Rice brown

Brown rice and frozen peas

I suppose that this mix of field peas with snaps is not available in the north, but they sure make a nice bit of frozen beans to add to cooked brown rice. With left over catfish, some crushed tomato and some cut tomatoes I made a nice mix like a poor man's jambalaya. It was not seasoned the way I best like, but it was good.

Brown rice cooked up easy on the top of the stove using 3 cups rice to 7 and a half of water and letting it cook the full 45 minutes on the very low electrical setting. I like the result.

Brown rice in the slow cooker

1-12-09

I used a recipe for slow cooker brown rice that called for 3 hours on high and then went out to do errands and left the rice on low for a long while. It overcooked. It is rice mush now. It would make a great mashed potato substitute at turkey time. It does not taste bad with a bit of soy sauce in the morning, but it does not have the texture I enjoy in brown rice. I guess I'll make it on the stove again in that pan here that is no stick and has a good covering lid.

rice-gallo pinto

November 14 - Dad would be 117 today. Casey celebrates his first birthday.


ENOUGH FOR PARTY

six cups of rice - I used brown although Costa Rican people use white
Two cans drained black beans
one white onion choppped
one green pepper in paper thin slices
two cloves garlic
chopped carrot (optional)


Make rice in the rice maker.
saute everything but the beans in some olive oil in the large cast iron pan

Add cooked rice and beans and Salsa to taste. this time I used Salsa Ingles.
It can be made with wortescher sauce, but it really is not gallo pinto then.
It is the Costa Rican Sauce that adds the flavor.
I like the carrot added to rice dishes, but I skipped it this time.

Cook the mix until the beans are hot.

Return the mix to the slow cooker and warm until ready to serve.

Add more sauce at the table to taste.

Peppers- hot

chuck's soup:

Anyways after making a batch of XXX habanero sauce I found the cold red bell peppers and habanero soup recipe. Plucked a couple radiators and brandywines from out back, grabbed some garlic and onions along with 4-5 habaneros and the same amt red bell peppers, that I purchased from the farmer mkt. Sauteed the onions and chilis added the rest of stuff and cooked til just done. Boat grind it with oil and chilled in ice bath and its ready to go. By the way I removed seeds from the chilis. That keeps the heat down, not like the sauce i made that will scorch your mouth, the soup has a nice sweet flavor and the heat creeps up on you and will warm your forehead but isnt overpowering.

salad dressings

Any flavor of vinegar with a bit of hot sauce, even tabasco

01/16/09 at Red Lobster
malt vinegar or balsamic vinegar is a great topping for the salad with not oil. I sprinkled a bit of Tabasco on it as well and that did the trick. Odd because I prefer Louisiana hot sauce to the Tabasco but here I reverse my preferences.
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Cafe Bangkok Sauce and Salad- Giner-Sesame flavor at 21 calories per tablespoon.
Tamari
hot sauce

About even proportions with the hot sauce less to protect the ginger flavor.
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Eat this not that dressings to buy

Briannas Sanda Fe Blend (2 Tbsp, 30 mL)
Calories 25
Fat 0 g
Sodium 480 mg

Annie's Naturals Lite Raspberry Vinaigrette (2 Tbsp, 31 g)
Calories 40
Fat 3 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 60 mg

Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan (2 Tbsp, 32 g)
Calories 40
Fat 2 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 440 mg

Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Honey Dijon (2 Tbsp, 30 mL)
Calories 40
Fat 0 g
Sodium 200 mg

Newman's Own Natural Salad Mist Tuscan Italian (10 sprays, 8 mL)
Calories 10
Fat 1 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Sodium 100 mg

Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (1 Tbsp, 15 mL)
Calories 5
Fat 0 g
Sodium 0 mg

Mix in a bowl and spoon over salad. The Cafe Bangkok is thick and will thin nicely with the soy.

salad - cucumber and red onion

10-28-08cucumber marinated with red onions.From the Eat, Drink and Weigh less book.
they call for some sugar, but I just skip that.

1/4 cup cider vinegar - I used almost 1/2 cup malt vinegar and a tiny bit of left over sherry
minced red onion - I just chopped it small
fresh cilantro - I used dried.

11-5-08 I used some Balsamic with the malt vinegar and a bit of sherry.
I added chopped green peppers to the mix.
I heated the vinegar with the dried cilantro to release more of the flavor. After heating it to a boil, I removed it from the stove, let it set a bit, then put it in the freezer while I filled the jars with vegetables.
I layered the vegetables using the bits of green pepper to fill in the holes and spaces between them.
I will still have to turn the jars as they marinate. Also next time I'll try to put cilantro in between the layers as the tight fit of the vegetables seemed to filter a good bit of that so it rested on the top of the mixture. I turned a few times to try to work some lower in the jars.


Slice the cucumbers fairly slim.
put in the cucumbers and onion and spices. Mix. Put in a tightly sealed jar and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

I kept turning the jar. The liquid did not cover very well.
Still it all tasted good when it was done. I used some of it in a wrap with other veggies including three finely chopped anchovies.
anchovies in tiny quantities could be added to the mix in the beginning.

Sauerkraut

In the refrigerated section I found Claussen sauerkraut. It is very much better than traditional canned sauerkraut. Seems crisper as they advertise on the jar.

Snacks

Mushrooms and peppercini

SNACK

I have always liked peppercini eaten by hand. They are a mild pepper. Still they seemed as if they would be better blended with another taste.
Mushroom.
From a nicely washed button mushroom and take a bite. Don't chew.
Now bite the entire peppercinni pepper and chew the two together
"in the same mouth" as Margot used to say.