Bean and Rice Casserole (Or Burrito-Filling)

I knew when I made this casserole that I was going to have trouble getting my brother to eat it. Particularly because it contains onions, mushrooms, beans, and tomatoes. And because it’s considered a casserole. I don’t know, but the word “casserole” just makes food sound bland to me.

Don’t ask why. It just does.

So anyway, as my brother entered the room, I saw him wrinkle his nose and look at the food in disgust. Luckily, I thought of the perfect counter-response before he could even open his mouth; I told him that the meal was just the insides of a burrito that I was too lazy to wrap in a tortilla. I didn’t really lie to him cause I’m pretty sure it’s true (I’ve never had a burrito before). Fortunately, my brother never had one either and just went with it. I think the word “burrito” just sounds more manly and fun. Way more manly and fun than “casserole” anyway.

The lesson here? If you have a picky eater, try to change their perception of the food. In this case it worked and my brother went back for thirds!

Bean and Rice Casserole (Or Burrito-Filling)  

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 portobello mushrooms, de-stemmed, sliced, and cubed

1 14oz can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup organic frozen corn

1 tbsp dried cilantro

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tbsp cumin

1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 cup arborio rice

chicken broth

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup cheese (I used 365’s Organic Fiesta Blend)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a pot. Add in onions and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes. Add in mushrooms, beans, tomatoes (with juice), corn, cilantro, parsley, cumin, and chili powder. Stir, cooking for 5 minutes. With a spoon, press mixture against the sides of the pot, making a well in the center. Pour rice into well and add chicken broth until rice is just covered, about 1 cup. Lower heat to a simmer. (Note: it’s ok if some juices or food fall into the well). As the rice absorbs the broth, keep adding more until the broth just covers the rice. Do this for 35 minutes while preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Afterwards, mix all the contents of the pot together. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper. (If the rice is not entirely done, don’t panic- it’ll continue to cook in the oven). Spray a large baking dish with cooking oil. Transfer the rice into the dish (I used a ladle to do this) and top mixture with cheese. Bake for 12 minutes. Serve with a ladle. Alternatively, spoon onto a tortilla and eat as a burrito.

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Indian Stew

Fall is here! My favorite season. Football parties, the return of TV series, scarecrows, and the start of the holidays. Not to mention, the leaves turn rich colors and everybody just seems to be in such a good mood. Regarding weather- warm days and brisk evenings. Which brings me to this hot “Indian” Stew. Perfect to eat on one of those said chilly nights while watching Supernatural 🙂 

Indian Stew 

Ingredients:

1 cup arborio rice

1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

1 cup chicken broth

1 28oz can plum tomatoes with juice

1 15oz can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained (Note: chickpeas would make it a more “Indian” dish. I, however, do not like the taste, so I always use cannelloni beans as a sub.)

1 cup frozen corn

1 tbsp lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

cilantro

Directions:

Cook rice according to box instructions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil. Add in onions and garlic cloves and sauté for 5 minutes. Add and mix in curry, ginger, cumin, turmeric, pepper flakes, cinnamon, and cayenne. Stir for 1 minute. Add in broth, tomatoes, cannelloni beans, and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Take off stove and stir in lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve stew over rice and garnish with cilantro.

Stuffed Pineapple Boats

Tuesday night was my last night of freedom. Now it’s back to stress and lack of sleep. The downside of college. Unfortunately, this also means that I won’t have much time to create and cook new recipes. And so, the other night I decided to make something extra special.

Awhile back, I saw what is called “pineapple boats” in a magazine. I thought it was such a cute idea with a pretty end result. For my send-off meal, I made pineapple boats stuffed with rice, shrimp, and peppers. Not only did it taste delicious, but it also looked oh so very impressive.

 

Stuffed Pineapple Boats:    

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 pineapple

1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil

1 lb shrimp, peeled

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 sweet pepper, chopped

1/3 cup frozen corn

3 tbsp soy sauce

hot sauce to taste

dash of crushed red pepper flakes

basil to taste

Directions:

Cook the brown rice while making the rest of the meal (it’s ok to make the rice in advance). Cut the pineapple in half and hollow out the insides, reserving the hollowed pineapple, the pineapple meat and juices for later. In a deep skillet, heat the coconut oil and add in the shrimp. On low heat, cook for 2 minutes. Add in garlic cloves, onions, and peppers. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often. While this is cooking, cube pineapple meat to the desired size. After the 5 minutes, add in 1 cup of pineapple chucks, 2 tbsp of pineapple juices, and the corn. Let cook for 3 more minutes. Add and mix in brown rice. Stir in soy sauce, hot sauce, red pepper flakes, and basil. Transfer the rice mixture into the hollowed pineapple bowls. With a spoon, top with more pineapple juice. Garnish with basil.

Zucchini and Pea Risotto

Normally, I am not one to talk about myself. Every so often though, I have something to write that is not related to food (if you’re uninterested, feel free to skip right to the recipe).

So, last weekend, I went to visit some family at the Poconos in PA. Turns out, most of my family are not mountain people. Which completely makes sense to why we would be in the mountains. Anyway, as a result, we spent a lot of time picking at food, watching the Olympics, and staring at one another (on the plus side, I had plenty of time to learn how to play Apples to Apples).

Now, I happened to fall into the minority of those who wanted to go hiking. We finally got our chance on the way home. First, we went to Boulder Field (pictures below!)- which is just what it sounds like. It was so huge! Of course we had to be careful not to slip into a crack and break our ankles, but it was so worth it. I actually got jealous of my dog who was able to drag me from boulder to boulder without so much as glancing at the ground. Everybody thought it was funny to see such a tiny dog on the rocks 🙂

Afterwards we wanted to check out a waterfall in the middle of the woods. Problem was, a huge storm was right behind us. Now, normal people would see the dark clouds and loud thunder and simply walk away. We, however, were adventurous (and stupid) enough to continue on down the trail. And sure enough,  it poured. Hard. I felt like I was in a horror movie and half expected to return to our car and see our tires slashed. And, brilliant me, I forgot I had my camera in my pocket. My thoughts trekking in pouring rain for 25 minutes: Oh my God, I murdered my camera. My dad is going to murder me. In addition, we had our cell phones with us, which was also serving as our GPS. (Yup, we definitely are mountain people). 

But, there must be a God out there because, luckily, my camera still works. Unfortunately, I spent 3 hours in a car soaked. My dog is still recovering as he has been sleeping for the last 24 hours!

Now, onto food. As the zucchini is still coming in strong, we have…

Zucchini and Pea Risotto

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup uncooked arborio rice

1/4 cup red wine

3 to 3 and 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 zucchini, chopped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a pot, heat oil and add in the onions and garlic clove. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add in rice and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add in all of wine and and enough chicken broth to cover all the rice. Bring to a simmer and cover your pot with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes, adding in more broth as rice absorbs it. Add in zucchini and cook until tender. Stir in peas and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and stir in basil, parsley, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

 

Boulder Field

My little man! Definitely in need of some sunglasses 🙂