Roasted Ling Cod, Mexican Rice and a Thankful Heart

Today turned out to be one in which I eventually ran out of emotional and physical energy, yet I was hoping to gather enough steam to cook a couple more dishes from my Cooking Course Challenge cookbooks. I almost opted for cheese, crackers and organic soup from a box. Instead, my husband gave me a much needed shoulder massage and poured me a glass of wine as I set to work in the kitchen to make us dinner.  I regrouped, relaxed, and it was well worth the effort. We sat down to a lovely meal and gave thanks to the Lord. Every bite was deliciously rewarding.

Tonight’s fare was Roasted Ling Cod (recipe calls for bass) with Parsley Butter from Raman Prasad’s Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet from page 135, served with lightly steamed spinach and Mexican Rice from page 140 of Donna Klein’s The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen.

Here’s Prasad’s recipe for Parsley Butter:

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

1-1/2 tablespoons almond flour

2 shallots, minced

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 limes, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the almond flour, shallots, garlic, parsley, lime juice and softened butter in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. I substituted cayenne for black pepper.

This savory butter would be excellent with any grilled, roasted or baked fish and can be made in advance, by storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before using, allow the butter to soften.

I have to say that the hearty, perfectly seasoned Mexican Rice was the best I have ever eaten, anywhere, ever. The house was fragrant with the pungent aroma of chili powder, cumin and garlic slow cooking together with stewed tomatoes, green pepper and onion with rice. From now on, I will cook this rice dish anytime we have a Mexican-themed meal or potluck with family and friends.

Cuanto más gratitud que tenemos, más tenemos que ser agradecidos para.

The more gratitude we have, the more we have to be grateful for.

Homemade Horchata de Arroz

Last year, our daughter and son-in-law introduced us to the Mexican beverage horchata (or-CHA-tah), a delicious, sweet creamy cinnamon rice (arroz) milk. For some reason, horchata popped into my mind as I was reading a Mexican rice recipe. When I discovered I had all the ingredients here at home, I opted to make homemade horchata to serve as a cold beverage when I serve the Mexican rice on Friday night.

 

It's a very simple 3-step process to make your own horchata from ingredients you probably already have on hand.

 
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice, rinsed
2 quarts hot water (almost boiling)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Step1: In a blender, pulverize the rice grains to a smooth consistency. Pour the rice into a big bowl, stir together with the hot water, and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Step 2: Cover the bowl or pour into a container with a lid and let the rice mixture sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Step 3: Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth. Serve chilled or with ice cubes. You can store your homemade horchata in the refrigerator for up to  3 days.

I have a set of glass straws for such occasions.