Is this a new easy way to eat healthy? A new replacement for the food pyramid! What do you think?
Quick and Authentic Black Beans and Brown Rice
Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook, so start the rice first. Make a double batch and keep it on hand for a quick addition later in the week. Rice is gluten free and a fabulous source of complex carbohydrates and fiber!
- 2 Tablespoons olive or canola oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, optional
- Heat a small sauce pan and add oil. When warmed add onion and saute till tender.
- Add rice and saute a few minutes.
- Add broth and bring to a boil.
- Cover and simmer 40 minutes or until tender.
- Makes 3 cups.
Black beans are rich in high energy complex carbohydrates and fiber. Tomatoes prevent prostrate cancer. The hot dried chorizo adds big flavor with minimal fat per serving. Black beans or black bean soup is a specialty of Cuba and Puerto Rico.
2 Tablespoons olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 oz. HOT Spanish dried chorizo, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano, dried
1 – 15 oz. can whole tomatoes, undrained and broken into pieces
1 – 20 oz can seasoned black beans, undrained
1 – 15 oz can Northern beans, drained and rinsed or a 2nd can of black beans
3/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
3 cups chopped tomatoes
Red wine vinegar
- Heat a medium saucepan and add oil.
- Saute onion until tender.
- Add chorizo and saute 3 minutes.
- Add bell pepper and jalapeno and saute 3 minutes.
- Add seasonings and garlic and saute less than 1 minute.
- Add canned tomatoes to make the sofrito. Saute 3 minutes
- Add the beans, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Place 2/3 cup brown rice in a serving bowl. Pour 2/3 cup Black Beans over top.
- Spoon 1/2 cup fresh tomato and 2 Tablespoons cilantro over beans.
- Sprinkle with red wine vinegar to taste
- Serves 6
Coconut Rice
1 cup brown rice (my favorite is the short grain brown rice) Jasmine, basmati or traditional rice may be used. Decrease the cooking time to 20 minutes.
1- 14 ounce can light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 -1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- In a medium size saucepan combine the above ingredients.
- Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper and mix.
- Serve hot.
A Collection of Recipes and Thoughts from a Citizen of the World
An outdoor market in Rouen France in the Normandy region north of Paris. Spanish Paella is a rice and seafood dish cooked in a shallow pan. It is made without stirring the ingredients to develop the desired crispy crust.
Cooking Light Magazine
Cooking Light Magazine Online Features
This is a super magazine with sound nutrition information and delicious cooking advice. The recipes and food ideas are creative and reliable. Cookinglight.com is an easy to use website filled with endless inspiration.
Avocado n Strawberry or Raspberry Salsa
1 pound strawberries, medium diced or 1 pint whole raspberries
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into large dice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced or 1/2 bunch, minced
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice or 1 juicy fresh lime, squeezed
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or sea salt
Combine avocados and lime juice to prevent discoloration/oxidation. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently. Serve the soon the better with home made tortilla chips. Store bought chips also work
Tortilla chips: Preheat oven to 350 and brush small or 4 inch corn tortillas with vegetable oil. Cut into 1/4’s. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Bake 10 minutes or till crisp.
I fine tune recipes I love. I don’t like leftover pieces of jalapeno or limes or a 1/4 box of strawberries…..add the whole thing and make it work! This is my 2nd rendition of this recipe originally from Cooking Light.
Toasted Barley and Berry Granola
Granola & Milk, a take along breakfast
Granola, Vanilla Yogurt & Fresh Fruit Parfait shown here with Granola ready for snacking
The crunch in the Banana Crunch Muffin & the Parfait comes from this granola
The granola recipe is below. To make the parfaits layer Dannon Vanilla Yogurt (do not use the Lite variety! It tastes bad & has a brown like color), Toasted Barley & Berry Granola, more yogurt and then top with a mixture of fresh berries. Serve right away or it becomes soggy.
- 1 ½ cups unsalted pumpkinseed kernels
- 1 ½ cups unsalted sunflower seed kernels
- 1 ½ cups pure maple syrup (thank you to Peachie Martin for her Michigan UP maple syrup!)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon (my favorite is Penzey’s Ceylon Cinnamon; I also added their Vietnamese Extra Fancy Cinnamon)
- 2 Tbsp vanilla
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp cardamon (this is essential for a delicious flavor & fragrance!!!)
- 8 cups rolled barley flakes
- 1 cup toasted wheat germ or wheat bran
- 1 ½ cups dried blueberries (do not use the cranberries infused/flavored with other juices!!)
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup dried cherries
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Place pumpkin and sunflower kernels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes. Cool.
3. In a mediuim bowl combine syrup through cardamon with a whisk.
4. Pour barley, toasted kernels and wheat germ into a large mixing bowl. Stir in syrup mixture.
5. Spread barley mixture on 2 large baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until slightly light brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Works well to use a large pancake turner to flip sections of the mixture to toast it all.
6. Cool baked granola. Stir in dried fruit. Store in airtight containers. Makes 16 cups.
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, March 2010
NSF 2/2011
Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Voted most delicious & most easy to prepare salad worldwide!
- 2 cups mini or Ciliegine or cherry size fresh mozzarella balls
- 3 cups grape tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons julienne strips of fresh basil or fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar, optional to taste
This is so easy to put together for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks! In a serving platter or bowl place mozzarella and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, olive oil and vinegar. Toss. Layer basil strips on top and voila! This is a favorite at breakfast brunches! It is also the national salad of Italy, representing the three colors of their flag!
Nina Sanders Frurip 6/2010
Tiramisú
- Savoiardi cookies
- Coffee
- Mascarpone cheese
- Sugar
- Egg white
- Ground unsweetened chocolate
Mix in a pot with a whisk using the following proportion: 1 white egg + 1 spoon of sugar + 1 spoon of mascarpone till the mixture becomes uniform and creamy (it’ll take 10-15 minutes). Now wet the Savoiardi cookies in the coffee (it must me cold), better if only from one side for a couple of second (otherwise it’d become too wet). Start to make a layer of wet cookies followed by a layer of cream you’ve already prepared. After 2-3 layers (it depends from the depth of pot you’re using), finish with a last layer of cream and put on the top some ground chocolate (you can even put the chocolate on the top of each layer, as you want). Let tiramisú rest in the fridge for half day, serve cold.
This recipe is from Marco, our friend from Italy. His mother is a chef in Milan. Marco orchestrated an authentic Italian dinner at our home for friends.
Spicy Cilantro Slaw
Served with Roasted Peppers and Grilled Hamburgers
- 1-16 oz. package angle hair coleslaw
Combine the following and then mix with the coleslaw:
- ½ bunch cilantro, chopped fine
- 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Combine and serve right away or within 1 day. For more spice, add more jalapeno and lime juice!
NSF 6/2010
nina in the kitchen 