Quick Cooker Rice

Super Easy Quick Cooker Rice

This recipe is my go to for busy days or nights when I don't have a lot of time to cook.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1 can black beans

1 bell pepper

6-8 green onions

minced garlic

bullion cube

spices

Rinse your brown rice throughly!

You can also let it sit for a few hours in water in the fridge, but I decided to made this last minute.

My rice cooker gives me lines to fill the water to, but really you want it about 1/2 inch above the rice.

My particular rice cooker has a setting for brown rice. My suggestion is to follow your cooker's manual if you've never used it for brown rice before.

I start it now, to heat the water and help the bullion dissolve.

I used fake beef broth, but you can use any broth bullion cube. 

You can also replace the water with vegetable broth.

Break the bullion cube up to help it dissolve quicker!

I'm using a red bell pepper and green onions, but if you don't like peppers or can get your hands on green onions, you can use tomatoes and regular onions. Just treat them the same way.

Chop the green onion up roughly- you want about one cup.

Same thing with the pepper!

If you use other veggies, treat them similarly.

Blurry picture! Oh no.

Add the veggies to the bowl.

Add about two teaspoons garlic! Yum :)

Mix gently, then close the top and set it to cook.

Walk away now (set a timer if you need to, mine beeps when done)!

When done, toss gently- fluff with a paddle.

Be careful of the steam! But keep tossing until it's mixed fully.

Now add the spices you like (I used smoked paprika and chill pepper flakes) and the beans (after you rinse them!) and gently stir some more. I tend to close the lid to let the beans heat, though they're precooked so no need to put them in ahead of time. If you do they're liable to get soft and squishy. 

Serve now or refrigerate and eat the next day or so.

Should be good in the fridge for up to a week!

Enjoy!

Crispy Crunchy Cinnamon Pita Chips

Crispy Crunchy Cinnamon Pita Chips

So I found this recipe: http://www.macaroniandcheesecake.com/2011/09/baked-cinnamon-sugar-chips.html

And then this one: http://theveganstoner.blogspot.com/2012/06/churro-chips.html

And I kind of mixed the two?

Oh and I used olive oil....

So first you cut up your tortilla. I used a small type, as you can see in the next picture of my set-up.

As I said, I also used extra virgin olive oil and not butter or vegetable oil.

This is my set-up. I mixed the sugar and cinnamon with a small whisk, but a fork would work too. 

I had to mix more (about two more times) so maybe mixing the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl on the side and then adding it as needed would make more sense. Adding more oil is simple enough.

Coat both sides with oil then the sugar-cinnamon mix and place on a baking sheet.

(I have a note about this later, but  for now know that it's messy!)

I baked it at 350 F for 10-12 minutes in a single layer, so I had a couple batches.

Take them off when hot or they'll stick!

Okay, so let them cool a little first!

Then transfer to a cooling rack.

I found using chopsticks (if you know how to use them easily enough) made things much less messy in the coating process and kept my fingers from burning while transferring the chips to the cooling sheet. I had wax paper under the chips, but in hind site I think parchment paper would work better for absorbing extra oil. Don't use paper towels! They'll stick. Though, I did put them in layers on paper towels in a container once they were cool and could be stored (the ones I didn't eat).

Anyway, I've eaten about half the batch now- so yummy!

And let me tell you, they are crunchy!

Enjoy!

Rustic Potatoes

Rustic Potatoes

Ingredients:

Any potatoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Onion

Mushrooms (crimini)

Red Pepper Flakes

Granulated Garlic

Other spices

Chop everything roughly!

Mix everything in a big bowl.

Put into a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browning occurs- the onions should be translucent and the mushrooms soft. Shrinkage will have occurred. 

Add a little water and stir, steaming the ingredients.

Test the potatoes for doneness!

Add more spices to taste.

Above is simply the sautéed mushrooms. You can also just sauté the onions, or peppers, but the whole thing makes a great breakfast addition.

Enjoy!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Homemade Pasta Sauce

(or pizza sauce if you cook out more of the liquid!)

Ingredients:

Small can tomato paste

12-16 cherry tomatoes

3 T extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

basil

3-4 tsp minced garlic

onions or scallions (or both)

1/2 C. to 1 C. water

1/2 C. to 1 C. wine

On this particular day I decided to use onions and scallions. Both my boyfriend and I love onion so the more the better!

I was also lazy and bought pre-chopped onion, but you can just use one whole onion and chop it roughly. I also bough pre-minced garlic. Yay for being tired and lazy! I did however chop the tomatoes! A whole bowl will do!

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil on med/low heat. Add in the onions (chop it roughly if you bought it whole) and/or the scallions and stir occasionally.

Once the onions are clear looking add in the rest of the chopped veggies and keep stirring! 

We don't want anything to burn.

Once it's cooked through enough add the garlic and the can of tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, and 1/2 cup wine. Stir and let simmer on med/low heat until the sauce thickens and the wine is incorporated.

Add the salt, pepper, and more basil. You should taste it now and see if you want more wine for sweetness/tang or water if the flavor is too strong. Let it simmer some more until to liked thickness, then remove from heat.

If you haven't cooked the pasta, do it now. Right before it's fully cooked, add it to the pan with the sauce and cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes to incorporate flavor. 

As a side note, I tend to use white wine, which is a little sweeter, so I don't need to add sugar. Some people like their sauce sweet and some like it acidic, so use different wines to choose the best flavor for you.

Enjoy!

Cold Veggie Pasta Salad

Cold Veggie Pasta Salad

I made this for Valentine's Day Lunch. And just again tonight!

What you need:

Any sauté -able vegetables in the house 

(I used mushrooms, onion, orange & yellow bell pepper)

Celery

Tomato

Spices (I used basil, paprika, garlic, 21 season salute, salt and pepper) to taste

Olive oil

Balsamic or Red Wine Vinegar

Pasta (any kind)

First you sauté the vegetables (and mushroom) in olive oil until fully cooked.

Also, get the water going for the pasta!

While this is cooking, mix the oil and vinegar at a 1:3 ratio. Add spices, chopped up celery and cut tomatoes to the bowl, then mix.

Once the sautéed veggies are done, let them cool a bit, then mix them in while still warm. Set the mix aside to cool, eventually transferring the bowl to the fridge.

While the mixed veggies and dressing are cooling, cook your pasta!

I had two bags of different pastas I used because I needed to finish them. I was lazy and cooked them together. This may be difficult because different pastas need different cook time.

Once fully cooked, drain as much water as possible. I also like to give them a cold rinse before draining to help stop the cooking process. Once the pasta is cool, put it in a large mixing bowl.

You can use any pasta and any vegetables you have lying around for this recipe, but you want to make sure the amounts of each are about the same. I will sometimes use more veggies than pasta, but the other way around is not recommended (by me).

Mix the two in the larger bowl. Make sure you get all the veggies and dressing in with the pasta. At this point you want to taste test and then add more spices or vinegar or oil to your taste. I usually wind up adding more vinegar.

Set the salad to cool in the fridge. You should probably put a lid on it and let the pasta absorb the flavor. I didn't because I was serving some soon. 

(The boyfriend was hungry.)

Serve it cold! It tastes best that way. I usually like it a day later, once the pasta has absorbed all the flavors from the veggies and the dressing. It's good for up to 3 days (as far as I know because it's usually gone before the fourth day) if stored in the fridge with a lid on. Happy eating!

Enjoy!

PS- you can also add beans or chickpeas for protein. And if you're a meat eater, I suggest grilled chicken cut into small chunks.

Alright then, Artichokes

Alright then, Artichokes

So I was talking to a customer at work about artichokes yesterday ('cause Trader Joe's has such a good deal on them) and I said I usually steam them. She told me it's also super easy to bake them. Just half them, drizzle with olive oil, toss on your favorite spices (I used granulated garlic), put them in a oven safe dish with a little water on the bottom, cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 375 F for 35 minutes. After that remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. 

So, it's a little lengthy (the bake time) but you don't need to keep an eye on them really- just a nose. I could smell when they were almost ready. So it leaves time to do other things. Not bad in my opinion. They make a great snack or side!

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Just ate some- so yummy!!!! Definitely try this guys! You can eat more of the vegetable than if you just steam it too!

Better Bananas

Better Bananas
So bananas are pretty much my favorite go to food. Easy, quick, sweet (gotta be spotty), and delicious- plus they're full of good stuff. But I found this recipe on Pinterest and wanted to try it. It's basically a banana (any size) sliced up, drizzled with honey, and powdered with cinnamon. Bake at 350 F for 5 minutes. So this was my breakfast this morning (with coffee of course!) and I have to say... yum.
Enjoy!

Recipe: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/503558802061024029/ 

Things to Come

Things To Come

Above is a picture collage thing I made with a few recipes I really enjoyed. I will post about them in the future, so look forward to it! The reason I'm posting this entry, and not a recipe, is because I like to try new things. So I don't know how many people will read this, but if anyone has any suggestions of recipes to try, that they are too afraid or unwilling to try, let me know in comments!

Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti Squash

Baked Spaghetti Squash 

Most people don't realize how easy it is to make spaghetti squash. All you need to do is cut it in half- the hardest part in my opinion- scoop out the seeds, brush the inside with olive oil, add spices (any will do) and then bake it cut side down on a baking sheet at 350 F for 30-45 minutes depending on how large the squash is. Use a fork to scrape it out and serve. You can add more spices or marinara sauce or even sautéed mushrooms and onions! It's super tastey and easy to customize.

Enjoy!

Vegan Lentil Soup

Vegan Lentil Soup

So our landlords recently made some lentil soup and shared it with us, which of course inspired me to make my own. I found this recipe on Pintrest and altered it a little. I used more spices (to taste) cause you can never have too much spice! I also added turmeric (great anti-inflammatory!) and one Not-Chk'n bullion cube for flavor. I also used half a cup less water, only because my pot wasn't quite big enough. I think it came out pretty good, and only took about 50 minutes, including prep time!

I got the bullion at Fairway, but here's the site: http://www.edwardandsons.com/es_shop_bouillon.itml

Direct Link to the recipe: http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2014/12/lentil-spinach-soup.html

Enjoy!