“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by USA Rice Federation and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”
I can’t figure out whether I’m a patient person or not.
If we were to find ourselves on an NYC subway car, for example, and an announcement came on that we were being held until further notice, you would never hear me shout, “AWH YOU KIDDIN’ ME?” I’m a rarity in New York. Also, I can practice violin for extended periods of time with (relative) success and with (debatably) good concentration, which I definitely consider one of my best achievements.
But in the kitchen, I’m super inconsistent. I love the mundane aspects of cooking that a lot of people hate, like chopping and measuring. But if a dish is slow to cook on its own, and yet STILL requires my constant attention, like risotto? Ugh. Also, oats made on the stove. What even are those? I’m hungry in the morning… Team watery, high-risk-of-overflowing microwave oats all the way.
I have been trying to improve my kitchen patience, though. I mean, I’ve gotten SUPER picky about cutting all of my vegetables perfectly into appropriately sized, even cuts. I know that’s not really anything special, but whatever, just humor me. I think I’m doing a good job here.
Another thing I’ve been trying to do lately is balance my food groups better. With my ridiculous, often unpredictable schedule, it becomes so easy to fall into food routines – and not necessarily good ones. It becomes so easy to miss meals and then rely on snacks during lunch and dinner hours, which has become more normal than I’d like. Example: I had popcorn for dinner a few weeks ago. It was homemade though, and then I covered it in cilantro (that I dried myself – boo yah!) so I guess there was a serving of greens in there? Ugh. Also, “lunch” has recently become a spoonful of plain greek yogurt with cinnamon, pomegranate seeds, and a tablespoon of homemade granola. There was one day last week I ate that twice… In one day.
But now I feel that things are looking up, because I conquered this risotto, and have thus conquered my two biggest food-related weaknesses; kitchen patience, and food group balancing. The patience is worth it though, because this risotto is the BOMB DIGGITY. Do people say that anymore? Also, the base of this dish is rice, which makes for a great balanced meal that is also delicious!
Because of its many benefits, the USA Rice Federation has encouraged the Recipe Reduxers to spread the love, and “Think Rice.” USA-grown rice is naturally trans fat-, cholesterol-, sodium-, and gluten-free, so if you’re watching your intake of any or all of those things (…or not), rice is a great choice. It’s also inexpensive, easy to buy in bulk, and goes well with pretty much anything you want to put on or in it. It gets this hungry-but-frugal grad student’s seal of approval, and you can definitely be “Thinking Rice” with this mighty tasty risotto! Although it takes some time, it’s pretty easy to make. It actually tastes way more complicated than it is. In the words of my spirit animal Ina Garten, “How easy is that?!”
1 1/4 cups U.S.A. grown, organic arborio -or- short grain brown rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup dried mission figs, chopped
1/3 cup pitted, oil-cured black olives, chopped
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste (if desired)
Instructions
Soak the dried mushrooms in the boiling water. Let soak for 30 minutes, or until fully hydrated.
Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a saucepan. When boiling, reduce to a simmer.
Chop garlic and sage. Set aside.
Chop onion. Set aside.
Chop figs and olives. Set aside.
Once mushrooms are hydrated, strain and then reserve the soaking liquid through a cheesecloth or paper towel. Chop the mushrooms. Set aside.
Add 3 tbs. of olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sage and let sweat until fragrant.
Add onion to skillet. Stir frequently, cooking until semi-translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add rice to skillet, plus one more tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to coat, and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Add wine to skillet.
Once wine liquid has cooked off, add mushroom liquid and a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.
Add 1-2 more ladlefuls of stock. Stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed, then add more stock. Repeat until rice is al dente. Add figs and olives to pan about halfway through the cooking process (when stock is half gone).
Remove risotto from heat. Stir in cheese, plus salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Notes
Garnish with sage leaves, thinly sliced fig, and/or extra pecorino. Because cheese.
Save time by chopping your garlic, sage, onion, etc. while the mushrooms are soaking and the stock is heating up.
Kill time while waiting for the risotto to cook by drinking the leftover wine 😉
My love for Chobani yogurt extends far beyond the little six-ounce cups of heaven that I like to stir granola into. It’s so creamy and perfect and delicious, and as you well know, I will put it in anything. Dinner is no exception, even when it’s savory!
Now, I have been wanting to make falafel for a while. It’s one of the easiest things you can make if you have a food processor, which I don’t during school months. So, out of the twenty recipe ideas I accumulated while kitchen-less in Aspen, I figured this was a good one to try before I leave for Philly. I also made a delicious Tzatziki (yogurt sauce with cucumber and dill) to go with it. Served in a warm pita with vegetables and a light drizzle of tahini, these really did the trick. These falafel are pan (not deep) fried until browned and then baked to make them even crispier. The insides are perfectly soft but baking them for longer would make them drier if that’s the texture you prefer.
Recipe for Falafel (makes 28-30):
2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 cup spinach
Juice of 1 lemon
1 small-medium white or yellow onion
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
2 sprigs fresh parsley
4-5 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
Cayenne pepper to taste (I used 1/8 tsp, but you can use more depending on your heat preference)
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp baking powder
Coconut or olive oil for cooking
Rinse and drain chickpeas. Blend in food processor until smooth and then add spinach. Blend, adding lemon juice and tablespoons of water as necessary to help with blending. When completely blended, pour contents into a mixing bowl. In the food processor, combine onion, garlic, cilantro, and parsley and pulse until finely chopped. Fold that mixture into the bowl. Gradually stir in oat flour until the mixture becomes more stiff. Add baking powder and spices and combine.
Preheat oven to 375. Over low-medium heat, coat a pan with a thin layer of olive or coconut oil. Drop tablespoon-sized spoonfuls into the pan (2-4 minutes depending on your pan/stovetop) until they are able to be flipped easily. Flip falafels to the other side and let brown. Transfer falafels to a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, or longer for a drier result.
Greek Yogurt Tzatziki:
2 6-oz. containers plain 0% Greek yogurt (I recommend Chobani)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and minced
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
4 tsp. olive oil
2 cloves finely minced garlic
4 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
This is one of my favorite recipes to date for a few reasons. First of all, it’s really good. Like, SERIOUSLY good. Second of all, it WON me a recipe contest on one of my favorite Instagrams/blogs, Spoonful of Fit! As a result, I got hundreds of new followers on my dinky little Instagram, which now has almost 500 followers. That may not seem like a lot to someone who’s “Internet famous,” but to a random girl taking pictures of her lunch on her iPhone hoping to get recognized, that’s a sizeable step in the right direction!
When I made these, I was looking for a way to jazz up my meal prep for the week and do something special by entering the recipe contest, but I tried to keep it as simple as possible.
Turkey Sausage and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with an Avocado “Cream” (Makes 6-8 servings)
1 cup plain, uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock (no salt added)
1 tsp olive or coconut oil
5 cloves minced garlic
5 links lean turkey sausage
2 cups spinach
3-4 medium-large bell peppers
1 avocado
1 container plain, fat free Greek Yogurt
Garlic powder
Bring quinoa and veggie stock to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce to simmer and add 2 cloves of minced garlic when the broth is about halfway absorbed. Once the liquid is mostly absorbed, reduce heat all the way. In a separate pan, cook the turkey sausage (just the meat, no skins) on medium heat with 3 cloves minced garlic in a teeny bit of olive or coconut oil to keep the garlic from burning. Season with whatever you like, I used black pepper, a pinch of thyme, and Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning. Once the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the spinach until it wilts. Drain the fat and liquid, and add the sausage mixture to the quinoa. Stir, and let sit for a few minutes.
Cut each pepper in half lengthwise and remove the seeds/stem/ribs. Fill each half with the mixture and bake at 375˚ for about 25-30 minutes.
To make the avocado cream, mash the avocado and yogurt and add garlic powder to taste.
BUT WAIT!
TIP: You can make this recipe Paleo and barely notice the difference!
The Paleo Version
How? Replace the quinoa with 2 cups riced cauliflower (raw, do not add extra liquid). Add extra seasoning if you’d like to make up for the flavor from not having veggie stock, and/or use a pre-seasoned sausage (I used a tomato basil variety for this version) for more flavor. Cut out the yogurt from the avocado cream and just use mashed avo and garlic powder! And if you’re vegan, replace the sausage with your favorite meat substitute, seasoned tofu, or some roasted veggies, and use almond milk or soy yogurt!
Lazy Sunday, making the Paleo peppers in a pretty fierce onesie!
You should definitely go make this recipe as soon as you can. And if you don’t want to take my word for it, ask the people on Instagram who have already tried it and loved it 😉
If you’re like me, your favorite part of getting Chinese food is the Sesame noodles. Cold or hot, there is just something so appealing about a giant bowl of carbs slathered in a crunchy peanut sauce. Unfortunately, those aren’t good for you. Fortunately, I’ve come up with what I think is a pretty darn good replacement!
If you’ve never tried Shirataki noodles, they’re AMAZING! They range from 0-30 calories per bag, and they fill you up! If your grocery store carries them, you can find them in the tofu section, but the ones I used for this recipe are the regular Shirataki noodles which are made from yam flour. The noodles come in a variety of shapes (even macaroni), and while I won’t lie to you and tell you that it’s the same texture as regular pasta, I’m also serious that this is the best pasta replacement ever.
Spicy Mango Sesame Noodles (Generously serves 1 – Double or triple recipe to use as a side dish):
1 bag 0-calorie shirataki noodles
1/4 mango, sliced into thin strips
1 clove minced garlic
1 tbs. crunchy peanut butter (I used Earth Balance coconut peanut butter)
1 tsp The Heat is On peanut butter by Peanut Butter and Co. (or sriracha to taste)
1 tbs. Bragg’s liquid aminos or soy sauce
Sesame seeds (you can choose to toast them if you wish)
Rinse, drain, and dry noodles according to package. Place noodles in a nonstick pan with garlic. Add remaining ingredients once pan is heated and stir in pan until combined. Garnish with sesame seeds.
