Erin's Easy Eats

Southeast Asian Fish Rolls with Fragrant Jasmine Rice

June 30th, 2008 by Erin

This food is not much to look at - baked fish and rice means white food.  They are tasty though!  These recipes are another attempt at some healthy cooking.  Both recipes come from the Low Fat Moosewoods cookbook, a relic from my vegetarian days.  I should get back into that a little more often, only I can’t remember what I ate all of the time.  I suspect that I had a lot of pasta, which isn’t particularly a great idea.  And cheese.  I know I ate a lot of cheese.  Plus, I find it very difficult to find tofu recipes I like.  Anyway…

The rice smelled fantastic while it was cooking (jasmine rice will do that) but didn’t have enough flavor at the end, and I needed some soy sauce to perk it up.  If I make it again, I’ll halve the water and rice, effectively doubling the amount of flavorings/seasonings within the rice, to make it more interesting.  Fresh lemongrass was certainly an experience, though!  The first time I made the fish rolls, I was worried they’d fall apart, so I skewered them with toothpicks to hold them together, and then they fell apart as I pulled out the toothpicks.  This time, I couldn’t find the toothpicks, so I just placed them seam side down in the baking dish and they held together perfectly.

For the fish:

• 8 2-4oz. thin fish fillets, such as sole or flounder
• 1/4 c. fresh lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 c. chopped basil
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 Tbs chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lime peel
• panko bread crumbs

Mix together all ingredients except for fish.  Lay fillets on a cutting board or counter and spoon 1/8 of the filling onto each piece.  Roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish.  Spray lightly with cooking spray and dust with panko crumbs.  Cover lightly and bake a 375 for 20-25 minutes.

For the rice:

• 2 c. jasmine rice
• 2 Tbs mined lemongrass or 2 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 small green chile, seeded and minced
• 1 c. undrained crushed pineapple
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh basil
• 2 1/2 c. boiling water

Place rice in colander or sieve, and rinse with cool water.  Set aside.

In a large nonstick saucepan, heat a little oil over medium (about a teaspoon, really) and add lemongrass or peel, garlic, chile, and a little salt.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add pineapple with its juice, basil, rice, and boiling water.  Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

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Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage

February 20th, 2008 by Erin

This is a recipe from Cooking Light. The first time I made this, I had a little stomach thing going on, so I didn’t eat but a bowl of it, but let me tell you… you know Popeye’s red beans and rice? And how I’m sure they’re full of gross and disgusting and fattening things? These taste like them, and they’re not at all fattening and gross. Also, smoked turkey sausage is el-cheapo ($2 for 2 links, at my grocery store) so this is quite economical as well. Dried beans round it out at about a dollar a bag…  This recipe makes a ton of food, and it all disappeared quite quickly last time.  (Probably even more now because I’m actually going to be eating it.)  The cook time is long, but the prep is fast and the ingredients are simple and few.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 c. dried red beans (kidney)
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 c. chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 10 c. water
• 2 Tbs Cajun seasoning (salt free, preferably)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 lb. smoked turkey sausage, thinly sliced
• 3 c. cooked rice

Wash and sort beans. Cover with water to 2″ above beans. Let stand 8 hours. Drain beans. Heat oil in a pot (you’ll need a big one) over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, saute for 4 minutes. Add everything else except for rice, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until thickened and beans are cooked through.  Season to taste with salt. Serve over rice.

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Island Bird: Pineapple-Rum Chicken

February 14th, 2008 by Erin

Yes, another Rachael Ray recipe. When it comes to the land of “easy eats,” her 30 minute skillz cannot be beat. (Oh god that was rhyming? I need to stop teaching poetry. Anyway.) I’m not saying all of her recipes are good (there are lots that aren’t, and some that are just downright AWFUL) but I am not a Rachael hater so much that I can’t eat some of the food in her cookbook.

This one is really good. You can’t taste the rum, honest. I think this would also be equally good cold, over lettuce, instead of rice, for a good summer meal. Also, I love pineapple. And since Survivor is on, I also love Ozzie. <3 <3 <3 I made pie tonight too, a chocolate pie from the Pioneer Woman. It is like French silk pie. It is love.

Ingredients:

• Rice, cooked according to package directions (we use regular rice, and make about 2 cups)
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c. spiced rum (forgive me Justin, I used the bottle that’s been sitting on the counter for two months)
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth/stock
• 1/4 c. parsley, shopped
• 2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Either grill, or cook in nonstick pan for about 6 minutes each side or until cooked through. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm. Wipe out the pan.

Heat pan over medium high. Add 1 tbs. oil, garlic, salt, onions, and crushed red pepper. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pineapple chunks and some juice (no more than 1/2 c. and stir to combine. Add rum (if you have a gas stove, take your pan off the heat first, then add the rum and put it back, unless you like pyrotechnics in your kitchen. You might, and that would add some “flair” to dinner, no?) Add chicken stock, and cook until it reduces by half.

Slice breasts and return them to the large skillet with the sauce in it. Add parsley and cilantro and turn off the heat. Serve over rice.

Posted in chicken, dinner, recipes, rice || 2 Comments

Chicken-Rice Casserole

January 1st, 2008 by Erin

 I’m going to go nutty and post everything we eat!
(Not really, because then my lunch would be shameful, consisting of party leftovers. For shame.)
Anyway, here’s a casserole that was new to our home tonight, but I’d sampled before at work. My co-worker is one of my many “school moms.” I’m the second youngest teacher in a school with 40 employees, so I get a lot of love (and lunches, too!) A lot of them are empty-nesters, and around my parents’ ages, so it works out well. This casserole was a hit, too. I used “healthy” versions of the soup, mayo, and cheese to make it slightly less horrible for you.
Ingredients

1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit sized pieces
1 yellow onion, chopped (not too finely)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can mushroom “stems and pieces” drained
garlic powder to taste
2 cups cheddar cheese

Cook onion and chicken in pan until chicken is cooked through and onions are soft. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken and onions. Stir to combine thoroughly. Put into casserole dish (I love my trusty 12″ Pampered Chef dish) and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top.

It’s not much to look at, but it sure is tasty!

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Chicken with Peppers in Peanut Sauce

December 31st, 2007 by Erin

Updated with a picture!

The title is uninspired, although that night there were some inspired comments, although I’m not sure I could legally repeat most of them without getting arrested. But, regardless of its uninspired title, the food is yummy. (And a recipe of my own creation!) I’ll admit that most of the sauce measurements are just guesses - I do it until it “looks right” - a cooking tactic I learned from my mother. If its not salty enough, add more soy sauce. If it looks like too much peanut butter (and I always use just enough to make it look like a smidge too much in my eyes) use less. If the sauce is runny, add less water to start. If it’s too thick, add more. Crazy!

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
2 cups water
1 pound (give or take) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large yellow onion
2 red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic
4 green onions (scallions)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. smooth peanut butter
1/4 c. water
2 Tbs honey
Basil (3 Tbs fresh or 1 Tbs dried)

Combine rice and water in a pan, bring to boil, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes.

Preheat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Finely chop garlic. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to heated pan and sauté until chicken is no longer pink.
While the chicken is cooking, thinly slice the red peppers and onions. Add to pan when chicken isn’t pink. Cook until onions are just soft - about 7 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients. (I start with soy sauce, then peanut butter, give a little stir to see how things are shaping up, and then add water to make it “saucy.”) Add honey. Stir, and allow sauce mixture to just come to a boil Add basil and chopped green onions right before serving.
Serve over rice.

P.S. This is also really good with shrimp, as I used to make it before I started eating chicken again. I imagine if you pressed tofu and maybe added some more soy sauce/spice, it would be good with tofu as well. Also, to add to Jessica’s comment: I normally add some red pepper flakes, but didn’t have any on hand last time and it still tasted okay. I normally like my food a ton hotter than the man, so I take it easy and then add Tabasco sauce to everything.

Posted in chicken, recipes, rice || 3 Comments