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

A wonderful find

Tonight I was looking for a fast hamburger bun recipe to finish my meal of sloppy joes. I looked online and tried the "40 minute Hamburger Bun" recipe, hoping it would be good. I am so glad I tried it, because now I have a new favorite!

40 minute Hamburger Buns  (or Quick Dinner Rolls)

Prep: 20 minutes + Rest: 10 min +  Cook: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients:
2 T. Active Dry Yeast
1C. + 2T. Warm Water (110-115*)
1/3 C. Oil (I used Olive Oil - any should work)
1/4 C. Sugar (I used Brown Sugar)
1 egg
1 t. salt
3- 3 1/3 C. All Purpose Flour (I used Whole Wheat Flour)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets. 
• To make dinner rolls - I would make more than 12 pieces, maybe 15
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 195 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 204 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

These nutritional facts are not for the alterations I made (olive oil, w.w. flour, etc), but just what came with the recipe. Kind of fun and interesting, so I'm including it.

I hope you make these, because I'm positive you will enjoy them!

 

Possibly a kitchen helper??

We are having a baby!  

We are so excited! This little baby is expected to come join our family around Labor Day - how fitting :)

From the ultrasound our baby looked active and healthy. It was fun to see them moving all around and then stopping for breaks to nap. So darling; already we love this little one so much!

Dip, dip, dip!

For Christmas I tried a couple new dips. Most of them were great, and I look forward to sharing the recipes. They all stored and traveled well - a must around our house! We hope you enjoy them. If you make any good improvements, please share the changes with me :)

Avocado Feta Dip 
1/2 c. red onion  (I do the whole thing)
1 diced seeded jalapeno
Cook both in olive oil for 6 minutes. I cook them till the onions are transparent.

Puree the onion and jalapeno (using my stick blender) with
1 diced avocado (I use the very large Florida/Texas? avocados instead of the normal small ones. If I was using a small avocado I would probably use 2 or 3).
1 c. cilantro
3/4 c. feta
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 T. oil
salt and pepper to taste

Puree until blended well (make sure to get all the cilantro stems blended well) then put in the fridge ...EASY!  Goes very well on chips. Kind of like a variation of guacamole.  Warning: it turns out bright/light green.

Kale Pesto (Thanks Rach) Dip
3 c. packed kale. stems removed and roughly chopped
1 c. packed basil
2 garlic cloves
2/3 c. toasted walnuts
1 c. parmigiana cheese (I used parmesan cheese)
juice from 1/2 lemon (2 T concentrate?)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper (I used more)
1/2 c. olive oil

To make pesto into a "dip," combine a couple tablespoons of pesto with:
1/3 c. sour cream
1/2 c. cottage cheese
I'm not sure on my measurements. "Eye" it and add more pesto and cottage cheese to taste.

Food Processor the basil and 1/2 the kale, break it down. Add the rest of kale once first batch is smaller. Add garlic, walnuts. Pulse until it forms a paste. Add lemon juice, cheese, salt, pepper and oil. Pulse until desired consistency.

Rachel shared the Kale Pesto recipe and then I just mixed it with "equal parts" of sour cream and cottage to make a dip. It turned out much like a spinach bread bowl dip. We really enjoyed it!

Hot Black Bean Dip (Thanks Auntie Cubby)
1 15 ox. can black beans - drained and rinsed
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chicken broth
lime juice 1 T? to taste
1 scallion trimmed, sliced
1 clove garlic
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. hot red pepper sauce

Combine all ingredients & puree. To save for later just put in the refrigerator. To serve immediately microwave until hot and serve with chips. This saves well and travels well (put into a spill proof jar).

Salsa Quinoa Salad (or chip dip!)
Cook 1 c. Quinoa  according to pkg directions, then cool.
Combine cooled quinoa with:
1-15oz black bean, drained and rinsed
1 -15 oz sweet corn, drained (or frozen) Roasted on a skillet for extra flavor
1 can Lime Cilantro Rotel
3 green onions chopped (cooked in oil, with corn?)
1/2 c. green bell pepper, small diced
Lots! of fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/3 c. olive oil
1-2 Limes fresh squeezed
1/2 t. grated lime peel (I did one whole lime peel and didn't measure)
1 T. chili powder (I did about 1/2 T. extra for good measure!)
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over combined salad ingredients.  This recipe stayed fresh tasting for days - AWESOME recipe! The recipe says to serve it in flour tortillas, but we ate it scooped up in chips. SO GOOD!

Hunting Season

There are many things to enjoy about hunting season:

-being outside in the woods
-feeling fully justified to take an afternoon nap after getting up early
-the wonderful contrast of coming inside where there's a fire going after being outside shiveringly cold
-being able to share the fun with those you love
-filling the freezer
-knowing where our meat comes from
-how warm it makes the rest of winter feel (in contrast to sitting and not moving for 3-4 hours)



I am thankful for the opportunity to have watched Joshua hunt and then to do it at KRiv with Dad and Naom and now to be able to share hunting with Denver. We are thankful for the bounty of this year. Word over here in WI is that the numbers are down, but Denver still has seen quite a few and has gotten two with his bow. When we went home to MN for opener weekend he got two there also. We are so thankful for full freezers!

Thanks to other's generosity we have a dehydrator and I made our first batch of venison jerky- it's amazing!

A craving for Peanut Sauce

I was at work on Thursday morning thinking about what I was going to make for dinner. Thursday dinner is always a bit interesting, because we have Bible study at 6pm and I get home around 3:45-4pm. When it was warmer I used to bring a picnic lunch and meet Denver after he got done with work (4:45pm). So, basically Thursday dinners need to be quick. Because of the need for speed we usually have leftovers and I try to plan ahead on Tuesday and Wednesday to have something extra by Thursday.

But back to this week: we didn't have anything made in the fridge...and I was really wanting peanut sauce. So I looked up quick recipes during my prep period and found Thai Peanut Noodles. Over lunch I ran to the grocery store and picked up the few things we didn't have in our kitchen. I was SO excited for dinner!

I'll be the first to admit that normally it takes me about DOUBLE the time estimated on a recipe to actually finish baking or cooking what I set out to make. I was hopeful that this would be different. The recipes (I was going off of two) both have estimated time of 15-30 minutes. It took me just under an hour, but I added meat to the dish. :) My chicken was frozen, which easily added 20 minutes to the cooking time. I bet this could be a 30 min meal when perfected!

Here's the recipe I came up with, combining the two:

Sauce:
1/2 C. Coconut milk (I kept adding to thin out the sauce and used the whole can) 1/4 c. in the chicken
1/2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
2 T. Ginger minced + 1 t. in the chicken
2 T. (or to taste) reduced sodium Soy Sauce  1 T. in chicken
1-2 T. Hot Chili Sauce

Chicken:
2 Chicken Breasts Sliced (or smaller would be ok)
olive oil for the pan when cooking the chicken
Listed above: Soy sauce, coconut milk, ginger

When chicken is cooked add vegetables: Broccoli in small pieces, sweet peppers sliced, carrots, sugar peas, (asparagus - the recipe listed, I'm curious how this would taste).

We used Linguine noodles and layered all three on our plate: Noodles, Chicken/Veggies, Peanut Sauce, topped with some chopped peanuts.  It was delicious! Denver commented many times how fun it was and tasty too!

We both thought it could used a little bit more salt (non was added and it was reduced soy sauce). If you have regular soy sauce it will probably taste fine, or you could add chicken broth to the peanut sauce and the chicken. Another fun addition would be sesame oil to cook the chicken.  Enjoy!