Curried Sweet Potato & Rice Stew

Original recipe found here.  I made a few slight changes.

1 T olive oil
1 carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 sweet potatoes (yellow fleshed), finely diced
2 yams (orange fleshed), finely diced
2 T curry paste (I use red curry paste)
pinch of salt & a good grind of black pepper
water or vegetable stock
2 cups cooked rice (I used a mix of brown and basmati)
1 t maple syrup (optional)

In a large pot, heat olive oil and add in carrots and onion, and saute until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the yam, sweet potato and curry paste and let everything get coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour water or vegetable stock over everything so the liquid level is about 1-3 inches above the vegetables. Use less liquid if you want a stew, more liquid if you want soup. Turn down heat to a simmer, put on the pot lid and let it bubble away for 20 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and simmer for another 10 minutes.  Does it need more liquid? Add it, otherwise it’s done when the vegetables are tender. Finish it off with a small glug of maple syrup, stirring it into the mixture before serving into bowls.

***

This was AMAZING!!  One of the yummiest meals I've ever had.  Will be making this a LOT now!!!  For Miss Roo, I just mashed up her stew, so she didn't realize she was eating bites of veggies.  I will probably serve this to Claire in a few months as well.  The original recipe calls for a lot less rice, but I wanted a really hearty meal, so I doubled it.  Plus, we just love rice around here!

Cabbage, Spinach and Tofu with Peanut Sauce

This recipe is from here, I made a few little changes, like adding peas.

cabbage, spinach and tofu with peanut sauce
1/2 block of extra firm tofu, cut into squares (I prefer to crumble it.  Be sure to drain it well first.)
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced into strips and then cut in half to make shorter strips
1 bunch spinach, cleaned & picked through
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery, cut on the diagonal into thick slices
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, minced
soy sauce
brown rice
1 t vegetable oil
lime wedges (optional)

for the sauce:
1/4 c peanut butter
1 T honey (or brown sugar if you swing vegan-style)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t fresh ginger, minced
1 t sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
warm water

1. In a blender, mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce, adding a bit of warm water if the mixture gets too thick. Taste. You may need to add a bit more honey depending on your own tastebuds. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger when hot. Add the tofu and fry until golden on both sides. Add the onion and celery and when the onion becomes translucent, add the cabbage. Once the cabbage gets slightly wilty, add the spinach and a bit of soy sauce for flavour. Stir until spinach is cooked, then turn off heat.

3. In large bowls, add brown rice and then top with the tofu-vegetable mixture. Drizzle with peanut sauce.

***

This was good.  SO GOOD!  I could eat cabbage all day.  It was so filling and healthy, but we felt awesome after we ate it.  Yum...I want more...

Spiced Mango Rice Bowls

2 TB butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Saute over med-high heat for 1 minute.

Then add:
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
1 cup pureed mango
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup craisins

Bring just to a boil, uncovered.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Then reduce the heat even lower and let rice cook for 20 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and add a few Tablespoons of coconut milk if it seems dry.

***
Delicious!  But it wasn't really a good dinner food...it tasted more like dessert!  This would make the perfect Thanksgiving meal side dish!

Coconut Rice

Credit: ourbestbites

2 c. white or Jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.
 
***
We ate this with THIS chicken, and it was soooo good!!  The recipe makes a ton, so we will half it next time for our little family.  The flavor is great, it would be good with any sort of asian meat dish.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 cups Water

3 cups Rice
¼ cups Fresh Lime Juice
¼ cups Onion, finely chopped
1 can Green Chilies
2 cloves Garlic
½ bunches Cilantro
2 Tablespoons Chicken Boullion

Mix all ingredients in large pot.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Squeeze extra lime juice over top if desired.

***
Yum!  I served this rice along with black beans and sauteed chicken.  I used short-grain white rice, and next time I will definitely use long grain so it doesn't stick together as much.

Fried Rice

2 c. white rice + 4 c. water (OR 4 c. cold, leftover rice)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix
3-4 generous Tbsp. soy sauce

SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. celery salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar

Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, mushrooms, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won't even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)

Optional add-ins: chicken, ham, shrimp, egg, peas, etc.

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites. I usually just throw whatever in my fried rice and it's always good. Following a recipe was a nice change and I thought the seasoning made it better than my usual fare.