Tag Archives: rice

Strawberry Pineapple Rice Pudding

Posted on July 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

I have never had rice pudding. My husband loves it. We were in the grocery store the other day and he was eyeing it. I was going to pick it up for him but he said “No, I was just thinking you could make it. It would taste better than that packaged stuff.” Hmm, well after a compliment like that it had me thinking. A few days later a friend came over with a couple of cookbooks, in there was a rice pudding recipe! Well, I made some notes on how it was done and made a variation of mine as a surprise for him for our weekend brunch ritual. I think he was very pleased, he ate a very large bowl of it. Hehe. I think this will definitely see more variations in the future.

  • 2 cups skim milk
  • 1/2 cup uncooked sushi rice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar unpacked or splenda
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 cup strawberries, sliced
  • 1 1/2 cup pineapple crushed canned
  • 1 3/4 cup water approximately
  1. Drain the juice from the canned pineapple into a measuring cup. Top up the juice with the water until it measures 1 3/4 cup.
  2. Combine 1 cup milk, the juice mixture, rice, and salt in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Stir in the remaining milk, sugar, and almond extract. Cover the saucepan and return to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until it is creamy, about 25 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat. Stir in the strawberries and pineapple, allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Serve, or serve later!

This is great warm, room temperature or even cold…if it lasts long enough to get that cold. Makes four servings. Each serving with sugar contains 168 calories, .4 grams of fat and 1.7 grams of fibre. Each serving with splenda contains 133 calories, .4 grams of fat, and 1.7 grams of fibre. Not that big a difference really. I think in this case go for the brown sugar!

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Posted in Breakfast, Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Snack

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Faux-tto

Posted on July 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

It’s a faux risotto! It’s summer, it’s too hot outside to be babysitting a real risotto…but having a nice risotto with a glass of wine al fresco just sounds so lovely right about now. What is a hungry hobbit to do? Well…fake it! This tastes rather like a risotto but without all the babysitting and fuss. Yesterday was the hottest day we have had all summer and I found this didn’t heat up our kitchen much at all. Granted, we quickly escaped from it to devour our tasty bowls of faux-tto. Here’s the photo of our faux-tto…o.k. maybe I just like saying faux-tto. hehe.

  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 200g Portobello mushrooms, grilled
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pkg uncle ben’s fine herb and wild rice
  • 1 1/4 cup reduced salt chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  1. This is an optional step. For our mushrooms we use leftovers from making portobello burgers. Marinate the mushrooms in a splash of olive oil, 4 tbl balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp rosemary. Grill to desired doneness. Slice up the leftovers for this faux-tto. You can skip this step by just cooking the mushrooms during the garlic and onion stage. I recommend the leftover method highly though.
  2. Slice the chicken and slightly brown in a skillet, set aside. OR grill the chicken to get a sear, 3 minutes on each side, let sit for 5 minutes and slice. Chicken will be slightly underdone. Don’t worry we will take care of it.
  3. Add garlic and onion to the pan and cook until softened.
  4. Add rice and seasoning packet. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds. The rice should get a nice sheen to it. Stir in the broth and wine. Add the chicken. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  5. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.
  6. Remove from heat. Stir, cover and let stand for another 10 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and serve!

Makes four servings. Each serving contains 403 calories, 6.1 grams of fat and 1.2 grams of fiber. A very enjoyable dish for dining outside. Something different from the everyday bbq.

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Posted in Dinner

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Adorable Hobbit Sized Quiche

Posted on June 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

Otherwise known as mini quiche. These filling quiche certainly aren’t just for ladies. My husband loves these too. They even look lovely enough to serve to guests. I love experimenting with alternatives to plain old pastry crust and with these I made a rice crust which adds so much tasty. They are very sturdy, you can just pick them up and eat, no crumblies! Mix and match those quiche fillings, this basic recipe can take it!

  • 2 1/2 cup cooked short grain rice (I use the same stuff I use for sushi)
  • 1 cup egg white or substitute
  • 4 oz chopped cooked ham (I use leftovers from ham dinners)
  • 4 oz light cheddar, shredded
  • 1 tbl fresh parsley, minced
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup skim milk
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 1 green onion, chopped
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F
  2. Combine the rice with 1/2 cup of egg whites.
  3. Spoon the rice mixture into 12 sprayed muffin cups. Using either the spoon or your finger press the rice into the cups so that they form to the cup.
  4. Bake the cups for 8 minutes.
  5. While the cups are baking, combine the remaining ingredients. When the cups come out of the oven fill the cups with the mixture. I like to ensure even distribution by spooning the now coated solid ingredients into the cups and then spoon the liquid in to finish the fill.
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are set. Allow to cool for 3 minutes and then gently loosen and lift the cups from the pan. Serve!

These are great hot or cold. Makes 12 servings. Each serving contains 96 calories and 1 gram of fat. These also freeze really well. That way they can be reheated for a quick and easy breakfast too! A very versatile entrée.

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Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Snack

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Turmeric Rice

Posted on May 10, 2010 | Leave a comment

I love those aromatic rice sidedishes that you get at indian places. They have so much more body and flavour than your plain old rice. Having one on these on the side of your carefully prepared curry or korma just makes the whole dish work! Aside from an awesome naan ofcourse. They are so easy to make, especially if you have a steamer or rice cooker. Why not?

  • 2 cups basmatic rice
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods (I used black cardamom)
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp of turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups of water
  1. Heat a saucepan, spray and toast the whole herbs.
  2. Add to the rice and water. Steam using the directions on your steamer or rice cooker.
  3. If you do not have a steamer or rice cooker refer to my sushi or onigiri recipe for stovetop directions. When I do rice on the stove thats how I do it!

This makes enough rice to serve four. Each serving contains 139 calories, 0.8 grams of fat and 1.7 grams of fiber. My recent go at this recipe I used organic basmati rice and it was awesome! If you can get your hands on some for a decent price give it a try. I think it may have picked up the herb flavours more than the regular rice.

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Posted in Dinner, Sidedish

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African Chow Mein

Posted on May 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

So apparently this dish comes to us from the chinatowns that have cropped up in various major cities on the African continent. To me it sounds like yet another delicious way to use ground beef. You see, I’m usually not much of a ground beef user but I ended up with a bunch of it in my freezer so I’ve been trying to work on ways to use it that aren’t my usual burger or slider standby. The dish is mainly ground beef, celery, and rice, Nice and simple. I have no idea how authentic my flavour is. My dad is the one who has visited several countries in Africa not me. So here is my effort based on what I’ve had described to me.

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 2 small onions, sliced
  • 1 cup uncooked brown minute rice
  • 1 package onion soup mix
  • 1 can fat free cream of celery soup
  • 2 cups chopped celery
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce (kikoman ofcourse!)
  • 2 1/4 cups boiling water
  • 1 1/2 cup mushrooms cut to desired consistency (I puree mine, mushroom flavour in every bite! I use crimini, oyster, or shiitake mainly)
  • Ground pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F
  2. Use a large wok to sautee the onions until the edges turn slightly brown. Add the ground beef. Cook until browned. Drain the fat.
  3. Add the other ingredients to the pan and mix well.
  4. Pour the ingredients into a casserole dish and bake, covered, for 45 minutes.
  5. Stir and return to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.
  6. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chives (optional).

This makes four servings. Each serving has 484 calories, 26 grams of fat (lower this by using extra lean), and 2 grams of fiber. I know at first glance that may seem like a lot but consider this is a one dish meal. You have veggies, grains and proteins all in one. I served this all by itself and went from starving hungry (I was late getting dinner going) to happily satisfied with just one serving. I liked it so much I’m actually having a serving leftover for lunch today…as is my husband. This dish was a bit of a crowd pleaser. My husband came home yesterday with a headache and completely drained of umpf. At this for dinner and was back to his old self. Maybe that qualifies this as a comfort food?

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Dinner

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Sushi Maki

Posted on April 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

After a long day of working like a field hand picking through and cleaning raw fleece I was still somehow able to clean up and make a huge sushi dinner. No excuses folks, you can do it too! It really is simple. I learned to make simple rolls while I was still in highschool. Never too young to learn how to make a decent tasty roll. I’m sure even my 5 year old nephew could put together a sushi roll. It is simply not as intimidating as you might think. Now if you want to make true sushi art like the pros…well, that is a different story. Start simple!

My method for making simple sushi rice is already outlined in my onigiri post. The salmon filling I describe there is also a very delicious sushi filling. Other sushi fillings I used in this particular dish were cucumber/wasabi, avocado, and cucumber/avocado. The soup is simply a low calorie yet filling consomme. The pink stuff is pickled ginger. Not everyone loves the stuff but I do. I put a bit on each piece of sushi for a bit of kick. Not a lot of calories in pickled ginger really.

How to put together a simple roll:

  1. Place your bamboo mat on a flat surface. You can get bamboo mats almost anywhere these days. I’ve even seen them at the superstore! Keep a measuring cup filled with 2 cups of water and a splash of rice wine vinegar on hand.
  2. Place a sheet of nori on the mat with one of the longer sides down.
  3. Dip your fingers in the vinegar water. Grab a handful of rice, spread that rice on the nori sheet so that it covers 3/4 of the sheet.
  4. Make a little shallow channel about an inch away from the bottom of the sheet that runs parallel to the bottom.
  5. Put some filling of your choice in that channel. You should have a line of filling. Don’t over fill.
  6. Wet your fingers again with the vinegar water and dampen the uncovered part of your nori.
  7. Lift the bottom part of the mat with your thumbs while you keep your filling and rice in check with your fingers.
  8. Roll the mat while tucking the rice and filling into your roll. Apply a bit of pressure to help it all stick together. Not too much ofcourse. Make sure you roll the whole thing together. The dampened nori will seal it like an envelope.
  9. Tada! You have a sushi roll!
  10. To slice it make sure you use a nice sharp knife and dampen the edge with the vinegar water frequently to keep things from sticking.

Nutritional values of the sushi depend mostly on what you put in your roll. Tempura? lots of calories and fat. Veggies? low fat and low calorie. The fun of the sushi really is coming up with fun things to put in it. Here are some tasty things I’ve done:

  • Sweet omelet
  • Cucumber and wasabi (just lightly spread some wasabi with your finger, a little goes a long with that bad boy!)
  • Avocado and shrimp
  • Cucumber and avocado
  • Avocado, crab, and cucumber (mmm california roll, oldie but goodie)
  • Miso and cucumber (miso paste can be found at most asia food marts and even some grocery stores!)
  • Strawberries and kiwi (I added a bit more sugar/splenda to the vinegar mix, even tried it using balsamic vinegar. Goodtimes)
  • Onigiri salmon and cucumber
  • Lettuce, kewpie mayo, and green onion (called it a salad roll, fun!)
  • Teriyaki chicken or turkey

Just to name a few. You get the idea though. Sushi can be so much fun and there are always new combinations to be tried.

Enjoy!

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Posted in Dinner

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