Coconut Rice

Tags

coconut, coconut milk, Jasmine, lime, rice

I don’t know about you, but I typically have no trouble deciding on a main dish, but when it comes to a perfectly paired side I’m at a loss. I especially had a problem when I made these Caribbean pork chops. Typical sides of pasta or potatoes didn’t seem to match, and plain rice just sounded so boring when compared to the spicy/sweet components of the pork chops. I also don’t know anything about Caribbean cuisine, but a tropical side dish sounded appropriate. My mind automatically when to coconut rice, even though it’s a Thai dish. Mango and coconut sounds perfect together! And the coconut milk should help counter the spiced rub on the pork chops, just like it counters spicy Thai dishes.

Now for those of you who aren’t coconut fans, don’t worry! I, myself, am not a fan of coconut though my dislike of coconut is a textural issue. Shredded coconut is just gritty and nasty to me, but mix coconut milk into something, and I’m a happy camper! The coconut milk combined with the lime juice made for the most wonderful rice, especially since it’s made with jasmine rice. I was absolutely amazed at how good this rice was, and I definitely plan on making it again soon, with or without the pork chops!One Year Ago: Carrot Cupcakes and Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Lemon

Coconut Rice

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups jasmine rice, washed and drained well
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1½ cups water
2-3 tablespoons lime juice, about 1 lime
Toasted coconut for garnish, optional

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, brown sugar, and salt, stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, add rice and stir until rice is evenly coated. Add coconut milk, water, and lime juice, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil and cover pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat but do not open lid; let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Source: Adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

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Cilantro Lime Rice

Tags

cilantro, lime, Mexican, rice

I’m not a big fan of Mexican food, which I believe I have mentioned before. On the other hand, my whole family loves it and my mom keeps hoping I will come around and warm up to it. Thus far, no such luck. I do enjoy burritos, though, but I’m picky about those, too. For those of you fortunate enough to have had a Chipotle burrito, you know how awesome they are. For those of you who have not, the tortillas are perfect, the fillings are delish, and the rice is awesome. I never would have thought that rice would make a dish, but this rice is super good and the burritos just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Now being the genius that I am (haha), I decided to finally look online and find a copycat recipe to use in my own burritos. There were so many different recipes, but I narrowed down my options and picked one that seemed simple yet delicious. The rice was as good as I expected it to be, which made for a very happy me! The lime added a nice subtle citrus flavor, and the cilantro added freshness and some Mexican flair. I made burritos 2 weeks in a row… I had a craving… And I made this rice both times to go along with them. Sometimes I ate it on the side, and sometimes I ate it in the burritos, but either way it was delish! If you’re looking for a simple rice dish to serve alongside Mexican food, or in some burritos, be sure to try this out!Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup rice, uncooked
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

In a small pot, add rice, water, 1 teaspoon oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water is just above the top of the rice, reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and keep covered an additional 5 minute. Add chopped cilantro, lime juice, and remaining oil to the rice and toss until completely mixed.

Source: Adapted from Skinnytaste

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Tags

black bean, cilantro, gluten-free, lime, quinoa, tomato, vegetarian

Happy new year! I hope everyone had a great one. With the holidays over, I’m hoping to have some more free time to put towards writing blog posts and visiting everyone else’s blogs, and of course making more yummy food in the kitchen! I still have some belated Christmas stuff to get out (whoops!), but other than that, it’s back to trying out new recipes and having some fun with my new cookbooks that I got for Christmas!

Now I’ve never been one for new years resolutions. I was always forced to make some in school, as a fun little homework assignment, but I never followed through on any of them so I kind of just gave up. If I want to try to better myself in some way, I don’t think it should wait until the beginning of the new year to start trying. That’s just my opinion… I don’t mean to offend anyone, of course. But for those of you who have made some resolutions, and if that resolution includes eating healthier (or if you just want to try something new), then this recipe is for you! This was my first time ever trying quinoa, and I know I’m totally behind on this trend, but what else is new :). It’s simple and delicious, and such a fun texture! I love the combination of the tomatoes, beans, and lime and next time I try this, I might add some avocado because it seems like it would fit right in with the rest of the ingredients.Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare quinoa according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed.  Stir in remaining ingredients and additional salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Misadventures in Cooking

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

Tags

beef, cheese, chipotle, lime, Mexican, tortilla

This may be blasphemous to say, but I’m not a big fan of Mexican food. I love Chipotle burritos, which I realize are very Americanized and are not really Mexican burritos at all. Other than that, if it’s Mexican but it’s not fried, I probably won’t like it. I used to love tamales and enchiladas, but something in my taste buds changed a while ago, so now I really only like taquitos, flautas, tacos, and nachos.

These taquitos are baked, so they’re healthier than their fried counterparts but still have the tasty crunch necessary for taquitos. I’ve made these multiple times over the last couple of months, and doubled it last time so I could save them in the freezer. They’re a perfect quick lunch or dinner, or even a snack! And if you love taquitos, make sure to try these baked creamy chicken taquitos. It never hurts to have variety in your freezer!Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos
Note: Leftover beef can be used from pot roast or other slow cooked beef, as long as the seasoning isn’t overly strong. Also, chipotle chili powder can be used in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, just add a little to start and increase to taste.

1½ to 2 pounds beef chuck pot roast
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
½ teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
3 teaspoons adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
zest from one lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
12 ounces cheese (Queso Fresco or sharp cheddar cheese), crumbled
20 to 25 6-inch white corn tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Place beef roast and 1 cup water in a 5-quart slow cooker, fat side down. Sprinkle the packet of taco seasoning on top of the roast. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. When meat is cooked and tender, remove the roast and use 2 forks to shred the meat; shredded beef should total about 3 cups. Slice any larger pieces of roast across the grain so the beef is shredded into ½ to 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

To prepare chipotle peppers, slit the pepper open. Remove the seeds either by scraping carefully with a knife or running the open pepper under a slow stream of water until the seeds have been rinsed away.

In a small bowl, combine chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder, lime zest, and lime juice; whisk well.  Pour over the beef and gently toss to coat.

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1 tablespoon cheese in a line across the center of the tortilla.  Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded beef mixture.  Tightly roll and place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Continue to roll until all of the tortillas are filled, reheating more tortillas as needed.

Lightly spray the top of each taquito with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.  Serve warm with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

To freeze: Prepare taquitos through spraying with cooking spray and sprinkling with salt. Lay taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet, lightly spaced out and place in freezer. Once frozen, store in freezer bags. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites

Brazilian Lemonade

Tags

lemonade, lime, sweetened condensed milk

Sticking with drink recipes, lets go a little further south down to Brazil for another lemonade recipe! Yes, this doesn’t look like any other lemonade you’ve probably ever seen. It’s kind of white… and is that a lime on the glass edge? I guess in the US this is more of a limeade, but only because Brazilian lemons are closer in flavor to limes than lemons, at least that’s the case here. As for the creamy look, it’s sweetened condensed milk. And before that makes you want to close this page, you need to try it! I was a bit skeptical at first, but I like trying new things, and this seemed adventurous. Well, sort of… But it really is amazing, and I hope you try it, because you’ll be missing out otherwise! It’s such a unique flavor, and quite pretty as well 🙂 The only bad thing about this recipe is that you can’t make it in advance. Once you make it, it’s best if you can drink it all. The citrus and the sweetened condensed milk start doing funny things together. If you’re worried about it making too much, do like I did, and make a half batch the first time around. Just because you don’t believe me with how great this stuff is. It’s okay, I understand!Brazilian Lemonade
Note: Try to find limes with thin, smooth skin that are heavy for their size. They’re the juiciest and the thin skin will make the drink less bitter.

4 large limes
1 cup sugar
6 cups cold water
6 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

Mix cold water and sugar very well and chill until ready to use.

Wash limes thoroughly with soap in order to remove the wax and pesticides. Cut the ends off the limes and then cut each lime in half, and then quarter each lime half.

Place half of the lime pieces in the blender. Add half of the sugar water, place the lid on the blender, then pulse 5to 8 times. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a pitcher and pour the blended mixture through the strainer and into the pitcher. Use a spoon to press the rest of the liquid into the pitcher. Discard the pulp and remnants in the strainer. Repeat with the remaining limes and sugar water. Add sweetened condensed milk; mix well. Taste test and add more sugar or sweetened condensed milk if the lemonade is bitter. Serve immediately over ice.

Source: Our Best Bites