Sweet & Savory Rice

This sweet and savory rice dish is perfect for serving as a side dish at Thanksgiving, even if you are serving stuffing. It's a delicious gluten free, vegetarian alternative. Serves 8-10

 Ingredients

2 Cups Brown Rice, long grain
3 Tablespoons, Vegetarian "Better Than Bouillon"
4-1/2 cups Water to cook rice
1 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Green Onion, chopped
1 cup Butter, or substitute
1/2-1 cup White Wine
1 cup Dark Raisins
1 cup Golden Raisins
6 tablespoons, Slivered Almonds or Pine Nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon  Cayenne Pepper

Directions

Let the raisins soak in the wine, while you are preparing the rice and other ingredients for cooking.

Steam the brown rice in the vegetable bouillon until done. I use a rice steamer, but stove-top method is fine too.

 

In a deep skillet, saute both onions in the butter until soft. Stir in the wine-soaked raisins with all the liquid, toasted almonds, salt, cayenne pepper and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the parsley.

 When the rice and raisin mixture is ready, combine and serve warm, or cool to room temperature, refrigerate and reheat to serve as desired. This is a moist rice, so if you want it dryer, use less water to cook the rice of add less wine to the mixture.

Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Spiced Basmatic Rice Pilaf

Where did the day go? I looked up from my computer and it was pitch black outside. I planned on making this dish tonight, but I wanted to whip up something quick.

My solution for "quick" was to streamline the cooking time of this recipe by using the two cups of cooked rice I had in the refrigerator, albeit brown rice. I cut the spice quantities in half and added only enough vegetable stock to rehydrate the rice. While I was sauteing the onion, garlic and red pepper (extra ingredient) in my wok and was mixing in the other ingredients, cauliflower was cooking in my vegetable steamer and served on the side (an option would be to toss bite-size pieces of the steamed cauliflower with the rice). We ate in about 20-minutes. Simple, tasty, satisfying and nutritious!

This recipes comes from my challenge cookbook The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen by Donna Klein on page 120.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil ( I used olive oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups basmati rice (I used brown rice and it was very good)
2 teaspoons cumin seed (I used cumin powder)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon chili powder, gluten-free
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, gluten-free
1-1/2 cups frozen peas

Directions:

1. In a deep-sided non-stick skillet (or wok) with a lid, heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and stir for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add the rice, cumin, turmeric and chili powder, stirring for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth, peas, salt and pepper. ( I prefer adding the peas just before serving so they are warmed through and green).
   
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
6. Fluff the rice and serve hot.

Serves 4-8

New Year's Day-After South African Dried Fruit Curry

Looking forward to the new year? I am mostly filled with high expectations seasoned with bit of fear and trepidation... probably a healthy mix.

I don't know about you, but I had a lot of thoughts rumbling about in my head, right from the get go. So, I began the first day of 2010 writing New Year's resolutions, before I got out of bed. Done. Next, I hit the scales for the harsh reality check - gained 5 pounds during the holiday-months. Ouch! I already had the solution to that problem worked into my list. I will have to take another stickK contract out on my self.

We enjoyed having family with us most the day, but didn't fit in the walk we planned. However, my backup plan is to get in some yoga and stretches before returning to the comfort of my bed to review my outline of resolutions for the year and add a few more that came to mind as the day progressed. I'm determined to hold myself accountable by scheduling time slots on my Google calendar, but that's tomorrow's task.

Anyway, this evening we dined on Himalayan red rice, lightly-steamed brocollini and pan-seared halibut with fresh-squeezed lemon, dill and capers... a simple but delicious meal prepared by my husband, who happens to be an excellent cook! Notice the missing wine glass. One of my New Year's resolutions: No Wining = fewer calories = svelte figure. Right?

What about the South African Dried Fruit Curry? Thank you for your patience. Keep reading.

But, first let me digress. Our Christmas present to each other was the Excalibur 9-Tray Dehydrator. It arrived a few days ago, and this weekend we are putting it to use. I will be posting the outcomes of some of our forays into the world of dried foods this year.


This past fall we began incorporating more raw foods into our meals. I quickly discovered while perusing raw foods cookbooks that many of the best and most interesting dishes involved dehydrating certain raw foods and dishes anywhere from 4 t0 12 between 95 and 155 degrees.

Our first, test batch of kiwi, pear, apple and banana was dehydrated for 12 hours at 130-degrees with out any pretreatment, dipping or blanching. Loaded with flavor and chewy.

I will be using home-dehydrated foods in cooked dishes, as well.

A few weeks ago, while attending a house concert, I reconnected with a friend I haven't spoken to or seen since 1976. Neither of us could believe it! While catching up, I reminded Pamela of the amazing recipes she shared with me. I came across one of her recipes just today while looking through a recipe album of mine from the early '80's with my youngest daughter. South African Dried Fruit Curry. I'm going to make this dish tomorrow with store-bought dried fruits, but the next time I make it, I will be using my own dehydrated fruits. I'm excited about the possibilities and the added nutritional benefits of adding a dehydrator as a kitchen appliance.


South African Dried Fruit Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup dried apples
1/2 cup dried pitted prunes
1/2 cup raisins
1-1/2 cups water
1-1/2 pounds cubed lamb or beef (I am making this dish with tofu (prefer tempeh)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup onions, minced
2 tablespoons Madras curry
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped
2 bananas, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine dried fruits and soak in water for 1 hour or so.
2. Pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt. Brown evenly in hot oil, then set aside.
3. Brown onions in 2 tablespoons of meat fat or oil.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the curry. Stir 2 minutes.
5. Add the meat with accumulated juices (or add tempeh later).
6. Stir in the fruit and its water, vinegar and lemon juice.
7. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low.
8. Partially cover and let simmer for about 1 hour or until meat is tender when pierced OR when cooked through, add the tofu or tempeh.
9. Add water, if necessary. When done, most of the liquid should be cooked away.
10. Mound the curry on a platter on a bed of steamed rice.
    
11. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and arrange the bananas around the curry.

Enjoy! Serves 4-6.

Rice and Lentils with Wild Salmon Over Vegetables

Thank you to my friend Elli for this fabulous Iraqi recipe Kichri - Rice and Lentils Dish. I prepared it this evening to serve with Zenobia's Wild Rice Over Vegetables entree from Raman Prasad's cookbook Recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, on page 132. 

 Here is Elli's recipe and the background to this aromatic, savory dish: 

Kichri - Rice and Lentils Dish

"This is a simple and quick dish that is very tasty and nutritious. Plus some history of the middle east as a bonus.

Iraqi cuisine is a fine cuisine. What we now call Iraq (name invented by the British when they created the country, as they did for the whole Middle East), was once a major trade route and the cultural center of the Islamic Empire during the Golden Age. This cuisine has mellow flavors that blend together -- certain flavors that you will not fine anywhere else.

When the concept of fine dining -- which includes using silverware and glassware, eating three course meals, and maintaining certain table manners -- was invented in the Islamic capital, Europeans were eating bread, salt and roasted pigs with their hands, and would have to sell their house for an ounce of cloves. Being on a central trade route from India to the west meant that a wealth of spices was available to Iraqis and were commonly used in the country for centuries. There are minor resemblances to Indian cuisine, but you will not get the bombardment of spices in Iraqi cuisine, it is about finesse.

I did some modifications to the original recipe by the advice of my sister, chef Hadas Levendiger. This makes it even quicker to make, at a minor price in flavor." Elli A.

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1/2 an hour to 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1 chopped onion
• 5-7 spoons oil
• 4 ounces tomato paste
• 2-3 cups of boiling water
• 10 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Wash rice and lentils
2. Soak in water for at least 1.5 hours.
3. In a pot, fry the onions until they are golden in color.
4. Add crushed garlic and fry little bit more. Be careful not to burn the garlic; it burns very quickly.
5. Add rice, lentils, and tomato paste to 2 ½ cups of boiling water. The water has to be boiling before you add them.
6. Mix spices
7. Bring to a boil again and cook on low heat for 20 minutes.

[Note: I added a 1/2 cup more boiling water for more moisture near the end of the cooking time; stir occasionally as it slow-cooks without a lid.]

Water and Cooking Time

This largely depends on the type of rice you use. It varies between 2-3 cups of water and 20-45 minutes of cooking time. Plain white rice is the quickest and needs the least amount of water.

Original Recipe

Same as above, but do NOT add garlic, turmeric and cumin to the pot. When the dish is ready, fry the garlic and spices in a frying pan, and then mix it in.

This is an extra step that emphasizes the flavor of the spices. Cooking them in water does have flavor degradation.

Serves 6 

Wild Salmon Over Vegetables

I made some changes to the ingredients in the original recipe*. Here's my version, using what I had on hand:

Ingredients 

 

3/4 pound wild salmon fillet, with skin left on (option to remove it)

garlic salt, dill weed and lemon peel to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Bragg's organic Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1-1/2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
2. Lightly oil glass baking dish with olive oil.
3. Layer the thinly-sliced vegetables on the bottom.
4. Lightly pre-cook the vegetables in the microwave for 2 minutes. 
   
5. Lay the salmon across the top of the layered vegetables.
6. Rub the seasoning on the topside of the salmon.
7. Drizzle the ginger and sesame seed salad dressing over all.
8. Bake uncovered for 20-minutes.

I was pleased at how well this dish turned out; not at all fishy. The seasoning and dressing gave both the fish and the vegetables a fresh, delicate flavor. For those that don't have much time to spend in the kitchen, this is a very simple way to prepare salmon and cut down the time it takes to cook a meal.

Serves 2

* Zenobia's ingredients to serve 7 to 8:

1-1/2 pounds wild salmon skinned
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 portobello mushroom caps, finely chopped