Mexican Brown Rice

You know how i was all 'new post! new post! new post!' and now its all radio silence?

its because i've seemingly forgotten how to cook... it appears that 2011 and kitchen concoctions dont mesh well for me.

lately, everything i make is a failure of some sort - even things i've made a million times before - even simple boring boxed pasta - i've lost the magic. and its really getting me down and making the idea of ordering in a lot more appealing...

while i try to figure out what the hell is going on, i will share this mexican rice with you... last night was cinco de mayo, so we opted for basic quesedillias, refried beans (hint: goya refried > amy's refried) and this rice.

Its not the most traditional of mexican rices - a bit more tomato and no peppers, but it was seriously the first thing we've made in a while that didnt make me apologize throughout the entire meal...

(oh yeah, and if jordan ever offers you a margarita? if you have anything to do the next day, run far, far away. 1.5 of his amazing margaritas has left me way HUNG OVER this morning...)

---

Mexican Brown Rice
courtesy of me

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 of a medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice (i'm sure any brown rice would do - just be sure to adjust your cooking time accordingly)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 oz) petite cut zesty tomatoes w/ liquid
 ~ 6 strands saffron

***

Heat olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.

Add  the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes.  Onion should be somewhat softened, but not at all browned.

Add dry rice & saffron and stir to combine so that rice is coated with oil and cook with the onions for about 5 minutes or until rice gets 'toasty' - color will change a little and you'll smell it. 

Add in the garlic, stir well to combine & saute for one more minute.

Slowly add in broth, tomatoes & saffron threads. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Allow to boil about 2 - 3 minutes and then turn the heat to super low and cover. 

Let it simmer for ~45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Periodically check to make sure that there is still water in the pan (if your lid allows steam to escape, some of the liquid may evaporate before it can be absorbed).  If it gets too close to dry and the rice is still crunchy, add ~1/3 c of water & continue to cook.

Once all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked the way you like it, fluff with a fork & serve.

why is the sky blue? / Fat Girl Red Rice

no, this post has nothing to do with the sky, but since most of my visitors come from the google search for 'can you reheat pancakes?', i figured i'd pick another common phrase to make some more friends...  

so while this has nothing to do with the sky, it IS color related - its about fat girl red rice...  and i'll explain to you why its red! - tomatoes!!!

wow, that was quick and useless, huh?

anyway...  its another hit from the fantastic mad hungry: feeding men & boys... (and probably the only other one i'll post lest i end up in jail for posting recipes that are not really mine...)  another easter-eve success and another frequent repeat-offender in our household.

this recipe is so named 'fat girl' because Ms Quinn found herself unable to leave it be and picked on too much of it prior to serving...  this is a concept well-documented in my life, hence my current diet to become un-fat-girled...

luckily, despite the impression the name gives, this rice isnt so bad for you - really only marginally more caloric than traditional white rice - its just that whole portion control thing that you have to keep in check to avoid the fatness... (our house is super-fun right now what with all of the dieting and calorie tracking.  I apologize for allowing it to spill onto the blog but sometimes you just have to write about the life you are living, you know?)

---

Fat Girl Red Rice
courtesy of Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys with minor adaptations by the meat eater

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups long grain white rice

6 oil-packed sundried tomato halves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon coarse salt

3 cups vegetable broth

***
Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the rice and stir to toast it and coat it with the oil, about 90 seconds.

Stir in the sundried tomatoes, tomato paste, and salt. Stir and cook to fully incorporate, about 1 minute.

Add the vegetable broth. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and lower the heat to allow the rice to briskly simmer until holes form on top of it, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to very low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Note:  when there are only two of us, we generally halve the recipe and still have more than enough.

downfall..

One of my "things" is that, in times of financial crunch, i splurge on food.. I rationalize that its food - its necessary and that it is not at all irresponsible to bring out the plastic for it...

this past month, i've been on a mission to not use the plastic - at all...
a week from now, this would be easy - the CSA distributions begin on Thursday and i expect to have more food than i know what to do with - but tonight was a challenge...

it was shaping up to be another night of angel hair with butter and garlic (nothing wrong with it - quick, cheap and yummy) but then i saw the gruyere sitting in my fridge, clearly thinking about sprouting some mold... $6 or so worth of mold... and in this financial crunch (i am nothing if not overdramatic) week, there was NO WAY i was letting that go bad...

originally it was going to be some ghetto-style mac & cheese but then i looked at the gemellis and their 12 - 15 minute cooking time and it seemed like too much... and then i saw the rice.

because if 12 - 15 minutes cooking time for gemelli is too long, its a much better idea to pick the rice, which takes 20 mins...

and then cheesy rice bake was born...

I was fully prepared for a 100% failure - but i wrote down the ingredients as i went along, just in case... lucky for me, this was an experiment gone right - i honestly wouldnt change a thing...

---

Cheesy Rice Bake
courtesy of me

2 c water
1 vegan vegetable bouillion
1 tbsp butter
1 c rice

3/8 c gruyere, cut into 1 cm x 1 cm cubes (or smaller)
2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tsp ground flaxseed


For topping:
2 tbsp panko
2 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tsp nutritional yeast
fresh ground pepper


Bring water, bouillion and butter to a boil
Add rice, return to boil and then immediately lower heat to super-low and simmer, covered, for ~ 18 minutes.

In the meantime turn oven onto 500° or broil.
Mix panko, 2 tbsp parmigiano-reggiano and nutritional yeast in a small bowl and set aside.

Return to rice:
Once most of the water has been absorbed, add gruyere, 2 tbsp parmigiano-reggiano and ground flaxseed. stir until cheese appears to be melted and is no longer distinguishable.

split rice & cheese mixture between 2 ramekins. Top each with 1/2 of the topping mixture and then pepper, if desired.
place in the oven (on a baking sheet) for ~ 5 - 6 minutes.

Serve hot.

*mom notes: you could probably leave out the flaxseed and nutritional yeast, if you want (or like my mom, have NO idea what those things are or where you would get them or why you would buy them...) you could also use another cheese... emmenthaler or fontina, or even a basic swiss would be similar. cheddar would be different, but most likely, still really good. You could also use any shredded italian-type cheese for the parmigiano-reggiano - i know i grew up with a lot of Pecorino Romano instead and i'm sure it would work just fine...