Fiesta Rice

This colorful and healthy side dish is perfect for any Mexican inspired meal. I made a huge batch and contently ate from it for days. You can use white or brown rice depending on your preference and could include any extra vegetables and seasonings you like. The cilantro and lime were plenty for me and mixed perfectly with the corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Totally delicious and guilt free

Fiesta Rice

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice
3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed
3/4 cup cooked corn
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine hot rice, heated corn, heated beans, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper if needed. Toss and serve.

Source: Skinny Taste

Kale Chips

I’ve seen several recipes for simple kale chips and was pleasantly surprised when I finally made them myself! They’re easy to prepare and have a very fresh crisp flavor and texture. I kept it simple with olive oil, salt, and pepper, but you can jazz it up with something like chili powder or garlic powder – the possibilities are really endless. What a perfect alternative to grabbing a handful of potato chips – you can get a healthy serving of vegetables instead!

Speaking of plants, I’m currently in love with springtime in Texas. Besides our trademark bluebonnets springing up…

I also have a big bouquet of daisies (my favorite!) that my dear husband brought home.

Plus, my veggie/herb garden is growing leaps and bounds! (photos to come) Spring is such a lovely time – hope yall are enjoying it too!

Kale Chips

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Wash the kale thoroughly to remove any grit and pat with towels or use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Rip or cut the leaves of the kale away from the stems and discard the stems.

Lay the leaves out on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil, then lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the kale for about 20 minutes or until crisp. Allow it to cool and then transfer to a bowl or storage container. Enjoy!

Source: A Cozy Kitchen

Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I’ve somehow never been to a Red Lobster (I’ll get there someday I’m sure…) but hear they serve some mighty tasty biscuits. These cheddar drop biscuits are apparently their twin and are SO easy to make at home. They are quick to throw together but taste like you worked really hard! Use these measurements to make a small batch, or you can easily follow the original recipe to make them for a larger crowd.

I used some delicious smoked sharp cheddar cheese that I recently got at the famous Fischer’s in the cute little German town of Muenster, TX. This cheese added a nice flavor to the simple biscuit, and you can also add a little extra flavor at the end by brushing on some garlic butter and parsley. (I skipped this step – was trying to be a bit more healthy!) I also recommend using freshly grated cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese – you’d be surprised at the difference it makes when you’re baking!

Hope you enjoy this delicious side dish paired with your fancy lobster dinner or simple meal of choice!

Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 heaping tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 stick butter, melted but cooled
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (freshly shredded is best)

Optional Topping:
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp parsley, chopped fine (or dried parsley)

Yield: 8 biscuits

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat sheet. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and buttermilk to the dry ingredients. Add the shredded cheese and stir until just combined.

Using a medium ice cream scoop, place biscuits about an inch or two apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown. If wanted, combine the butter, parsley, and garlic powder and brush the tops of the biscuits.

Source: Stella B’s Kitchen

Mexican Hot Chocolate Toasted Pecans

I saw this recipe months ago on Pinterest and knew these pecans would be amazing whenever I finally tried them. Well, the time finally came and sure enough – these nuts are out of this world! The cocoa with a touch of spice perfectly represents the authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate flavors.

You can have a handful as a snack or add a bowl to a dessert spread for something a little unique. Either way – you’re in for a tasty treat! Enjoy

Mexican Hot Chocolate Toasted Pecans

Ingredients:
4 cups pecans
1 egg white
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch ground allspice

Yield: 4 cups

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, use a silpat, or lightly grease the sheet to keep from sticking.

Mix the sugar, cocoa powder, and all the spices in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the egg white until it is thick and frothy and add in the pecans. Stir them to coat evenly. Next, add the cocoa mixture and combine until the nuts are evenly coated.

Scoop the nuts with a slotted spoon onto the prepared baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove, toss the nuts, and place them back in the oven for 20 more minutes. After the first 40 minutes, check the nuts to see if the coating doesn’t crumble off of the nuts. If it does, place them back in the oven for 20 more minutes, otherwise let the nuts cool and serve!

Source: Simply Scratch who adapted from Savvy Eats

Croissants

I’ve been dreaming about making homemade croissants and finally that dream became a buttery reality. Life hasn’t been the same since. Ok, maybe a little dramatic, but really, these are practically life changing for a baker.

Now I know how much hard work goes into baking something great and complex. The process of rolling, folding, rolling, and folding again might seem excessive. But after biting into the flaky layers, it’s all immediately worth it. There is a lot of time and work that goes into homemade croissants, but besides the delicious results, you feel truly accomplished too!

And! Another great thing (I totally sound like a croissant saleswoman) is if you don’t want to make tons of basic croissants, you can use the same dough to make it’s best friend, pain au chocolat. Your kitchen seriously turns into a French bakery at this point. TWO types of fancy breads at once - so amazing!

Even though I didn’t use the same recipe, I used this helpful video to get a better visual of the technique used to make these. The tip he gives about pulling the tip when rolling the croissants is pretty great!

So if you feel ambitious enough to attempt homemade croissants, you totally should. Don’t be too intimidated, I promise it’s not extremely difficult! Just give yourself plenty of time, space, butter, and room in your belly.

Croissants

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
1/4 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter
1 egg, beaten

Yield: 16 croissants

Directions:
Combine milk, first amount of butter, sugar, and salt in a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

While mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast in the water and add it to the milk. Place the liquid in a mixer and add the flour. Using the dough hook, mix until the dough is elastic and sticky.

Place in a bowl, cover and let it rise until double in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Then place the dough in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. While dough is chilling, soften the remaining cold butter by pounding with a rolling pin.

Roll the dough on a floured surface to form a 1/4-inch thick rectangle. Spread the butter over 2/3 of the rectangle closest to you. Fold the unbuttered third over the center third. Then fold the bottom 1/3 over the doubled portion. Rotate the dough around a quarter turn. Roll it again into a 1/4-inch thick oblong. Fold again in thirds.

Cover the dough and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more. When the dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and repeat the folding and turning twice more. Then roll the dough to 1/4-inch thickness once more. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares then cut the squares on the bias to form two triangles. Roll each triangle beginning with the wide side, then shape the rolls into crescents. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper or a silpat baking sheet. Leave enough room for each croissant to triple in size. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush a little of the beaten egg over each croissant to add color and texture while it bakes. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and continue to bake another 15 minutes. Remove the croissants from the oven, cool, and enjoy!

Source: Best Bread Recipes

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

The thought of making homemade crackers seemed absurd at first – why spend the time making them when you can grab a box at the store? Well my friends, I’ve been proven wrong. I went out on a limb and tried these tasty little treats myself and WOW – they are a million times better than anything you could buy! The fresh taste totally beats something from a box and really, this 5 ingredient recipe weren’t difficult to make. These crackers will definitely be a regular snack in our household!

Cinnamon Sugar Crackers

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 Tbsp sugar, divided
3 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
2 Tbsp milk

Yield: 50+ crackers

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With a food processor or mixer, combine the butter, flour, 4 Tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and mix until the dough forms a ball.

On a floured surface, using a heavily floured rolling pin, roll the dough thinly into a rectangle. With a pizza cutter wheel, trim off the sides to form a neat rectangle. Cut the dough into 1×1 inch squares. Using the blunt end of a skewer, make a hole in each cracker. This will make sure the cracker doesn’t over puff when baking.

Gently transfer the crackers (I used the edge of the pizza cutter to get them off the surface) to a lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the remaining cinnamon and sugar and mix. Liberally sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture all over the crackers. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the baking sheet on a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!

Source: Slightly adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Veggie Tales: Rutabaga

Merry Christmas to my lovely readers – I hope you’re all having a blessed day! This marks the last installment of the Veggie Tales series of 2011. But don’t fret, there will be new and exciting things for 2012 too!

I picked the rutabaga as my final veggie and though I’d never eaten it before, it holds a special place in my heart. For some reason, a nickname my parents had for me growing up was “rutabaga”. (Mom or Dad, feel free to expound upon the reason behind this!) Whether it was short for Rebecca somehow or completely random, it stuck and I oddly enjoyed being nicknamed after an often forgotten vegetable.

The rutabaga is a root vegetable that is apparently a cross between turnips and cabbage. It’s thought to have originated in Sweden and the name comes from the Swedish word for “root bag”. How lovely. They are eaten more commonly in other countries and even are carved into lanterns in Scotland and Ireland at Halloween time to ward of bad spirits. Interesting!

I decided to do a basic roast on the rutabagas to get a real sample of their flavor. They are very hard when they’re raw and can be a little hard to cut. Once roasted, they had a really nice texture from the crisp exterior to the soft interior. The taste was a little surprising – they were slightly sweet and reminded me of a squash-like flavor. Overall I was very impressed with this vegetable and would love to make it again! Here’s what Jason thought:

“Hello all – last veggie for the year. *tear* The rutabaga was something I have never had either, and thankfully after a year of veggies, I was able to jump right into this one. It tasted a little like a butternut squash, but more firm. I too would definitely try it again. This year has brought a great range of new veggies. Some we will add more to our menu and some…well I can at least say I’ve tried them! I’m sure this won’t be the last new veggie forever, but for now, thank you all and thank you to my lovely wife.”

Roasted Rutabaga

Ingredients:
1 large rutabaga
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel the rutabaga and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Toss the cubes in a bowl with the olive oil and coat evenly. (add more oil if needed) Add the remaining ingredients and toss to evenly coat. Put the rutabaga on a lined baking sheet and roast on the middle oven rack for 1 hour, stirring halfway through so they don’t stick or burn. Serve while warm and enjoy!

Source: A Beckster original

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble

Merry Christmas Eve! If you’re looking for an easy, delicious, and halfway healthy dish to make for the holidays, this is a keeper! I recently made this dish for a family gathering and all the sweet potato eaters loved it. The sweet potato base is sweet but not TOO sweet. You can use regular milk instead of coconut milk, but you honestly can’t taste it. And, you can make some tasty treats with the leftover coconut milk – but more on that another day!

The crunchy pecan crumble on top adds some nice texture and flavor and is a tasty change from the usual marshmallow topped dish. But, if you’re a marshmallow enthusiast, feel free to use them instead of the crumble. Or, use both, like in the original recipe – whatever floats your sweet potato loving boat!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble

Yield: 8-12 servings

Ingredients:
For the casserole:
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup canned light coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter

For the pecan crumble:
1 cup unsalted pecans pieces, chopped
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions:
Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into cubes. Add to a pot with cold water, then bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20-30 minutes, then drain. While sweet potatoes are cooking, add butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook until little brown bits appear in the pan – about 4-5 minutes. Remove immediately from heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer (or a large bowl, using a hand mixer), add sweet potatoes. Add all remaining casserole ingredients – sugar, syrup, spices, salt, vanilla extract, coconut milk and brown butter – and mix until combined and whipped. Spread the mixture in an oven-safe pan or dish. (I used a 7×11 dish)

To make the crumble, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, pecans, spices, and salt in a bowl and mix to thoroughly combine. Add in melted butter and use your hands or a fork to completely moisten the mixture and combine. Sprinkle the crumble evenly on top of the casserole. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until crumble is golden. Serve while warm and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Spicy Black Bean Soup

As a huge fan of black beans, I bookmarked this recipe in a hurry and absolutely loved the results! This soup has great flavor and is a perfect addition to any Tex-Mex inspired meal or can be a meal in itself. It’s healthy, hearty, and is a good vegetarian option with a smooth texture that can be left a little chunky if desired. This recipe makes a large portion, so be prepared to feed a crowd or have lots of tasty leftovers. Enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
4 large jalapenos, minced
1 large shallot, minced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
6 cans black beans (14.5 oz cans - 4 cans drained & rinsed, 2 cans with liquid)
3 cans vegetable broth (14 oz cans)
3/4 cups water

Directions:
In a large stock pot over medium high heat, add olive oil, onion, jalapeno, shallot, and garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add spices and mix until well combined. Cook for 3 minutes more.

Add beans, broth, and water and bring to a simmer. Simmer until soup has thickened slightly, about 40-45 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or transferring a little at a time to a blender, blend soup until smooth. (be careful using a blender with warm soup – hold the lid down tightly or let it cool)

Serve while hot with a scoop of sour cream, cilantro, or anything else your heart desires.

Source: Slightly adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Veggie Tales: Artichoke

Friends, let me just start by saying that artichokes are weird. Spiky exterior, fuzzy interior, and a soft heart – God truly has a creative mind! My only encounter with artichokes till now had been as part of a spinach-artichoke dip or some pieces added to a pasta dish ordered at a restaurant. Needless to say, I’d never used them myself. I had to do some research before cutting into this veggie because I had NO idea what to expect.

First you need to trim the stem and take off the lower leaves that are too tough to be edible. Then, you cut/trim the other leaves to remove the pointed edge. Once it’s been cooked, you spoon out the fuzzy “choke” and below is the hidden treasure, the heart! There are different ways you can cook an artichoke, but I wanted to stay basic so just steamed it in a pot on the stove. I also learned that you need to add some lemon or an other acid to prevent it from turning brown in the process. (mine still turned a little brown)

The artichoke turned really soft after cooking, and perhaps I cooked it a tad too long. It was kind of fascinating scooping out the fuzzy choke and then revealing the artichoke heart. What an interesting plant! We took the leaves and dipped them in a little melted butter, which was the advice I’d seen. Maybe because it was a small artichoke, but I didn’t get much ‘meat’ off of the leaves. But what I did get was rather tasty. Be careful not to use too much butter, because it’ll totally mask the artichoke flavor. The texture is very different too – when you slide the leaves between your teeth to get the meat, it’s soft and smooth and you wonder how the prickly plant became a delicacy! Overall, I liked it, but it takes a lot of work to get there. I probably won’t cook with whole artichokes much in the future, but am glad that I now know how! Here’s what my hubby, Jason, thought:

“I would have never tried an artichoke before this year. Not in a million billion years before this year (just ask my family members). But when I saw we were just eating the leaf part I thought, “okay, this won’t be bad, it’s just like a salad right?” Wrong! When my wife showed me how to eat the artichoke, I was rather intimidated by it. Sliding something on my teeth just gives me that shiver down my spine. Luckily, when I finally did it myself, it was smooth and easy. I kept asking Becky before I tried it what it tasted like. She couldn’t describe it. After I finally tried it, I can understand why. The best way I can describe the taste is like when you taste green beans; it’s not strong, but it’s not weak either. It has a taste all to its own, but nothing that even the pickiest eater could say they wouldn’t like. I actually stayed away from the butter after trying it plain. I also felt it was such a waste to get just the “meat” of the leaf and then chunk the rest away (we may just have to start a compost heap). Overall, I enjoyed it, especially while it was still warm, and would eat it again!”

Steamed Artichoke

Ingredients:
1 artichoke
1 lemon
Dash of salt

Directions:
Trim the artichoke and place it top down (stem up) in a medium pot. Cut the lemon into quarters, squeeze in the juice, and add to the pot. Add a dash of salt and add about 1 1/2 inch of water to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and turn to medium heat. Cook for 30-40 minutes depending on the size, checking occasionally, until the stem is tender and leaves easily come off. When done, put artichoke in a strainer face down and let it sit for a minute. Then carefully separate the leaves to remove the choke. Serve while hot with some melted butter or however you desire. Enjoy!

Source: Learned the basic technique from Schnucks Cooks