Tag: brown rice
Tamarind Chicken with Green Beans
One of my favorite ingredients to have in my pantry is tamarind. I have the regular dried tamarind that I get from the Indian store but I also have the tamarind concentrate which is available at most grocery stores like Whole Foods. The concentrate is always in my fridge and I use for a lot of things including dressings, sauces, etc. It is easy to use and a little goes a long way. I love the earthy, tangy flavor it imparts to all the dishes- especially when it is paired with honey or sugar.
In this dish, I wanted to make a quick stir fry and wanted to use the tamarind concentrate to replicate a few Thai dishes I enjoy at Khun Thai– one of our favorite restaurants. I love the mixture of flavors in my mouth- sweet, sour, spicy and savory- my mouth waters as I write….
I marinated the chicken pieces and mixed up a quick sauce for the stir fry. I had green beans in my fridge and I thought it would be a great combination with the chicken and the tangy sauce. I made brown rice on the side and it was a perfectly balanced and delicious meal.
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Chinese Sausage Fried Rice
I used a Chinese style sausage in this recipe. A friend bought it for me from an Asian store. She makes a delicious Vietnamese style fried rice with this particular sausage.
I first had it back in college- I will not share how long ago that was. She would make it in our small apartment kitchen that we shared with three other girls. It was so hard to keep that kitchen clean- maybe that is where I get my anal cleaning habits… Anyway, the rice was delicious.
I had the sausage in the fridge and it had been there for a while. I decided to use it and make my own version of a fried rice. I usually add a lot of chopped vegetables but for this dish I used protein only. I was using brown rice to make a healthy dish and tamari as the primary flavoring. It is a concentrated soy sauce and packs a punch in any dish.
To make a balanced meal, I stir fried vegetables on the side. Recipe to follow tomorrow…
In the meantime, try this Chinese sausage fried rice- it is delicious.
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Shrimp and Broccoli Brown Fried Rice
I find fried rice and quesadillas a great way to use up left overs. The quesadillas can be stuffed with virtually anything as long as shredded cheese in involved. As far as fried rice is concerned- same rules apply- anything and everything can be added to it. I think the key is to have a well stocked pantry- it always comes back to that, doesn’t it? In this case I had eggs in the fridge, broccoli and shrimp in the freezer, tamari in the cabinet, garlic and onion in the basket.
I had a cup of cooked brown rice in the fridge and didn’t have any plans for dinner- what was I going to feed my always hungry daughter?? I have never made fried rice out of brown rice but why not?? In fact, I thought with all the loud flavors going on in fried rice, I could totally get away with using brown rice instead of white. so, that is what I did- I chopped some onion and garlic, took out some frozen broccoli florets and 3 frozen raw jumbo shrimps. It was the quickest meal I have ever made. I minced everything and sauteed it with lots of tamari. That is all it took and it was delicious!
My daughter couldn’t stop eating it- and when she told my husband on the phone what she ate- he got very excited as well. I had to disappoint him by telling him I had just enough for her. Don’t worry I didn’t leave him hungry- we ate leftovers from the day before- which were delicious as well.
Everyone was happy..
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 3 raw jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined and chopped
- ½ cup frozen or fresh broccoli, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ white onion, minced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tamari (depending on how seasoned you like the rice)
Heat a wok like saucepan and add the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on high heat for two minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté for a minute. Add the egg and stir until the egg is cooked. Add the raw shrimp and sauté for another minute. Add the rice and tamari. Stir well until heated through.
Brown Rice- Cooked The Right Way…
One of the changes I have made recently is to make more brown rice. I started making this healthy rice a few years ago- but didn’t make it very often. The taste wasn’t so good and the texture was even worse. Although I knew how healthy it is, I just couldn’t get myself to eat it.
Then, I noticed Indian basmati brown rice at Trader Joes – which piqued my interest. I brought it home and decided to treat it like white basmati rice. I sauteed it in some olive oil and added a bit of salt. I find brown rice to be quite bland and discovered just a little salt makes a big difference. I also cooked the rice in chicken broth. If you are a vegetarian, try a vegetable broth or even better- mushroom broth. The idea is to add as much flavor to the rice as possible.
So, the first thing to tackle was the flavor- we took care of that. The second is the texture- you have to add extra liquid in order to cook the rice correctly. In this case I started with 1 cup of uncooked rice. You want to add any where from 2 3/4 to 3 cups of chicken broth or water. The third thing to remember is to cook the rice on low heat. This ensures well cooked rice grains.
If you follow these directions, I guarantee a delicious plate of rice that is healthier than white rice. My daughter prefers white rice but eats this with no problem. It’s really up to me- the more I make it, the more she likes it. Try it and let me know how your family reacts…
- 1 cup brown basmati rice
- 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Add the rice to a deep saucepan with the olive oil. Saute on medium heat for a minute. Add the salt and chicken broth. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat to medium making sure the broth is still simmering. Cover the saucepan half way. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or till the liquid evaporates on the surface. Cover the saucepan all the way and drop the heat to very low and cook for another 20 minutes. Can be paired with a variety of dishes.
Cauliflower and Scallop Stir Fry
This is a great start to the healthy eating I had envisioned. Cauliflower and scallops are my husband’s two favorite things to eat- usually separately. I thought of using them together in one dish. I have seen some kind a sicilian risotto dish with both cauliflower and scallops used together- with raisins and nuts. I was a bit skeptical pairing them together- but decided to take a chance and go ahead and make a stir fry.
I love doing stir fries. They are quick and easy to make. It is nice to have some kind of tamari and soy sauce in your pantry. Some other things handy for a Chinese inspired dinner are rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, black bean sauce and of course garlic and ginger are a must. I always have all of these ingredients in my pantry so I can make any dish on a whim.
I started by broiling cauliflower florets with a bit of oil and tamari. This gave the vegetable a sweet nuttiness and a great golden brown color. I then whipped up a simple sauce with black bean sauce, tamari, rice vinegar and sweet chili sauce.
The dish is very simple, yet quite sophisticated. I loved the sweet cauliflower with the sweet scallops. The two textures are similar yet very different. I sliced the scallops in half and got more bang for my buck. Be careful not to over cook the scallops- it will spoil the dish.
I made fabulous brown rice and served the stir fry on top. Big success- it was low fat with very big flavor. Exactly what I am looking for.
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to broil.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Add the cauliflower on to the cookies sheet. Add the soy sauce and oil, mix well and broil till golden brown. Keep aside.
- ½ pound scallops, cleaned and sliced in half
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Mix well in a bowl and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a wok like saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the scallops and sauté for a minute (careful not to break them). Add the cauliflower and the sauce. Mix well and serve with brown rice.
Shrimp and Spinach Stir Fry with Black Bean Sauce
I am always looking for new recipes to make with shrimp. It is such a favorite in our house that I know what ever I make, it will be a hit- well almost everything.
I remembered a dish we have at a local Chinese restaurant- Hunan Spring. It is a black bean and shrimp dish.
I decided to replicate it and went looking for black bean sauce. I actually wanted the dried black beans to make it from scratch but since I didn’t give myself ample time, I had to make do with the prepared black bean sauce. I also bought fresh Florida pink shrimp from Freeman’s fish market.
I decided to buy a bag of baby spinach to add to the dish- it is so much easier to have a dish with protein and a vegetable together. All I had to do was make some delicious brown rice. My secret to brown rice is sauteing it with a mixture of butter and olive oil and then cooking it with chicken broth. It gives the rice tons of flavor and makes it scrumptious.
As I predicted, the dish was a hit. Everyone loved it. Sia had it with a glass of milk and Anil and I had it with a red- I know a white would have gone a lot better- but I really felt like drinking a red. My rule about pairing wine and food is that you should drink what you feel like with you have cooked. It will definitely taste good!
- 1 pound large shrimp, cleaned and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 2 medium white onions, sliced thin
- ¼ black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic chili sauce
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Place the shrimp in a large ziplock bag. Add the garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons salt. Mix well and marinate for 2-3 hours.
In a wok like pan, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add the sliced onions and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the marinated shrimp and sauté for a minute. Add the black bean sauce and garlic chili sauce. Mix well and add the spinach. Saute till the spinach wilts down. Taste for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Serve hot with brown rice.
Ground Turkey and Green Beans Stir Fry
I bought green beans with the eggplants the other day at the farmer’s market. They had been sitting in my fridge and I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Usually pasta comes to mind but I was trying to cook different cuisines since we had quite a lot of pasta in Italy- not that there is anything wrong with that.
I thought about making a stir fry with tofu and green beans. I haven’t cooked with tofu in a while and we all love it. I was feeling quite lazy to prepare the tofu- I take the excess water out, cut it up and then saute it in a non-stick pan. I decided to scrap the tofu and use ground turkey instead. There is a dish my husband really enjoys called ma po tofu that has ground meat and is cooked in a black bean sauce. It is quite tasty and I have made it a few times but I didn’t have black bean sauce at home- oh well. I made my own sauce and sauteed the turkey meat with ginger and garlic. I then added the green beans and the sauce.
It was a quick and easy dish. I made healthy brown rice with it. I saute the rice in a little olive oil and butter and then cook it in chicken broth- it is absolutely delicious! You don’t miss white rice at all. I also buy the Indian basmati brown rice from Trader Joes, so it has a longer grain and is closer in terms of looks to white rice.
My daughter really enjoyed it and surprisingly said nothing about the green beans- I guess she likes them now. She even took leftovers to school the next day. I refrained from drinking any wine as I have indulged a bit too much on my trip and over the summer. Just plain water was good enough with the delicious meal!
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- ½ pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
Mix all the ingredients and keep aside.
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
Mix the corn starch and water and keep aside.
In a large wok, heat the olive oil. Add the ground turkey meat and cook over high heat, separating the meat while stirring constantly for about 5 mintues. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Add the green beans and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add the sauce and the corn starch mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes, mixing well. Cover the dish and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or till the beans are cooked. Serve with brown rice.