While potatoes may be my goto side for so many dishes, there are just some meals that are better with rice. Like almost all Mexican meals! And while I love my Restaurant Style Mexican Rice and Cilantro Lime Rice (Instant Pot or not), I love Arroz Verde Mexican Green Rice even more.
Arroz Verde Mexican Green Rice
I’ve been on a bit of a Meditteranean kick. I’m trying to health up the rest of the summer, at least until Labor Day comes. Besides it’s August and it’s hot and it’s humid (whine whine whine) and I want to eat (and cook) cool and light. And so I made Greek Brown Rice Salad to go with my soon to be posted Spicy Beef & Feta Skewers.
Spicy Beef & Feta Skewers with Greek Brown Rice Salad (made with Instant Pot Brown Rice)
I just did a post for Horiatiki Greek Salad not too long ago. Gosh, that was good. And I wanted to carry some of those flavors forward with a little twist. Funny how I listed so many variations of our American Style Greek Salads, but I didn’t mention or think about combining it with rice, let alone brown rice.
White Rice is generally my choice in rice (and I’ll explain why, below) but sometimes Brown Rice is the perfect thing. Especially when you want those nutty, slightly chewy grains to complement a dish. And making Instant Pot Brown Rice is a game changer.
Instant Pot Brown Rice
Are you having issues with your Instant Pot Rice? I did too when I first started. A bit of practice and applying some time-honored rice cooking principles did the trick. Now my Perfect Instant Pot Rice turns out perfectly every time.
Perfect Instant Pot Rice
I have a thing for Cabbage Rolls and try to make a pan of them every year. This year, though, I decided to “roll” all those flavors into Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup, instead. No worries if you don’t have an Instant Pot because the stove-top instructions are here, too.
Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
I don’t know if Egg & Rice Breakfast Skillet is so much of a recipe as it is a method. It’s the perfect way of dealing with a little leftover rice or rice dish. Egg & Rice Breakfast Skillet works with just about any rice dish you might have.
Egg & Rice Breakfast Skillet
I’m still working on a few leftovers from Easter, how about you? One thing I love to do is make soup with my ham. This year I made a Honey Glazed Cajun Spiced Ham, so I knew that Cajun Ham & Rice Soup would bring those flavors home.
Cajun Ham & Rice Soup
When was the last time you had Black-Eyed Peas? And how about the last time you had Black-Eyed Pea & Rice Salad? If you only think about Black-Eyed Peas on New Years (they’re lucky) or as the strange little bean in Cowboy Caviar, think again.
Black Eyed Pea & Rice Salad
When Chipotle Mexican Grill came out with their Cilantro Lime Rice, it seems the whole country went wild over it. And with good reason: it’s delish! Best of all, it’s easy to make at home, whether you want to make Cilantro Lime Rice Instant Pot or Stove Top!
Shortcut Chicken Fajitas & Cilantro Lime Rice
Want a simple one-pan skillet dinner? Make paella. Seriously. If there’s ever been a simple dish so wrapped in mystique with so many rules, I don’t know what it is. If you want a “world class” Paella, follow them all. If you want a fabulous supper, keep reading. Yeah, we’re gonna break a few rules and get you a fantastic Paella. Maybe for Valentine’s Day?
Paella Valenciana
Do you need a fun, fresh take on a dish for your Holiday Ham leftovers? Something easy, fast and crave-worthy? You’re gonna want to try this Hawaiian Fried Rice. And you’re gonna look like a genius when you bring this to the table! 🙂
Hawaiian Fried Rice with Ham & Pineapple
So you all know (if you follow me – and if you don’t, I’d love it if you would, here with email (on the right) or on facebook or twitter (on the left)) I cooked up a ham for Thanksgiving. And what a ham it was! The stunning and absolutely delish Biltmore House’s Tawny Baked Ham. It was just a half ham, but of course there were leftovers!
Instant Pot Opelousas
Some of you might remember I made a one pan Porcupine Skillet Dinner a few weeks ago. It was surprisingly good. It inspired me to see if I could do the same thing with a Mexican style meal. And so my Easy Taco Skillet Dinner was born.
Easy Taco Skillet Dinner
Ok, I love to cook. “Obs” as some of my young friends would say. Or I wouldn’t have a food blog. But sometimes you want something so easy you can practically toss it together with your eyes closed. Something simple and fast and easy like a one skillet dinner. And maybe something comforting, just a little nostalgic? That’s where this Porcupine Skillet Dinner comes in.
Skillet Porcupine Dinner
Drunken Fried Rice! Yes, there is such a thing and I’m soooo happy to know it! See, my baby sis just told me she was having leftover takeout Drunken Noodles for lunch and a craving hit. Maybe even a touch of jealousy. But poor me, no takeout, no noodles in the cupboard.
Drunken Fried Rice
Does it seem that time is just slipping by faster and faster or is it just me? I meant to post this for you as an option for leftovers from the Country Style Ribs in the Slow Cooker. I made that recipe months ago! At long last, here’s my favorite home-cooked better than take-out Pork Fried Rice. And I’m posting it right along with my newer Drunken Fried Rice, so you’ll have two options.
Pork Fried Rice from Leftover Pork Shoulder or any other type of pork you’d like to use
I love me some Risotto – how ’bout you? It amazes me how you can take a simple ingredient like rice, add a glug of wine & a few gratings of cheese (plus a bit of this and that) and turn it into a gourmet meal – no make that a gourmet experience – because you get to drink the rest of the wine! Plus plus!
Ham & Parmesan Risotto
If I’m thinking ahead, when I make any Risotto, like my Roasted Red Pepper & Shrimp Risotto or my Asparagus Risotto, I’ll make a little extra just to make these wonderful little gems called Arancini.
Arancini: breaded and fried balls of risotto stuffed with cheese!
If you’re watching your budget, chances are you’re not eating a lot of seafood, but when a holiday like Valentine’s comes around, you’re probably going to want something a little special. Maybe something like this Roasted Red Pepper & Shrimp Risotto.
Roasted Red Pepper & Shrimp Risotto
When Angie over at Fiesta Friday challenged other food bloggers to create a healthy dish this month, I was all set. See I’ve been making so many marvelous healthy dishes with cauliflower this month (I just can’t seem to get enough of it – maybe I’m lacking some trace mineral it has) that I thought I could just slide a recipe right by her.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice with Kale
I gotta admit that usually when I’m looking for a killer side, I’m thinking potatoes. What can I say? I’m from the North and have Irish roots – so maybe it’s genetic, lol! Sometimes rice just feels right, though, and it definitely did when I served Pernil, an herby, garlicky pork roast with Puerto Rican roots. Whoever guesses what recipe is coming next gets a prize…a free recipe for Pernil!
Rice with a Puerto Rican Flair
So January has rolled around and so has my annual attempt to eat healthy. Are you with me? At least for a while, anyway? Besides, this Salmon en Papillote is so lovely, you won’t even care whether its healthy or not.
Salmon en Papillote – this will keep cooking inside the packet, so open immediately
Is it just me or is Korean food trending, now? It’s hard to tell sometimes because when I crave sumpin’, I seem to see it everywhere! I’m blaming Momofuku. I keep hearing so much about the restaurants and books and owner/chef David Chang.
Bulgolgi, I’m talking about wafer thin slices of tender beef, marinated overnight. Then grilled (or in this case) cooked in a skillet until the edges caramelize.
We had quite an Easter this year, but I kept it simple. The main course was my Sunday Roast Chicken, the lemony variation. It was a subtle prelude to the Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert, but best of all, provided the base for a pot of Chicken & Rice Soup today. It almost makes this dull, grey, Spring day feel sunny.
Chicken & Rice Soup
Paella is a dish that for years was wrapped in mystique, seemingly out of reach of the average American. It’s a darn shame because a simple Paella is a stunning dish and very doable dish for a week-night dinner.
Poor Man’s Paella – chicken, regular rice. Fantastic, even on a budget.
While many of us, even here in the States, have at least a passing familiarity with the classic Greek soups enriched with Avgolemono and flavored with lemon, this Greek Meatball Soup is quite a bit different. Tiny, flavorful little meatballs floating in a beefy broth spiked with Parmesan cheese and cream.
Greek Meatball Soup
Diners, Drive Ins & Dives is on Netflix this season and this episode features the Sparrow Tavern in Astoria, New York – a run down rock & roll type bar with gourmet style. One of their star items was the Sparrow Veggie Burger and even the carnivores were going on about it. After I made them, I can see why – they’re flippin’ AWESOME! A bit of work, but the best Veggie Burger I’ve ever had!
Sparrow Tavern Veggie Burger – early version, I fixed the “cracking” flaw.
A Cajun might take issue with the name of this dish; maybe it should be called Un-Dirty Rice. Down & Dirty Cajun Rice is a fresher take on the Louisiana classic Dirty Rice and pulls just a few key elements from the original to make a fantastic side.
Down & Dirty Cajun Rice
