Easy Fried Rice

I was sitting here tonight editing a friend's book and started getting the munchies. I made a roast beef wrap, ate a few bites and realized it wasn't what I wanted to eat. So I gave the rest of the wrap to a doggy and suddenly realized I was craving rice. I wanted to make something with the incredibly aromatic and yummy Texmati Basmati rice I had in my pantry. I Googled "easy rice recipes" and when I saw the words "fried rice" I knew that is what I wanted, one of my all time favorite foods. A perfect comfort food and good for you too! Now let me tell you that all those nutritionists out there claim that white rice is horrible for you and don't eat it. Well, they can go shove it. My botany prof in college is convinced that rice (white or brown) is an almost perfect food because of the high level of amino acids (and if you eat beans and rice, depending upon the type of bean, you can potentially have a complete protein, and this is a very, very good thing!). But I digress...

I have found the Texmati brand of Basmati rice (grown in Texas) has the most incredible aroma when toasted to a light golden brown and cooked. The air is filled with the scent of buttered popcorn. I've even seen Alton Brown suggest it as his rice of choice on Good Eats. Yay! So on to the recipe we go...

Ingredients:

1 cup Texmati Basmati rice
1 Tbs Olive oil
1 3/4 cups water

1/8 cup vegetable or canola oil
3 Tbs seasame oil
1 yellow onion chopped (I prefer sweet Texas yellow onions)
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1-2 cups frozen peas & carrots
2 eggs scrambled
1/4-1/2 c low sodium soy sauce

In a sauce pan over medium heat add the olive oil and rice, stirring rice to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until rice is a light golden brown. Add water, heat until boiling, cover and cook for 13-15 min. (The package says 15 min but mine was done after 13, and make sure you open the lid away from your person, I did not do this and now have a nasty steam burn on my forearm!).

While rice is cooking in water, heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add veggie or canola oil and sesame oil, mixing together w/a spoon or spatula. Add onion and garlic, cook until onion is translucent then add frozen peas and carrots cooking until heated about 1-2 minutes. Push veggies off to side and add egg mixture. Scramble and once cooked, incorporate into veggies.

Now drizzle veggies with some of the soy sauce and mix until coated. Add 2 heaping spoonfuls (or spatula-fuls) of rice to skillet, drizzle with a little more soy sauce, mixing to incorporate and coat, and keep repeating until all rice is incorporated.

Let leftovers cool for about 20 minutes, place into a storage container and refridgerate. I would guess this is good in the fridge for up to a week.

Optional: Drizzle a little soy sauce or sesame seed oil on top of rice as garnish.

Rockin' Black Bean Chili

I love how recipes created out of scrounging tend to be some of the best. Tonight for dinner I made the most rockin' black bean chili. Here's what I used:

1 lb stew meat
olive oil
kosher salt
black pepper (I use McCormick Grinder, Black Pepper Medley)
cumin
onion powder
garlic powder
chili powder
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 chopped onion
2 beef bouillon cubes
heaping tablespoon adobo paste
1 can Rotel (undrained)
1 can fire roasted chilies (undrained)
2 cans black beans (undrained)
couple handfuls crushed tortilla chips
2-3 tablespoons lime juice

In my cast iron dutch oven, I cooked the meat with a liberal sprinkling of all the seasonings until it was mostly browned, then I added the onion and garlic and cooked until soft.

I then added the beef bouillon, adobo, Rotel, chilies, and black beans, heating until boiling, covered and reduced heat to low. It cooked for about 30 minutes before I added the tortilla chips to thicken the mixture, which I let cook for another 15-20 minutes to allow them to dissolve. About 10 mintues before serving I turned off the heat, added the lime juice, stirred to incorporate, and let the chili rest before serving. I topped with some grated mozzerella cheese I had on hand.

I would have taken a photo but we ate it all before I remembered to write down the recipe.

My first CD review!!!

My first CD review is now posted at The Music City Muse . Go check it out!!!!

The Music City Muse

So I now have another writing gig doing music reviews for The Music City Muse that my friend Mel Barnes started. I'm really excited about this opportunity to help fatten up my portfolio and hopefully one day actually have a paying job from home!!! The first reviews I'm working on are of the bands J Minus as well as Slander. I'll let you know when the first reviews are posted!

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Tonight I am getting ready for Turkey Day by cleaning and baking. I started feeling a bit hungry and in an effort to start eating better I have become interested in making smoothies. I've had problems with dairy over the years (my mom just informed me I've been allergic to milk since I was a baby) so I picked up some vanilla rice milk and used it to make a peanut butter and banana smoothie tonight. It was sooo... yummy!!!

Recipe:
In a blender or food processor (and make sure to hold the lid down otherwise the force will kick it off and you will have a HUGE mess!!!!) mix:

1 Banana
1/2 c Rice Milk
1/8 c Peanut Butter (I just put in a heaping spoonful)
1 Tbs honey (I always use local honey, and put in a big squirt)
Ice (handful, optional)

Pour into a glass and enjoy!!!!!

The Versitile Rump Roast

So I slow cooked a rump roast today in a few cups of water and seasoned w/salt, pepper and garlic powder. When trying to decide how to serve it, I decided to shred it and simmer it in a pot with a couple cans of diced green chilies, a diced onion, some diced garlic cloves, and I seasoned it with oregano and cumin. It is so yummy!!! There is easily enough meat for 3 meals for my hubby and I, so tonight I made shredded beef burritos w/refried beans and Monterrey Jack cheese, tomorrow I'll make empanadas using pre-made pie crust and Monterrey Jack cheese, then for the 3rd day I'm thinking of adding a can or two of hominy and some beef broth for a yummy posole.

Honeysuckle Tea

It's getting to be that time of year again when everyone seems to be getting sick. Today my hubby and I both don't feel particularly well. My chest is starting to feel scratchy and I've had a sinus infection for a couple of weeks now, so today I decided to make my tea concoction that helps me feel better. I don't know if it helps me get better any sooner, but I do know it helps alleviate the symptoms I'm feeling enough that I can get stuff done. The effects generally last about 2 hours.

Per mug:
4-6oz (almost boiling) water
1 Tbs tea leaves*
20 drops liquid echinacea*
1 Tbs local honey

Steep the leaves for 2-3 minutes and extract, then add echinacea and honey, stir. Drink while hot.

*Tea leaves, any kind will do, but for bronchial irritation I use honeysuckle blossoms. Alton Brown advocates letting the leaves steep loose in the water and extract using a strainer. I find this leaves bit of leaves that I don't like to drink, so I line the strainer with a coffee filter. Today I was lazy and put the blossoms in the filter, twisted closed and clipped w/a clothes pin. If you're interested in getting honeysuckle blossoms I purchased mine at www.teacuppa.com.

*Liquid echinacea has a bit of a grassy taste, and I'm sure capsules are fine, but I prefer the liquid. I buy mine at www.naturessunshine.com.