Black Beans and Rice

We like black beans and rice around our house and I like to serve it so we have a good vegetarian dish from time to time. I usually make the same old recipe every time, so I thought I would give this one a try to mix it up. It was good, but not a 5 star for my family, but I think we will make it again just to have a variety. It comes together nice and quick.

From February 2005 Real Simple magazine or www.myrecipes.com
Yield:Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups long-grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 large green or red pepper, chopped (1 ½ cups)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
2 15-ounce cans black beans, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup sliced scallions (optional)
Preparation
In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1 ½ teaspoons of the olive oil. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, green or red pepper, and garlic until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, broth, vinegar, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, and remaining salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes; remove the bay leaves. Spoon the beans over the rice and sprinkle with the scallions, if desired. Serve warm.

Tip: For a quick black bean soup, follow this recipe. Then remove the bay leaves and process the mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Instead of serving it with rice, spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each serving and sprinkle with sliced scallions.

Oreo Banana Bread-Picky Palate

My kids loved this and we thought it was tasty. I had a hard time getting it out of my little loaf man (like a muffin tin), but in a small loaf pan it wasn't as much of a problem. I opted not to use the glaze and we enjoyed it all the same. I asked Jack his honest opinion of it and he said, "I thought when you told me it had oreo's in it that it was going to be SO GOOD, but it was just okay and it probably isn't worth the calories." YIKES am I rubbing off on my husband!? Since when did men start worrying about the total number of calories in comparison to how things taste! I thought it was good. I like that the chocolate was just enough and didn't overpower the banana bread flavor itself. If you haven't checked out the Picky-Palate you might find it to be a fun experience. This gal is creative and I love her writing style when she post.

Cookies and Cream Banana Bread from Picky-Palate

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 medium size ripe bananas (or 3 Large bananas)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
15 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces

1 Cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until well combined. Slowly beat in egg, bananas and vanilla until combined. Place flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Stir in Oreos until just combined.

2. Scoop dough into 16 very mini loaf pans or 2 bread pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Muffin tins would work great too. Bake for 28-35 minutes if you are using the mini pan or 45-55 minutes for the normal bread pan. Toothpick comes clean from center.

3. Whisk powdered sugar and cream in a medium bowl until a nice drizzling consistency is reached. Drizzle over top of each bread and serve. Makes 16 mini loaves or 2 full loaves.
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Falafel

These are an acquired taste for some, but Jack loved Falafel from the first time he tasted while we were living in Connecticut. I later found a recipe for it in one of my Cooking Light magazines and thought I would surprise Jack and make it. It was a hit and I have been making it for over two years. I wouldn't call it a staple, but we certainly enjoy it when we have it. I marvel that all my boys gobble it down, and ask for more. We have served this to friends that were interested in trying something completely new. It is a fun vegetarian dish that is packed with protein.

"The patties will seem small when you're forming them, but they fit perfectly in the pita halves. To prevent the falafel mixture fom sticking to your hands, dip them in water before forming the patties. Look for tahini near the peanut butter and other nut butters. (We have also used sour cream with a drop of sesame oil and lemon juice in it when we can't get the tahini sauce.)

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 2 stuffed pita halves)

Ingredients
FALAFEL:
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large egg
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 tablespoon olive oil

SAUCE:
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame-seed paste)
1 garlic clove, minced

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
4 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, cut in half
8 curly leaf lettuce leaves
16 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato
Preparation
To prepare falafel, place first 8 ingredients in a food processor; process mixture until smooth. Divide mixture into 16 equal portions, and shape each portion into a 1/4-inch-thick patty. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until patties are browned.

To prepare sauce, combine yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, and 1 garlic clove, stirring mixture with a whisk. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini sauce into each pita half. Fill each pita half with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 tomato slices, and 2 patties."

Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2003

Baked Penne w/ Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My kids loved this dish. Cameron ate three helpings. Jack thought it was to "milky" in flavor (not the most friendly dish for a lactose intolerant person). I thought it was good, but that it could have used a little more sun-dried tomatoes to give it more flavor. Jack and I thought it could have used a few more mushrooms as well.

6 Tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lb penne rigate (I used 17.6 oz Costo Penne)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (8 oz each), cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
4 garlic cloves, minced (I only used 2 cloves)
6 cups whole milk ( I used 3 cups whole, 3 cups 1%)
10 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded provolone (I couldn't find shredded in my little town so I chopped up 8 oz sliced provolone found near the sandwich meats.)
1 cup (4oz) finely grated Parmesan (I only used 2 oz/1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and return to pot.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes oer sde. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and garlic; cook whisking, 1 minute. While whisking, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Off heat, gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Bake , uncovered , until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

To Freeze prepare through to step 4 , cool. Cover tightly and let foil, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To bake from Frozen to 400 degrees. and bake (still covered in foil) on a rimmed baking sheet until center is hot, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove foil bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

Jill's Coconut Curry Chicken

I came up with this recipe after looking at several Coconut Curry Chicken recipes. From the Food Network and a few of the blogs I like to get inspirations from time to time I took multiple recipe ideas and created one that I thought would work for us. This is a kid friendly dish at my household. It passed the test of my niece Jessica (a picky-eater), and the heat is just right for kids in my opinion. Obviously if you can take the heat and want more add more Green Curry Paste! We served this over rice-Jasmine is our personal favorite.

2 Tablespoons oil, divided
1 1/2 lbs Boneless Chicken, cut into bit size pieces
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 glove minced garlic (1/2 tsp minced if from a jar)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
5 Carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 Ribs of celery, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cans coconut milk
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour (For thickener. You could use cornstarch too)
1 Tablespoon Lime juice
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Green Curry Paste
Cilantro, chopped

Add 1 Tablespoon oil to pan and saute the onions, and chicken until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Then add remaining oil, bell pepper, garlic, and carrots; stir-fry until crispy tender. Add the curry paste and stir for 1-2 minutes. Pour in broth, cans of coconut milk, lime juice, and salt. Return chicken to the pan and stir until well incorporated. Simmer on a medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until desired thickness. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on individual servings when ready to serve.

Peanut Butter-Finger Mini Cheesecakes

I got this recipe from picky-palate.com. This gals blog is so fun to look at and her food is great. Today I made her mini cheesecakes in preparation for Sunday dinner. We decided to eat them tonight! What a good choice! They were rich, creamy, and enjoyed by all. I have to hand it to her when she said it will do a mini muffin tin that's what it does no more no less. (24 mini cheesecakes). I will admit that her pictures are inspiring so check out her sight. I also have to admit that I have mini cheesecake tin envy. (She bought hers at William Sonoma's for $30. Maybe in time. For now my little pamper chef tin did the job, and if you don't have this great William Sonoma Mini Cheesecake pan yours might come out looking more like mine ;-) ).

Well enjoy the richness of this great little recipe. It will satisfy you in a simple bit or two.

1 Cup ground Vanilla Wafers
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1/8 teaspoon salt

8 oz softened cream cheese
1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 Fun Size Butterfinger Candy Bars, crushed

1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream

2 Fun Size Butterfinger, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place cookie crumbs, sugar, butter and salt into a bowl; mix to combine. Spoon mixture into bottoms of mini cheese cake pan or mini cupcake pan and press. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

2. Reduce heat to 300 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat cream cheese and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in egg, cream and salt until well combined. Slowly stir in crushed peanut butter. Evenly pour batter over baked crust. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until cheesecake is set. Let cool for 2 hours, then remove from pan.

3. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth. Stir in cream until smooth and glossy. If needed, return back to microwave for 15 seconds or so until smooth. Spoon over tops of cakes then sprinkle crushed butterfinger over top.

Brown Bag Carmel Corn

This Carmel Corn is so IRRESISTIBLE!!! Diane Paxton gave us a bag of this for Christmas and we fell in love! I finally got around to asking her for her recipe. Growing up my family was known for their Carmel Corn and it was a party regular. So FAM--you are going to love this one. It's not soft and chewy like the family tradition, but has more the texture of Crunch-a-Munch. Tonight was a Friday night slumber party at our house. A single batch of this disappeared quickly amongst the 2 adults and 6 kids. I dare you to try to just eat one handful, near impossible for me!! When something is this yummy why miss out! I hope you enjoy it!! (Thank you Diane!)

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon soda

15 cups of popped corn (or more depending on how much carmel you like on your popcorn)

Put butter/margarine in a 2-qt microwave dish; melt. Then add the brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil; boil for 1-2 minutes. (Mine boils at 2 minutes, but each microwave is different so watch it and make note the first time). Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove dish from microwave add the soda and vanilla. Drizzle Carmel over popcorn in a large brown paper bag. Stir it or shake it, to coat the popcorn with Carmel. (I personally drizzled it over the popcorn in the large bag, then dumped it into the bag for the shaking step--worked great!) Cook in bag for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove and shake again. Dump out onto a large cookie sheet/ jelly-roll pan to cool. (I used two pans-single layered).

If you would like to make popcorn balls out of this recipe, simply skip the brown paper bag step and form into balls.