Easy Mushroom Rice Pilaf

Easy Mushroom Rice Pilaf

 

On the back of the Lundgren's short grain brown rice package, Brennan found a recipe for easy mushroom rice pilaf.  He cut it off the package and I tucked in away in my thick file of recipes-to-try.

 

When Thomas was gone last week to camp, it was a great time.  Thomas does not like mushrooms, so he wouldn't miss out.

 

Brennan and I picked out a box of fresh shiitakes to try with this recipe.  I've read that button mushrooms don't have the same nutritional properties that other mushrooms have, plus shiitakes are "meatier", and I like them the best.  You could use any mushrooms here.

 

So, my first attempt at this dish didn't work great.  The directions stated to put all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 50 minutes.  I think the mushrooms soaked up too much of the broth.  I kept adding more, and adding more, but it took much longer than 50 minutes.  The dish was still good, but let me share with you what I did to make it much faster the second time I made it.

 

I soaked the rice in a bowl, covered with a dishcloth, for 6 hours.  You could also do this overnight.  Then I drained the rice and followed the directions - much, much better.  The rice cooked well and I didn't have to add any extra broth.  It was delicious.

And with only a few ingredients that I usually have on hand - mushrooms, brown rice, fresh parsley, broth, garlic, olive oil, pepper - it is definitely an Easy recipe.

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Vigo Beans and Rice

Vigo Beans and Rice

We have discovered this packaged dinner that is really great and I wanted to share it.

I picked up the Vigo Red Beans and Rice when I was at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati a couple of months ago. 

Then my friend Vinita told me that our local Kroger also has it so I stopped by and found out they also carry the Black Beans and Rice.

I don't like a lot of packaged rice dishes (sorry, I don't really like Zatarans), but Vigo brand is really good.

You simply bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a skillet.  Then you add the package, stir, cover and simmer for 20 or so minutes.  And you're ready to serve.

My entire family really likes it and it makes such a healthy, quick dinner.

If you were so inclined you could add cooked kielbasa sausage or chicken very easily.

We just like it as is, with a side dish like broccoli.

Enjoy!



Mochi - 3 Ways

Mochi

When I lived in Hawaii there were many, many times when I had the chance to attend pot lucks where the most delicious food was shared.  Even in high school - it seems like we had all sorts of parties and parents sent in food.  One of my favorite sweet treats was Mochi.

A classmate who was of Chinese descent always brought it in - his mom was tickled that I liked it so much.  When I started reading about this treat recently, I had to try my hand at it.  Luckily, I found Mochi at Jungle Jim's last week.

The Mochi that I had in Hawaii often looked like this.

source

With food coloring added - but the ones I tried were usually in squares.

Mochi is a Japanese dish made from rice and is often served sweet.

Here I'll share 2 sweet and 1 savory Mochi dish that I tried for the family last night.

I started by cutting the Mochi into 12 rectangles so we could each try the 3 ways of cooking.

For one sweet and one savory dish, they are cooked on the stove in a couple of tsps of olive or sesame oil.

Once they are cooked for 5 minutes or so on one side, you turn them over to cook on the other side.

For the 4 savory ones I added a drop of Soy Sauce to the top of each one (see up front).

I placed the other 4 sweet ones on a cooking sheet and cooked them for 7 minutes at 450*.

Very puffy when they're done.

The two sets of sweet Mochi I placed in serving dishes and drizzled a sweetener on top.

In this case I used Brown Rice Syrup.

You could use agave or maple syrup or any sweetener.

For the savory ones I followed The Kind Diet recipe and wrapped them in Nori with a little bit of Daikon radish.

So Mochi 3 Ways - Savory with Daikon and Nori, Sweet on the stove top, and Sweet in the oven.

I'm new at working with Nori but I can tell you the savory one was my least favorite. 

The radish was great but the Nori was overpowering. 

I liked the puffy oven-cooked one the best!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

どうぞめしあがれ

(douzo meshiagare)

Japanese for Bon Appetit! 

Roasted Brown Rice Tea

Roasted Brown Rice Tea

On my trip to Jungle Jim's last week I picked up an interesting looking bag of Roasted Brown Rice, not having a clue what I would do with it!

I put most of my grains and beans in containers and have written the name and expiration date on the outside.  I need to pick up a fat-tip Permanent Marker so the label is easier to see.  The good thing about Permanent Marker on glass is that it cleans right off.

The roasted brown rice is packaged with popcorn to draw the moisture away.

It's easy to make the tea.

In a small saucepan you boil 2 cups water and 2 Tbsp roasted brown rice.

Let simmer for 5 minutes, strain and serve.

I added a little brown rice syrup for sweetener but unless you're using a lot of sweetener, it retains its nutty flavor.

I drank most of it before I remembered to snap a photo!

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

Enjoy!