Salmon Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 extra small onion (about 1/4 c.) I used red onion
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/4 c. minced parsley (or 2 tbsp dried)
• 2 c. cooked brown rice
• About 1/2 can of salmon (or 2 cans tuna)
• salt & pepper to taste

 
Directions:

1. Melt butter in cast iron skillet.
2. Finely chop onion and green pepper and add to skillet.
3. Cook until onion is translucent.
4. Add rice and salmon and parsley and heat through.
5. Add salt & pepper and serve

Bean and Vegetable Soup with Kale and Jacob's Cattle Beans

 

This is another recipe I found on Pinterest when we were looking for recipes using Jacob's Cattle Beans. This one was soooo delicious, much better than the pureed bean soup. It was so good I got up in the morning and went to eat the leftovers, only to find that someone else had gotten there first. That's how good this recipe is!
 
 Like always, we adapted to use the things we had on hand. Below is our version. 

• 4 cups cooked beans of your choice (Jacob's Cattle Beans are the best!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 can tomatoes, or 2 c. fresh chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 cup brown rice
• 4-6 cups water 
• 1 bunch of kale leaves, chopped or sliced
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, and carrots. Saute about 5 minutes. Add a little water if they start to stick.
3. Add the peppers and garlic and saute until softened.
4. Add the tomatoes, thyme, basil, rice, beans, kale, and water.
5. Simmer about 30 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Peppers

This was another one of Fannie Farmer's recipes that was so vague it wasn't even really a recipe. It goes something like: cut peppers in  half, clean out seeds and veins, steam five minutes, and fill. It gives suggestions as to what to fill it with--corn, ham, beef and rice, seasons, etc. But it isn't a very specific recipe where it tells how much of everything. So I'm just going to post my recipe.

Take 2 green bell peppers
Cut in half lengthwise and empty out seeds and stems.
Steam peppers for 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute a small onion (I use coconut oil for frying) and
2 ripe tomatoes.
Add 1 c. cooked, chopped ham
1/2-1 c. cooked rice
Ground pepper for seasoning (you won't need salt if using ham, as it's very salty)

Spoon filling into peppers.
Bake at 350 for 10-15 mins.
Top with grated cheese.
I always return it to the oven but turn the oven off at this point and just wait for a few minutes while the cheese melts. But you could turn it on broil for a few minutes if you wanted, to give the cheese a little crispiness on top.

For stuffed zucchini, go here.

Rice Pancakes (griddlecakes)

 

When I was a kid, my mom made rice pancakes and I remember loving them. So when I found this recipe, and I had some cooked rice that needed using, the choice was obvious. My son adamantly proclaimed that he hated rice and would not eat them, but I went ahead with them anyway. I'm pretty sure this isn't the recipe my mom made, as she'd never make something so fancy as pancakes that call for meringue folded in.

The batter.

I did this one by the book.

Here's how Fannie does it.

Mix 1 c. milk
1 c. cooked rice
1/2 tsp. salt (of course I left this out)

Stir in 2 egg yolks, beaten until thick
1 tbsp. melted butter
7/8 c. flour

Fold in 2 egg whites, beaten stiff.

Cook in butter until edges are firm, then turn and cook until lightly browned. 

Look, it's almost heart shaped!

Top with butter, syrup, apple sauce, or anything else...

We used apple sauce and syrup because that's what we had. And guess what? My son ate his whole pancake with not a complaint to be heard, and later admitted they were "pretty good."

Parsley Rice, aka Green Rice

 

This was a simple side dish which went well with the creamed chicken recipe I posted yesterday. I paired them because the Boston Cooking School Cookbook said to make this in a ring mold and fill with creamed chicken. I don't have a ring mold, but I paired them together and they went pretty well. The only complaint I had was that this was a bit overpowered by the creamed chicken, and I couldn't enjoy the parsley flavor very much. But, rice is not the main attraction, so it usually doesn't stand out on its own.

parsley.

Onwards to the recipe:
Mix and put in a buttered casserole dish:
1 c. steamed rice
1 c. milk
1/4-1 c. chopped parsley
4 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 c. grated cheese
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt

Mixed up and ready to cook.

1/4 tsp. paprika
optional: chopped pimiento

Bake at 350 until firm, about 45 minutes. I had to cook mine about an hour, but it worked out so I put it in the oven and then did the creamed chicken, and everything was done at the same time.

This is a goodish recipe, but I don't know if I'd make it as a side dish again, or serve it under something else. It's a bit more complicated than just using plain rice, and since it didn't have a strong flavor that stood out, I don't know if I'd bother again. But, it was a success overall, since it turned out well.

For a simple, parsley-free baked rice, see this recipe.

Baked Rice

I made this for my son when he was recovering and was supposed to be eating a bland diet. Otherwise, I probably would have made the cheesy rice version, which is still on my list of recipes to try. This one was very simple, though, so I made it one day while we were playing chess, and it didn't take long to mix up or to bake.

Cooked brown rice.

I had already cooked the rice, or it would have taken longer. Total cooking time is over an hour, if you're using brown rice, which I always use. It takes about 40 minutes to cook.

Ready to bake.

The Baked Rice recipe:
2 c. cooked rice
1 egg
1 c. milk
butter
salt, pepper, and paprika

optional add-ins: crumbled bacon, parsley, pimiento, mushrooms, or cheese.

• Preheat oven to 350
• Butter a baking dish.
• Add the rice.
• Beat egg & milk and add.
• Dot with butter
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika
• Bake 20 minutes or until browning on top/solid. 

After baking.

 I added some dried parsley, since that was all I had in terms of add-ins. My son didn't want cheese and doesn't like mushrooms, so it was a bit plain. But it was still good. My sister liked it a lot, and I thought it would go good beside chicken. My son didn't like it at all, unfortunately. But it sufficed for plain food when he was recovering.