Garbanzo and Brown Rice Burgers

It's not often that I make a point of eating meatless meals. It's usually just done, thrown into the rotation like any other meal. And while it's true that at times one of us will crave a big ol' juicy steak (that's usually me), some messy-face ribs (daughter), a comforting roast chicken (youngest son), some sticky carnitas (the hubs), a fat burger (oldest son), or some good greasy bacon (everybody) - I don't think any of us feels that we have to eat meat at every meal. We always have eggs, beans, lentils, or some other source of protein hanging around.

That said, there are a few meatless meals that I crave from time to time. Broccoli-Tofu is one of them. A platter loaded with roasted broccoli and cauliflower with a giant bowl of garlicky homemade hummus and grilled pitas for scooping everything up is another. And the soft tacos that I ate almost daily about 18 years ago are another - thick, homemade flour tortillas warm and stuffed with Mexican rice, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, guac, and sour cream {swoon}!

Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding

So, I might have mentioned the fact that we eat a lot of rice pudding in this house.  You know, a few times.  Here and there.  We (and by we, I mean my husband - because he makes it 95% of the time) will switch up the liquid that we use...or the sweetener.  Most often it's plain when he makes it, but sometimes if he's feeling feisty, he'll add a cinnamon stick.

When I make it, I like to add vanilla, or some citrus zest, or maybe a splash of rosewater.  With the rosewater, I like pistachios or cashews.  With anything else (or nothing else), I like to add dried fruit - Michigan cherries being my first choice.

But you know what's funny?  Strange, not ha-ha.  Until now, I have never even tried to make rice pudding using brown rice.  Whaaaa!?  I mean, why?  Nutty, chewy brown rice is my favorite, after all.  Maybe I just figured it would take too long.  You know, somewhere in the back of my brain as my hand passed over the jar of brown rice to reach the white rice nestled behind it.

It did take a little longer, but not so much longer that it mattered all that much.  And the great thing about this recipe?  It uses not only brown rice, but also rice milk, making it dairy-free for those who allergic or sensitive to it (or just don't eat it).  It's also gluten-free.  But that being said, for those rice pudding/arroz con leche lovers out there - it's still creamy and comforting!  You don't even realize that there isn't any sort of (dairy) milk in it.

Really.  Just ask my hubby who ate all of the leftovers; he had no clue that I didn't use milk in it.  I didn't not tell him because I thought he wouldn't like it that way, it just didn't cross my mind.  He was at work when I made it, so I told him there was some in the fridge - he warmed up a big bowl (and then emptied it) with nary a complaint.

Brown Rice Breakfast Pudding

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Keywords: simmer breakfast dessert gluten-free nut-free soy-free vegan rice dried fruit pudding

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 2 cups uncooked brown rice, preferably short-grain
• 4 cups unsweetened rice milk + more as needed
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 4 tablespoons brown rice syrup (or to taste)
• big pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup dried fruit (I like to use a mix of cherries, apricots, cranberries, yellow raisins, and currents - I love the colors it brings to the dish)

Instructions

Combine brown rice, rice milk, water, brown rice syrup, and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil, and then decrease the heat to a gentle simmer. Allow to simmer for 40 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the dried fruit and cook for 10 minutes longer.

You want it to be thick, but not stiff. If your liquid runs low during cooking, add a bit more rice milk or water. The pudding should have just enough liquid left to be "loose".

Serve with extra rice milk and brown rice syrup, if you wish.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

notes:

You could substitute maple syrup for the brown rice syrup, if you wish.

adapted from Allergy-Friendly Food for Families

Shrimp and Spinach Brown Rice Risotto

Do people eat risotto as a side dish?  Because I pretty much always treat it as an entree.  I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, though.  It's such a rich, creamy, comforting entity that a little goes a long way.  But.  Since I don't eat it all that often...yes, I've made it twice now in about a month's time, but that's rare...I reason that it's okay.

Normally I stick with the traditional arborio rice in a risotto, but this one uses brown rice.  I used long grain brown rice because it's what I had in the pantry.  And it takes about double the time of a normal risotto to make.  That, my friends, is a loooooooong time. So gather up all of your "need-to-do's" and bring 'em in the kitchen with you.  You'll be there a while.  Next time I'll go with a short grain brown when making this.  I'm thinking it could cook in a bit less time.

50 Women Game-Changers (in Food): #34 Ella Brennan - Red Beans and Rice

the "Gourmet" prompt...

34. Ella Brennan- “I didn’t know they gave awards for having fun,” was the New Orleans restaurant matriarch’s line on accepting the 2009 James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. From Commander’s Palace on down, the Big Easy would have been Smaller and Harder without her help.


The restaurant business practically runs in her blood.  She began as kitchen supervisor in her older brother, Owen's restaurant alongside another sister and brother (and their father could often be found greeting lunch customers before his heart attack in the early 50's.  When her brother passed away at 45 years old, Ella was only 30 when she took on the role of restaurant manager of the family restaurant, Brennan's...which she brought to a whole new level.

She was dubbed Queen of Creole Cuisine by People magazine.  One of her restaurants (Commander's Place) received a James Beard Foundation Award in 1996.  Number one in Zagat and Food and Wine magazine customer polls each time surveys are done, it's no wonder she is heralded for "both an incomparable attention to detail and an unmatched style of hospitality and warmth".  She is a mentor, teacher, and coach for young people with a passion for the restaurant world.  She still works closely with her sister, niece and nephew, daughter and son at their restaurants.

There is a wonderful historical story of the Brennan's on their restaurant website of which I only touched on some highlights here.

 I was unsuccessful in finding any books with Ella's recipes in them in my local library, but I did find some floating around online.  This dish was inspired by the Red Beans and Rice at Brennan's New Orleans restaurant 

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Red Beans and Rice

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-30 minutes

Keywords: entree side vegan vegetarian nut-free soy-free sugar-free beans legumes American

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• ~1½ Tbs. olive oil
• ¼ c. diced onion (~½ small onion)
• ¼ c. diced green bell pepper (~½ small pepper)
• ¼ c. diced celery (~1 stalk)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 heaping Tbs. Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp. crushed red chile flakes
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• 1½-2 c. cooked red kidney beans (light, dark, or a mix) + some reserved cooking liquid
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• ~2 c. cooked brown basmati rice

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large deep-sided skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Saute until the vegetables have started to soften and turn transluscent, 3-5 minutes. Add smoked paprika, crushed red chiles, and thyme and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add beans and about ½ cup of their cooking liquid (or water). Stir and once everything starts to boil, lower heat to maintain a gentle bubble. Cook for ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water if the beans get too dry. You want them to maintain a bit of sauciness.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Throw in a small handful of chopped parsley. Serve hot over steamed brown rice.

*brown basmati rice:

Start with about a cup of dry rice. Add rice and about one and a half its volume in water to a medium pot. Bring to boil, cover, reduce to simmer and cook ~20 minutes or until all water is absorbed and rice is just tender. If you start this right before you start the beans, it should all finish at about the same time.

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In May '11, Gourmet posted a list of 50 Women Game-Changers (in Food) that runs the gamut from food writers to cookbook authors to television personalities to restauranteurs to chefs to food bloggers.  Some are a given.  Some are controversial.  Speaking the names of some brings fond childhood memories.  Speaking the names of others will make some readers cringe.  And of course, some of our favorites were not even included.  We food-lovers are a passionate bunch of people and whether we agree or disagree, every woman on this list has earned her place for a reason.  Being a woman who is passionate about food (cooking, eating, talking about, writing about, photographing), when I caught wind of Mary from One Perfect Bite's idea of cooking/blogging her way through each of these 50 women...one per week...I knew I wanted to join her.  Many of these women paved the way for us in culinary school, in the kitchen, in cookbooks, in food writing, and on television and I think it is a fabulous way to pay tribute to their efforts.  Some of the women on the list have been tops with me for years.  Some I have heard of (perhaps even seen, read, or cooked from) before.  And there are even a handful that I am not familiar with at all.  I excited to educate myself on each of these women game-changers and hope you look forward to reading along.  We are going in order from 1 to 50.

Who is cooking along with these 50 Women Game-Changers?

Mary- One Perfect Bite, Val- More Than Burnt Toast, Joanne- Eats Well With Others, Taryn- Have Kitchen Will Feed, Susan- The Spice Garden, Heather- girlichef, Miranda- Mangoes and Chutney, Jeanette- Jeanette's Healthy Living, Kathy- Bakeaway with Me, Sue- The View from Great Island, Barbara- Moveable Feasts, Linda- There and Back Again, Nancy- Picadillo, Mireya- My Healthy Eating Habits, Veronica- My Catholic Kitchen, Annie- Lovely Things, Claudia- Journey of an Italian Cook, Alyce- More Time at the Table, Amrita- Beetle's Kitchen Escapades  

I am sharing this post with:
MLLA (My Legume Love Affair) #44 hosted at Sweet Artichoke this month.

Curried Fried Rice

Okay.  I've found another top-notch meatless meal!  Seriously, it's almost knocking my two front-runners out of their top spots.  This is super-filling, super-satisfying, just plain SUPER-DEE-DUPER (sorry, total Flanders moment).  I know that the point of eating healthier is not over-stuffing yourself, but I have to admit that I was feeling the need to loosen my button by the time I was done eating.  And I only had one serving.  That makes me happy.  

I want to give a shout-out to my friend Natashya for her awesome Moosewood Mondays idea.  It's been far too long since I cooked anything-Moosewood-related and even then I wasn't too familiar.  I'm pretty excited about hangin' out~ Moosewood-style☺.

Curried Fried Rice

makes ~4-6 svgs.

1 Tbs.olive oil

4 lg. eggs, lightly beaten w/ a pinch of salt

~~

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. curry paste

2 medium tomatoes, diced

handful of orange bell pepper, diced

handful bean sprouts

1 scallion, sliced thin

4 c. cooked brown basmati rice

1½ c. fresh or frozen green peas

2 Tbs. soy sauce + more to taste

2 tsp. fresh lime (or lemon) juice

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for garnish:

bean sprouts

scallion, thinly sliced

chopped, toasted nuts (I used almonds, but I think cashews would be awesome here, too)

Start by heating the tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and pouring in the beaten eggs.  Basically, you're making an omelet here.  As edges of egg begin to set, lift the edges and tilt the pan to let the uncooked egg flow underneath.  After a minute or two, when bottom is set, flip the omelet.  Turn off the heat and let sit for a minute.  Slide onto a cutting board and slice once in half and then into ½" strips.

In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat the two tablespoons of oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and curry paste and cook for a minute, stirring.  Add tomatoes and spinach and other veggies,.and cook another couple of minutes.  Add rice and peas and cook until heated through.  Stir in eggs strips, soy sauce, and lemon/lime juice.  

Adjust soy sauce to taste and serve!

note:

I think this would be good w/ some pressed tofu...or if you decided you were in the mood for a little meat, some leftover chicken (chop or shred) would taste great stirred in w/ the rice and peas, as well.

-adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Hippie Rice w/ Tofu ...for this dirty hippie.

One of my birthday wishes was from an old friend who said- "Happy Birthday my fellow dirty hippie!"  Luv ya, Shel.  No shame in my game.  Although, dirty is just something people think when they think hippie...so it's kind of a joke...but the hippie part...that I'm good with.  I was always pretty clean hippie chic.  No dreads...no hairy pits...no cigarettes.  That's all I'm gonna deny....the rest of the hippie definition?  Totally true.  So a few months back, when Kim made Bitty's Hippie Rice, I knew it was in my future, too.  Although I realized that her version was a different one...from HTCEV, while mine comes from the newer Food Matters Cookbook (which I totally need to procure, by the way...mine's a library copy and I totally love it!).  Looking back, I think both versions are groovy in their own rite.  I ate this for lunch over the next few days.  It was substantial...and actually very tasty with the nuttiness of the sunflower seeds playing against the sweetness of the raisins, the chewy brown rice and the slight bits of heat from the chiles.

Hippie Salad w/ Tofu
from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
makes ~4 svgs.

1/3 c. sunflower seeds, toasted
1 c. any long-grain brown rice
salt
~1 lb. broccoli, cored and roughly chopped
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 c. raisins
1 lb. cubed pressed tofu extra-firm
½ tsp. red chile flakes, or to taste
lemon wedges

Put rice in pan and add water to cover by ~1".  Add a pinch of salt and bring to boil over medium-high heat.  Adjust so mixture bubbles gently.  Cover and cook until most of water is absorbed and rice is just getting tender, 20-30 mins.

Pack the broccoli  and tofu into the pan on top of the rice- don't stir; just leave it on top- and add a little more liquid if water is evaporating too quickly.  Replace lid and continue cooking, adding a small amount of water if pan boils dry, until rice and broccoli are both tender, 5 to 10 minutes.  Transfer rice and broccoli to bowl with sunflower seeds and raisins then toss with oil and red chile flakes.  Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, serve warm or at room temperature, squeezing lemon wedges over top.

Now, if you'll excuse me...I'm off to light some incense, dab on some patchouli, pop on a Dead record and enjoy the rest of this peaceful day...

*This post is linked to:

Vegetable Biryani

What do Indian food and Muslim traditions have in common?  I know close to nothing about either...that's what!   Sure, ask me about Mexican food and you're bound to get a quick response.  Ask me about Indian food...then bask in the uncomfortable silence well, silent except for the crickets in my brain...chirping away.  I am all set to remedy that situation, because I am nothing, if not an eager student.  I love learning about different cultures, religions, beliefs, countries and the food and people that go along with them. 

There were a few motivating factors behind todays post.  One being that we've been eating a lot more veggies on a regualr basis at home than we used to.  On purpose.  I decided for all of us that we were going to eat more mindfully...the majority of the time.  So, we've been eating a lot less meat.  Not that we stopped liking meat...but, since I am no longer working on a regular basis, meat is more of an occasional meal contribution now.  As Michael Pollan suggests, we treat it more as a garnish.  Another factor being that I'm really enjoying the book Real Food Has Curves lately.  Great tips, great references, delicious recipes...Biryani being one.  And yet another motivator being that I happened upon an event over at Taste of Pearl City that asks for submissions of recipes that can be eaten during Ramadhan, a month-long Muslim holiday. When describing Ramadhan, Umm says "Ramadhan is the month, where muslims fast from dawn to dusk without food or water. This fast is obligatory on all adult muslims - men & women - unless exempted. Hijri is the Islamic calender which starts commemorating the year when Prophet Muhammed (SAW) immigrated from Mecca to Medina with his companions. Iftar is the event where muslims break the fast at the end of the fasting day at dusk.  Normally we break the fast with few dates, juice, porridge but after that we have a meal which will be based on different ethnicity. So this meal can include rice, pasta, bread, noodles, roti's , curries etc."  Well, okay then...I'm always up for new adventures...and everything just sort of came together as the inspiration and driving force behind me trying something new.

Okay then...Biryani.  According to Wikipedia, Biryani (or Biryanibiriani, beriani, بریانی) "is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means fried or roasted."  Muslim travelers & merchants were supposedly responsible to introducing Biryani to India.  Pretty fitting to learn that my reasoning all comes together, just so.

Vegetable Biryani

slightly adapted from Real Food Has Curves by Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough

yield: 4 svgs.

1/2 c. long-grain brown rice, such as brown jasmine or brown basmati  I used regular long-grain brown, as it's what I had

1 1/4 c. water

1 Tbs. Sesame oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped 

1 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger

6 c. mixed vegetables...cut small.  I used a mixture of fresh corn, yellow beans, carrots, cauliflower, purple cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, kale

1 1/2 Tbs. Garam Masala *see recipe below

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 c. almonds, walnuts, or pecans, chopped

 1/4 c. raisins, preferably golden I used purple, chopped

1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

cilantro leaves, chopped for garnish

Mix rice & water in medium pot; bring to simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Cover the pot, reduce heat to very low, and simmer slowly until rice is tender, ~35 mins.  Set pot aside, off heat, while you prepare rest.

Position a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the sesame oil, then add the onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger.  Cook until the onion has begun to soften & tomato breaks down, ~5 mins., stirring occasionally. 

Stir in veggies, garam masala, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir over heat until quite aromatic, ~5 mins.  Stir in yogurt and lemon juice.  Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer slowly until veggies have begun to break down, ~20 mins, stirring occasionally.  Stir in nuts & raisins and set pot aside, off heat.

Spread half the rice in bottom of a 9" square baking dish.  Pour all veggie mixture on top; spread evenly to corners.  Top the dish with remaining rice, again spreading it evenly across the baking dish. 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 15 minutes.  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Preheat broiler and place rack ~6" from heat source.  Spread melted butter over casserole and set under broiler just until rice begins to get a little crisp.  Set aside at room temp for 5 minutes before turning whole thing upside down onto serving platter.  I wish there was a way to crisp the rice on what ends up being the top...well, if you have a torch, you probably could. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. 

Fortunately, I have a very well-stocked spice cabinet...and although Garam Masala wasn't included in it before...it is now!!  I made my own using the method given in the book.  I had everything I needed; I just had to grind up the coriander seed, allspice, and cardamom (after extracting the seeds, ugh).  Well worth it...just made sure to make extra so I could jar it up and save it for future uses!

Garam Masala

Mix together: 1 part ground allspice, 1 part cayenne, 2 parts fennel seeds, 4 parts mild paprika, 4 parts ground cumin, 4 parts ground cardamom, and 8 parts ground coriander. 

Biryani was a flavor sensation like I've never experienced...warm, crunchy, comforting, sweet, and soft- all packed into each bite!  I can't wait to try more variations on Biryani and to sprinkle some Garam Masala on my scrambled eggs tomorrow morning...

Wait.  There are Indian curries.  I've made them... I'm totally NOT rewriting this post.  I'll just say, I'm not completely unfamiliar with Indian food...I adore Indian curries...it's all the rest I'm pretty unfamiliar with. 

This post is linked to: