Seven Spice Brown Butter Rice

Here is a simple and tasty side dish for you to try.  Don’t be scared because you see the word butter in the title and whatever you do don’t try to substitute that food like item, that is one molecule away from plastic (aka margarine) you may have in your fridge.  Personally I never liked the taste of margarine and for the most part have always used butter.  There was a short period of time where I did buy into the advertising and used olive oil Becel but it was short lived. 

Butter is a real food that your body knows what to do with and it isn’t the villain it has been made out to be. Grass fed and organic is the best choice because it contains more Omega 3 fats, vitamins (A,E, K2) and antioxidants.  I remember growing up my nanny making butter, from the milk that came from their cows that were milked by hand.  You can’t get more real or organic than that! 

Lets face it butter just tastes better and brown butter, well you just can’t go wrong.

SEVEN SPICE BROWN BUTTER RICE

• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp curry powder (or more if you like curry)
• 3/4 tsp 7 spice
• 1 - 2 cups organic spinach, chopped
• 3 – 4 tbsp butter

     

Rinse rice and cook according to package instructions.  In a skillet over medium heat melt butter cook till it is a medium brown colour.  Be careful though once it gets there it will burn quickly.  Turn the heat down a little bit and add the curry and seven spice.  Stir for a few seconds to let the heat bring out the flavour of the spices.  Add the rice and chopped spinach, stir to combine. 

~~  Jackie

Cumin Scented Black and Basmati Rice with Cumin Coriander Lamb Chops

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there!

Wow it’s been a month since my last post.  Time sure does fly!  It seems Spring is being a little elusive this year.  We had a pretty good week weather wise last week so the radishes and spinach are starting to poke their way through the dirt. Still waiting on the beets and carrots and this dreary rainy weather isn’t helping.  I’ve been asking hubby for a cold frame for a little while now so the other night he whipped this one together for me.

The plan is to plant in late summer, early fall and have fresh veggies for some of the winter….Hopefully we’ll see some nice greens and carrots in November.

I thought I would try my hand at growing potatoes this year, so I was going to pick up some seed potatoes that is until I went to visit my parents yesterday.  Here’s what I found in their cold room.

You’re not seeing things, that would be little baby potatoes already growing on the wrinkled old sprouting potato.  Apparently it’s pretty easy to grow potatoes, no sun, no dirt just a dark cool room.  Hopefully I don’t kill them when I plant them.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago using black rice.  As some of my friends will attest to I have a “rice cupboard”.  I have them all red, black, wild, basmati, brown basmati, rice mixtures…. you get the idea. Strangely enough I really don’t eat rice all that often.  I have had the black rice in the cupboard for a while now so I figured it was about time I gave it a try.

Black rice,  also know as “Forbidden Rice” because it used to only be available to royalty.  Ancient emperors believed it would lengthen their lives and secure their thrones longer.  I don’t know about securing their thrones but it does appear to have some health benefits.  The purplish black pigment of the rice tells us it is rich in antioxidants known as anthocyanins .  These would be the same anthocyanins found in blueberries.  Black rice may actually contain more antioxidants than blueberries.  It is also high in fibre, lower in sugar and higher in vitamin E than other rice.  If you want to find it around here (HRM)  you can buy organic black rice at the Bulk Barn.

Cumin Scented Black and Basmati Rice with Cumin Coriander Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops

• 2 lamb chops
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

Rub both sides of the chops with the spice mixture.  Bring to room temperature.  Preheat skillet (cast iron works well) over medium heat.  I cook my lamb till it is done to medium.  When cooked through let stand for a few minutes so the juices can be absorbed back into the meat.

Cumin Scented Black and Basmati Rice

I cooked the rice in separate pots but you could probably do them together. I would increase the amount of brown butter though if you cooked them together.

• 1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup black rice, rinsed and drained
• 1 – 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• Finely chopped fresh cilantro to taste
• 1/2 small red onion chopped
• 2  cloves of garlic chopped
• water or chicken broth
• lemon slice

Cook black rice in water according to instructions.

For the Basmati

Melt the butter in your pot until it turns a light brown.  Keep an eye on it, once it turns brown it will quickly burn.  Add rice, onion and garlic. Stir until your rice is nice and toasty.  Add the cumin to the rice mixture, toast for about 15 seconds or so. Add the broth and bay leaf.  Cover tightly reduce heat and cook till liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let stand for 10 mins or so.  Fluff with a fork, stir in cilantro, black rice and a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

You really should give black rice a try.

~ Jackie

 

 

 

 

Salt Baked Potatoes and Roasted Veggies

 

I know you’ve all been anxiously waiting, constantly checking the blog for these recipes to complete the Braised Lamb Shank dinner…well a girl can dream right.

You’re probably thinking I don’t need a recipe for roasted veggies, but there is a little twist in this recipe that makes them, at least in my opinion, the best roasted veggies. 

Roasted Veggies

• 6 carrots
• 6 parsnips
• 1/2 bulb garlic
• fresh rosemary to taste
• sea salt, fresh ground black pepper
• EVOO

Preheat oven to 450

Peel veggies and slice lengthways if they are larger in size.  Break apart garlic into cloves leaving the peel on. Slightly crush with the palm of your hand. Remove the rosemary from the woody stalks.

Put your veggies into a large stock pot of boiling salted water. Boil till just tender but not cooked all the way through (5-7 mins depending on the size of your veggies).  Drain in colander and let sit for a few minutes until they are dry.  If you don’t want to wait you could always dry them off with some paper towel.  Just don’t be to rough with them, you want them to stay whole.  While they are drying add garlic, rosemary and EVOO to a baking pan add the dry potatoes, salt and pepper and toss them around.  Put in preheated oven and bake till golden and slightly crispy.

Unfortunately I didn’t take individual pictures of the veggies but I think you get the idea.

Salt Baked Potatoes with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Butter

• 4 or 5 potatoes (preferably thick skinned)
• 2 1/2 – 3 cups large grain sea salt
• fresh rosemary
• 1 bulb of garlic
• EVOO
• 4 TBSP softened butter

Preheat oven to 450

Pour salt into baking dish.  Wash potatoes and dry.  Nestle potatoes in salt. Cut the top off the garlic and place in the salt as well as 2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about and hour and 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and brush the potatoes with EVOO.  Return to oven uncovered and bake and additional 15 minutes until cooked through and skins are crispy. 

Before returning potatoes to the oven remove the garlic.  Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into the softened butter.  Add chopped fresh rosemary to taste.  Stir till combined.

Remove potatoes from oven.  Scrape and salt off that is stuck to the bottom of the potatoes, slice and top with some of the yummy garlic butter.

I’m sure your thinking the same thing I did, that all this salt will make the potatoes super salty…trust me they won’t taste salty.

 

 

Enjoy!!

~ Jackie

Vacation - Chicken and "Rice"

It's that time again, I'm on vacation.  Unlike my last couple weeks off where the weather was sweltering hot this vacation started off with a monsoon. We didn't have any flooding in our area but about an hour away there was some serious flooding.

Hopefully the water recedes soon and everyone can start the clean up process.

One thing I will be working on during my vacation is getting a good start on some goals I set for myself in September.  Something I need to overcome is the fact my goals are usually vague, big picture, and lacking a plan with little goals along the way. As a result I end up getting distracted and never quite seem to get to the desired end result.  Which in turn leads to negative thoughts and feelings about myself.  My September goals aren't lofty by any stretch of the imagination but slow and steady wins the race, right!

A few of my September goals are:

1.  Walk at least 30 minutes 5 days per week.  

2.  Complete and submit tests/assignments for 2 modules in RHN course.

3.  3 Day Smoothie Detox

One of my upcoming goals is to organize my recipe collection. I have 59765 recipes I need to get under control, but I have no idea how.  Do I sort them by meal type, chef, type of cooking (Gluten Free, Vegan, Raw) etc. Anyone have suggestions?

On the subject of recipes,  last night I was sitting here among my 59765 recipes while searching online and  I still couldn't find anything for supper. Sadly this occurs more often than I would like. Supper obstacle #2 hubby won't eat what I eat so I have to cook something different for him.

Here's what I decided on for me, Ginger Cilantro Chicken  and Cauliflower Rice. 

Ginger Cilantro Chicken (adapted from The Kitchn)

Preheat Oven to 375

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1" piece of fresh ginger, grated

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno pepper seeded

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 - 1/3 chicken stock or white wine

2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (or Tamari)

1 tsp sesame oil (I used about 1/2 tsp hot sesame oil)

Sea Salt and Pepper

chopped green onions for garnish

Put all ingredients (except chicken and green onions) into your food processor and process till smooth.

Sear chicken on both sides in a skillet. Remove from skillet and place in baking dish.  Pour sauce mixture over chicken and bake till chicken reaches 165 and juices run clear.

Remove and serve topped with some chopped cilantro and green onions.

Since I liked everything in the recipe I figured it would be a winner and it was.  

Cauliflower Rice

1 medium head of cauliflower

1/2 - 1 cup chopped onion 

1 small carrot, shredded

1 - 2 cloves roasted garlic, mashed

1 tbsp EVOO or coconut oil

Sea Salt and pepper

Place shredding blade in food processor (you can use a box grater too). Processes cauliflower.

Saute onions till soft, add cauliflower, mashed garlic, carrot, salt and pepper.  Saute about 10 minutes.  I wanted mine a little crispy so I probably cooked it a it longer.

I was skeptical about the "rice" but it turned out really well.  A great way to get in some extra veggies and skip the carbs.

~~Jackie                           

Anatomy and Chicken On The Barbie

Did I get your attention??

The Canada Day long weekend is quickly coming to a close, back to work tomorrow..booooo.  I still don't understand how the weekends (long or not) well, pretty much anytime away from work just zooms by yet the work days just drag on painfully.  I don't get it.  While I'm on the topic who's idea was it to create a 5 day work week and 2 day weekend. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!!

I was on a roll blogging a little while ago, but I slacked off again.  Posting every day just doesn't seem to be practical.  I was having issues with my camera and laptop and life just gets in the way sometimes.  

Besides struggling with my laptop and camera , I've been struggling with my RHN (Registered Holistic Nutritionist) course.  Not struggling in the sense that I can't do it, but just trying to find the time and organize myself so I can put the necessary time in.  I still work full time, there are still 765 loads of laundry to do, dishes, cooking, groceries etc. etc. I have a million things I want and need to do but I get so overwhelmed I end up going in circles and getting nothing accomplished.   I wish someone could teach me how to prioritize and clean the clutter out so I can focus on what needs to get done.  The funny thing is I can do it at work I just can't carry that over into my personal life.  

Some, well actually I think most people think the RHN course is, all about cauliflower and broccoli and lacks substance.  Well I'm here to tell you that's not the case.  Right now I'm working on Anatomy and Physiology, it's a little challenging to say the least.  Interesting but challenging.  I'm told this is the section where they lose a lot of students. I can see why. Erythrocytes, leukocytes, the bony labyrinth, olfactory receptors, parasympathetic nervous system.  You get the idea. Learning how to spell everything should be a course in itself.

I can't wait to get through this section and move on to Symptomatology II, so I can start working on case studies. I have to do 12 in total with 2 follow ups later.  I've recruited some people to participate (friend, family, co-workers) but I'm still looking for some more so if anyone is interested let me know.  I send out the paperwork for you to complete (questionnaire(s) about your health) and then use that to formulate my recommendations that would help you reach your goals just as I will for clients when I complete the course. This is for school so I would be using them as I continue through my studies.  If you wish to know my recommendations I can tell you, if not the information is just used for the course.  Oh, and names are not submitted on the case studies so everyone's information is confidential.

Moving on.

I tried a new recipe last night for supper.  I was a teeny bit skeptical about one of the ingredients but it turned out pretty good.  I'm still undecided about the results but hubby seemed to like it so that's a good thing.

On the Menu

Smoky and Sweet Grilled Chicken, roasted lemon, garlic rosemary potatoes and grilled asparagus. Grilled asparagus is the best, and to think I hated asparagus growing up.  That would be because mom served asparagus from a can, yup that's right in a can...blech!! Mushy tasteless asparagus.

A couple squeezes of fresh lemon juice, grated garlic, olive oil, chopped fresh rosemary, S & P  

Top with some rosemary sprigs and some sliced garlic. Roast at 400 till golden brown.

Smoky & Sweet Grilled Chicken

1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 1/4 tsp ancho chile powder (I just used regular chili  powder)

1 tsp smoked paprika

3/4 tsp ground coffee (this was the odd ingredient)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp dried thyme

4 bone in skin on chicken breasts (3lbs) (I used chicken thighs)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  It will make a thick paste.  Lift the skin of the chicken and rub some of the paste over the meat. Place any remaining marinade in a ziplock bag and refrigerate at least 4 hrs up to 24hrs.

Remove chicken from fridge 15 minutes before cooking and let it come to room temperature.  Place on BBQ and cook till juices run clear.

Time to hit the books.  

Have a great day everyone!!

~ Jackie

When Hubby Makes Supper……

When hubby makes supper I’m a happy girl, because that means I don’t have to spend HOURS in the kitchen after work.   After spending 2 1/2 hours cooking 2 meals and cleaning up the kitchen last night I was thrilled he said he was cooking tonight.  He doesn’t have time to do it very often but he always does a great job.  He won’t ever tell me what he’s making either, so it’s always a surprise.
Before we had a kitchen he cooked me White Chicken Lasagna on the BBQ.  It was delicious unfortunately too many milk products for me.  There have been quite a few Rachel Ray recipes too.  One day there was a blueberry themed dinner.  Now when you hear blueberries you’re probably thinking dessert, not even close.  Dinner was Blueberry Burgers and a cold pasta dish with chicken and  Blueberries.  The pasta dish did not look appetizing at all but looks can be deceiving because it was really good.
Tonight's meal did not disappoint.  It was quite yummy (not so figure friendly) but tasty all the same.
       

Bacon Beef Rolls

Ground beef, eggs, parmesan, cheddar, ketchup, Worcestershire, and bacon of course.

Hubby cooked these on the BBQ because the dishes called for different temps.  He forgot our stove has two ovens….OOPS!!

      

Scalloped Potatoes

I was shocked this was on the menu.   Hubby has been telling me for years he can’t stand scalloped potatoes.  I found this hard to believe since there is nothing in it that he doesn’t like.  Coincidentally I had planned to make a batch for him this week so he could try them again.  I knew he’d like them, and he did.  He even sliced all the potatoes by hand.  He wanted to use the new KA Food Processor but wasn’t sure how to work it.  Truth be told that was the REAL reason I wanted to make scalloped potatoes.  I wanted to play with my new toy…  It’s soooo fast I lurve it.

       

He was thinking of me when he made these, he used Original Almond Milk instead of regular milk.  I have to say I was skeptical but they had a really good taste.  I liked the taste much better than with regular milk.    All in all a great supper, and we actually got to eat together, something that is a rare occurrence for us, so that made it even more enjoyable.

After supper the chef carried on with his other job, carpenter and went back to work on our bathroom and bedroom project.

      

I wish I had a quarter of his talent.  Not only can he do carpentry but he’s a cabinet maker too.  He built our entire kitchen from scratch and did an AMAZING  job. Not to mention the fact he built the whole house himself from the ground up.

While hubby was hard at work I relaxed with a cup of Chai Tea and a cookie, well actually two cookies but I devoured ate one before I  had a chance to take the pic.

      

I started adding a little real maple syrup to to the Chai Tea to sweeten it up.  It adds a nice flavor.

I guess that’s all I have for you tonight.  I have to go help hang some drywall now. 

How often does your spouse cook dinner?  When they do is it a “healthy” meal?

~~~Jackie

Quinoa..... Love it or Hate it

So I attempted to cook some Quinoa for supper tonight to go with my grilled chicken. This was my second attempt at it. The first time I thought it was disgusting and ended up throwing it out. I found a recipe in Self magazine thought it sounded good so I gave it another try.

Quinoa Pilaf With Pine Nuts

1 cup low sodium ff chicken broth

1/2 cup organic red quinoa

2 tbsp pine nuts toasted (I used chopped almonds)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley chopped

1/2 large onion, chopped

Prepare quinoa according to directions. While quinoa is cooking saute onions, and toast chopped nuts. When quinoa is done fluff up add nuts, chopped parsley, and onion.

It was pretty good. Much better than the last attempt. I can't say I love it yet but at least I don't hate it anymore. Do you have a favorite Quinoa recipe?

Breakfast was a breakfast burrito. 4 egg whites, with onion, peppers and 1/2 oz shredded cheddar in a Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Tortilla, with some Cinnamon pastry coffee.

Lunch was a large salad. My co-workers kindly refer to it as my "bucket of salad". Mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, english cucumbers, green onion, red cabbage a sprinkle of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, feta cheese, a squeeze of lemon, lots of cracked black pepper and a tsp of light Greek salad dressing.

To go with the salad a tuna salad wrap. 3 oz chunk light tuna, 1 tbsp Tatziki (instead of mayo), chopped celery and onion. Wrapped in Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Tortilla and grilled for some crunch. For dessert some organic vanilla yogurt with 1 tsp chia and some chocolate grated with my microplane on top.

Speaking of yogurt, I noticed in the Sobeys flyer that Liberte now has a Greek yogurt. Can't wait to give that a try.

All in all a pretty good day. I even managed to get in 45 mins of cardio.