooked through.

Makes 2 servings.

Now, I think risotto is traditionally made with short grain rice instead of long. But I couldn't find short grain at the store I went to, so I decided long would have to do. And it did just fine. I would like to try it with short grain sometime, though.

And a note on the beef stock. I used homemade broth from a roast I made a while back then froze. I thought the finished dish had a kind of sweetness to it, and I don't know if it is from the broth or not. That roast was cooked with lots of carrots, so it could be. It's rare that I have my own beef broth; in the future I will probably use a reduced-sodium store bought type.

I served this with some baked salmon and green peas. Jim absolutely loved the risotto. He said it was the best rice dish he's ever had anywhere, anytime. Wow! But I have to keep in mind that he was on some pretty strong pain meds for his kidney stone and was a tad bit loopy. :)

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Ginger Honey Carrots

I needed a vegetable to go with my Asian dishes, so I did a search for ginger-flavored carrots. I found one on allrecipes.com and gave it a try today.

Ginger Honey Carrots

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp candied ginger, chopped finely

1½ tbsp honey

½ tsp lemon juice

1 lb. carrots

Directions:

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add ginger and cook until soft. Add honey and lemon juice and stir to combine. Heat on low until mixture reduces a bit.

Cook carrots by steaming. I put them in a dish with a small amount of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 2-4 minutes, depending on how done you like them. Drain and toss with the glaze.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 100

Fat/Sat. Fat: 4/1

Cholesterol: 0

Sodium: 140

Fiber: 3

Protein: 1

I didn't change much; just some quantities. The original called for 4 tbsp butter, 2 1/2 tbsp honey, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Oh, and I also doubled the ginger because I couldn't really taste it after I added the 1/4 tsp. Some people would probably like it with the full amount of honey, but I thought it was bordering on the "too sweet" side as it was. I know it's supposed to be sweet, but I don't like my veggies really sweet. And having to reduce the lemon juice was probably the result of reducing the honey.

Overall, very good. Will definitely be making again. The picture doesn't show the glaze very well.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

****Update****

So I have been tweaking this recipe and have added something that makes it truly amazing. First of all, I don't use frozen carrots anymore. I have found I much prefer fresh. I peel them, cut them on the bias, and steam them in the microwave. I have been using those new Zip'n Steam Bags by Ziploc. I really like them. Then, I add something special to the glaze. After the butter melts in the saucepan, I add some chopped crystallized (candied) ginger. I let it get nice and soft in the butter before adding the honey. Since I added the crystallized ginger, I decreased the amount of ground ginger previously called for. Oh man, it is so good! The ginger gets all soft and adds such a wonderful flavor. Here are some pics:

Here's the ginger getting soft in the pan with the melting butter.

When the ginger is soft, I add the honey, lemon juice, and ground ginger. Then I add the steamed carrots and let the glaze reduce a bit. Yummy! In the background you can see some chicken satay I had on the grill pan. I seasoned it with Vindaloo. Awesome.

Jim thought these carrots were okay before, but now he is asking for them all the time.

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Mustard Chicken

This is a recipe I discovered when we lived in Texas. I cannot remember where I found it, however. The mustard flavor is milder after cooking than you would expect. It really seals in the moisture of the chicken so it's really nice and juicy when done. Very simple dish.

Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:
4 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup brown mustard
4 egg whites
1-2 cups Italian bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix together the mustard and eggs until well combined.

Dip each chicken breast in the mustard/egg mixture, then coat in bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet and bake about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 servings.

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Rice Pilaf

I used to buy those boxed rice mixes all the time. They are tasty and easy to prepare. However, they are often loaded with salt and fat. I learned a great way to make rice by reading Cook's Illustrated, the companion magazine to America's Test Kitchen. I now make rice by using the "pilaf" method. This means cooking the grains in hot oil briefly before adding liquid to impart a toasted, nutty flavor.

This recipe is almost word for word from Cook's Illustrated. I made the addition of the peas and carrots. I like to add them halfway (or more) through the cooking so that they stay crisp and not mushy like vegetables can get.


Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
1 cup long grain white rice
1 ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded carrots (the matchstick kind)

Directions:
Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook until fragrant but not browned. Add rice and increase heat to medium. Stir frequently until the rice just begins to become golden brown.

Add stock and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and add peas and carrots. Return lid to pan and simmer an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked.

Fluff with a fork and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

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Primavera Orzo

This is a recipe I make regularly. It is an amended recipe from Rachael Ray. She made it on "30 Minute Meals" a few years ago. I changed a few things about it.

Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. It cooks fairly quickly.


Primavera Orzo

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 small yellow squash, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
1 cup orzo (I use whole wheat)
1/2 cup reduced-fat grated parmesan

Directions:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Add garlic, shallots, zucchini, squash, and carrots. Saute 5 minutes. Add curry and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until pasta absorbs the liquid and is al dente, about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information (per serving):
Calories: 265
Fat/Sat. Fat: 11/2.5
Cholesterol: 10
Sodium: 640
Fiber: 7
Protein: 14

The original recipe calls for parsley and peas to be stirred in towards the end. I think it's better without. Also the original called for zucchini and carrots only, but I think it's nice to do half zucchini and half yellow squash. The colors make this a very pretty summertime dish. (Actually I think "primavera" means springtime, but oh well.)

Another variation I sometimes do with this dish is to add grilled, diced chicken to it. That makes it a wonderful one-dish meal (and much healthier than Chicken Helper!)

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Asian Noodles

We eat a lot of salmon, and I have been looking for different ways to prepare it. I like to marinate it in different marinades and bake it. We tried grilling it, but that didn't work out so well because it falls apart too easily. Last week I remembered a packet I had in the pantry. It's A Taste of Thai Spicy Peanut Bake. It's really easy to do; you simply coat the salmon (or chicken or whatever) in this peanutty coating and bake it for 20-25 minutes (4-6 oz. salmon fillet.) It's really good. Kind of sweet, kind of spicy.

So then I needed some kind of side dish to go with it. I created this recipe all on my own. It can be made with rice noodles (which would make it more authentically Asian), but I don't care for them too much.

Asian Noodles

Ingredients:
4 oz. vermicelli (angel hair pasta)
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
¼ tsp ground ginger (can use fresh if you have it)
¼ tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp spicy peanut sauce (add more if you like it spicier)
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:
Boil pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain. While pasta is cooking, combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and peanut sauce in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined.

Drain pasta well and add to dressing bowl. Turn pasta in the dressing until evenly coated. Add sesame seeds and toss to evenly distribute.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information (per serving):
Calories: 112
Fat/Sat. Fat: .5/0
Cholesterol: 0
Sodium: 300
Fiber: 1
Protein: 4

This picture doesn't show the sesame seeds because I didn't have any the night I took this picture. They kind of a nice touch, I think.

This meal is great because of the way the saltiness of the soy sauce balances out the sweetness of the spicy peanut coating.

Now Jim asks for this meal once a week.

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Rhubarb Crisp

This is a rhubarb crisp recipe I got from a fellow pastor's wife, Kristin. She got it from a church cookbook. I thought it was better when she made it than when I made it, but haven't yet figured out what is different. I will definitely try it again, though. Jim really liked it. We ate it warm with vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients:

4 c. diced rhubarb

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. water

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. flour

3/4 c. quick oats

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. melted margarine or butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Combine rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, water, and vanilla and place in 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, and margarine to make the topping and spread over rhubarb. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Back for 40 to 50 minutes at 350 degrees or until bubbly and topping is a little crunchy.

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Grilled Potato Salad

This is a potato salad I made out of some grilled potatoes that we had left over from the evening before. Jim's not usually a fan of potato salad, but he couldn't get enough.

Grilled Potato Salad

1 lb red potatoes, cooked, cut into large chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, cooked along with the potatoes so they are soft
2 tbsp dill relish
3 hard boiled eggs, diced
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard

Mix all ingredients together.

Makes about 4 servings.

I made this on Father's Day. It was served alongside burgers and baked beans. An American classic! It doesn't need much in the way of seasoning since the potatoes were seasoned when first grilled. The only thing I didn't like about it was the. They seemed to peel off the potatoes and just kind of float around by themselves. Next time I might try to peel them.

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Jim's Carrot Soup

I know, soups don't photograph that well. But this is really good. It kind of looks like pumpkin pie filling before you bake it.

Jim saw someone making carrot soup on PBS and decided he wanted to give it a try. He couldn't remember the show, so he just did an online search for carrot soup recipes and found one on slashfood.com. The interesting thing about this recipe is that it gives the cook options. Four dairy options and three seasoning options. Jim actually used a completely different seasoning option that the ones listed. Here is how he made it:

Jim's Carrot Soup

Ingredients

2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken stock

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup onion, minced

2 smal cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1/3 cup almonds, chopped

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

3 dashed pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Place carrots, stock, and potato into a medium-sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 12-15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

Saute the onion, garlic, and almonds in olive oil until the onions are clear. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning.

Puree everything together in a blender until smooth. (Can use a stick blender if you have one.)

Whisk in the sour cream.

Makes about 6 servings.

The original recipe called for the onion and garlic to be sauteed in butter instead of olive oil. The other dairy options given were: 1 cup milk, 1 cup yogurt plus a little honey, 1/2 pint heavy cream. And actually the sour cream option called for 3/4 cup, but 1/3 was plenty, we found. The other spice options given were: a combination of nutmeg, dried mint, and cinnamon, a combination of thyme, marjoram, and basil, or grated ginger. I would like to try it with the ginger next time.

The recipe also calls for 1 1/2 tsp salt to be added to the carrots and potato, but I don't recommend doing this if using regular chicken stock. We usually use reduced-sodium, but did regular in this one because we had it and needed to get rid of it.

As far as nutritional information goes, I did a rough estimate.

Per serving (one soup bowl full, sorry don't know how many cups)

Calories: 145

Fat/Sat. Fat: 3/0

Cholesterol: 6

Sodium: 800

Fiber: 4

Protein: 6

Cutting out the almonds would cut it down to 114 calories and less than a gram of fat per serving. I actually didn't care for the almonds in the soup that much. They kind of disrupted the texture thing it had going on. And if you skip the nuts, it would make lovely baby food! (Check me out; thinking ahead!)

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Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I got a new slow cooker for Christmas! It is really great. You can read all about it here. Here is the first recipe I made in it.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

1 medium shallot, finely diced
2 (16 oz. cans) black beans
1 (15 oz. can) corn (can use frozen also)
1 (8 oz. can) tomato sauce
12 oz. chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes with the juice
taco seasoning (can use the packet or this recipe)
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
green onions
tortilla chips

Add first seven ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix well so the seasonings are evenly distributed. Lay chicken breasts on top, pushing them down just enough to cover them with the liquid. Simmer on low for 5 hours. Remove the chicken breasts and shred with two forks. Return to slow cooker and simmer an additional hour or so, until chicken is completely cooked through.

Serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Garnish with green onions.

This is another recipe I got from allrecipes.com and altered a bit. It called for onion and I didn’t have one, so I used a shallot. Also, it called for a can of beer instead of the chicken stock, but YUCK! I don’t like beer and was afraid the taste wouldn’t all cook out, so I substituted the stock instead. Besides, I’m pregnant. I can’t have beer!

The recipe came with a taco seasoning, which I posted separately. As you can read there, I thought it was a little heavy on the chili powder. The soup recipe also called for one can of red chili beans instead of the second can of black beans. That combined with the chili powder gave it a definite “chili” feel. I knew that was going to be an issue when I awoke from my afternoon nap and wondered who was making chili. Next time I will scale back the chili powder and use two cans of black beans instead of one black, one red.

I didn’t simmer it on low like the recipe says. I didn’t get it together until about 1:30, so I put it on high. I shredded the chicken at 6:00 and it was literally falling apart. I hate shredding chicken, but it was so easy. The chicken was so tender. The original recipe says to simmer another 2 hours after shredding the chicken, but I didn’t think it needed that much additional time. It was 98% cooked through by then.

I put “2-3 chicken breasts” in the recipe because it really depends on how big your breasts are. (Lol, no I don’t mean the ones in your shirt!) They are usually so thick that they take forever to cook and make huge portion sizes, so when I bring them home I slice them in half (flat-wise) and freeze them individually on a sheet pan. So, how thick your breasts are will determine the cooking time and how many you need to use. I used three of the thin sliced ones: one med, one large, and one kinda small. When I shredded it, I left out half of the big one because I didn’t think it needed any more chicken.

Even with the chili feel to it, we absolutely loved this recipe. It was really flavorful and the chicken was nice and tender. It had great flavor without being very hot. Next time I might add some cayenne pepper or maybe a dash of hot sauce to give it a little something extra, especially since I am reducing the chili powder. If you like things hot, I strongly suggest you add something like that.

I will definitely be making this again! Please try it. It is so easy and so good!


I have to include this pic. It's of Jim's serving. He insisted I take one of his as well. He completely drowned his in cheddar cheese, as you can see!

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