Cliantro-Lime Rice

Do you ever crave Chipotle?....but live hours away from one!!

Quite by accident I recently made a version of cilantro-lime rice that tasted satisfyingly like Chipotle's. One of the reasons, Denver & I assumed, was that the meal was nothing like Chipotle and I wasn't even trying to replicate the flavors. I have found that a "faint likeness" to something can satisfy a mental flavor/craving easier than when flavors are actually close and in the runnings to be like the real thing...but still off.

We were having a meal of fajitas and I didn't want to use tortillas, so instead, I planned on serving the meal over brown rice. Denver heard about the rice and asked for cilantro-lime rice. I prepared one cup of Trader Joe's Basmati Brown Rice according to package directions. After cooking (but careful to not overcook) I added fresh squeezed lime juice from 1 & 1/2 -2 limes and a good clump of cilantro finely chopped (probably about 1/8 c. when chopped, or about 20 stems  - very loose estimation!). This was the most flavorful rice and the most like Chipotle's we have had.

We loved the rice and fajita meal. The next day we used the leftover rice with black beans (instead of the fajita mixture) for a "nacho" (cheesy chip) topping. It was delicious! Layer chips and cheese (pepper jack) then rice and beans and top with a little more cheese! Microwave for a minute and enjoy the deliciousness!  The beans tasted amazingly (and surprisingly) like chicken. Even Denver with his non-pregnant taste buds said so. It was seriously SO Good! 

A new house and a new kitchen

There are many "news" in our lives that we are both looking forward to and currently living. We moved to a house - we love it!  The back yard has blackberries and raspberries!

Down the road there are chokecherries and blueberries. Needless to say, we are taking advantage of all this available fruit and it has been a productive harvest.

Our freezer is packed with jams ready for winter indulgences & reminders of summer. Come over and have a bowl of ice cream with chokecherry syrup on it, I think you will agree its delicious.

Chokecherry Syrup

Boil your washed and stemmed berries in a couple inches of water (I think one recipe recommended 1 cup of water for every 3-4 cups of whole berries).  I let them simmer on the stove for hours just to be sure they were good and soft. You can mash them through the colander them immediately or let them cool (which is what I did so I wasn't working with boiling liquid). Toss the large seeds and skins, saving only the juice and any pulp that comes out. Measure and return liquid to a cooking pot. I used less sugar than it called for and we found the tartness a perfect complement for ice cream :)
4 cups chokecherry juice
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I wonder what almond extract would taste like??)
1/2 - 1 t cinnamon 
1-2 T pectin (low sugar version)

Stir over low heat uncovered until it thickens slightly (or to whatever consistency you desire). More pectin, sugar and cooking time will result in a thicker more jam-like substance. I think you might need to add 1-2 T. Lemon Juice for it to properly thicken. Let cool again (if it is syrup) and pour into a freezer container  (or you could can the syrup/jam while it is still hot). Enjoy months later over ice cream or hot baked oatmeal. We have also used this syrup in our crepes - delicious when paired with the tangy crepe cream sauce & fresh fruit! 

So with a new house comes a new kitchen. I tried to get a good picture of it the other night and they all turned out blurry, so I will post a blurry picture because that's all I have.

Other new things - our daughter is just about here. Monday we passed our 39 week mark. This means she could come any day or in another 3 weeks :)

 

We are excited to meet her and see who she looks like and become a family of three.
I think there may be some other "new" things, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. Enjoying life and my new kitchen, Sarah