Con Queso Rice

 
Con Queso Rice

Ingredients:

2 cup black beans
1 1/2 cups white rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 small onions, chopped
1 four-ounce can, chopped green chilies
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
1 pound Jack cheese, shredded
1 pound cottage cheese


Directions:

The original directions call to cook beans from scratch, but for ONE cup of beans?  Use canned, drain and rinse.

Cook rice with 3 cups of water, a pinch of salt, for twenty minutes.  Cool slightly.

Mix rice, drained beans, garlic, onions, and chilies in big bowl.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Butter a large casserole.  Cover bottom with a layer of rice, a layer of the bean mixture, then a layer of cheese and cottage cheese and repeat to the level you wish.  End with a layer of rice.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Add final sprinkle of cheese and cook 5 minutes more.

Serves 6
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NOTES:

This recipe came originally from Diet for a Small Planet, a hippy Bible for wholesome cooking in the late '60's, early '70's.  The original recipe was bland and this has been spiked a bit more.

I didn't have white rice (I usually use Basmati) so I used a frozen Trader Joe's brown rice, which was fine, but I think overall, the recipe would benefit more visually and taste wise with white.  I used about four cups cooked, which fell a bit short of the quantity it should be.  This lead the layers to be thinner than I think it should be.

I used one can of black beans and that was more than enough.  It gave a sprinkling effect of beans throughout the rice, little dots of color and didn't seem excessive. 

I used one large clove of garlic, not 3, and a small onion.  I sautéed the jalapeno and onion briefly, then added the garlic at the very end.  I wanted it pre-cooked briefly rather than raw, even though it would bake in the oven later.  I mixed all of this with the beans and rice.

I also used small containers of cottage cheese.  I half thought about blending it to get rid of curds.  A pound of cottage cheese would have been the large container.  I would never eat that much, so I used about three small containers, less than half a pound, and by mixing it in with the rice and beans, you didn't notice the texture.

The store I was at didn't sell Jack cheese in a block, so I used mixed pre-shredded Cheddar Jack mix.  I think it needs something sharper with the Jack, because even with the chilies the dish was bland.

You were supposed to end with a layer of rice, I ended with a layer of cheese for the crusty effect, and all told, I made about two layers in a 9 x 13 casserole Pyrex dish.

I can see this as a side dish with grilled meats.  It's a bit much as a main, and I only ate a small portion then others ate it as leftovers. 

The dish needs something else.  The chilies don't produce enough heat.  A shake of just about anything would help:  cayenne powder, chipotle powder, hot sauce, salsa.

Orange, Tofu, and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup canola oil, divided
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 1 (14-oz.) pkg. extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained and cut into 3/4-in. cubes
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1 cup sliced green bell pepper
• 1 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 (8.8-oz) pkg. precooked brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1)  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and tofu cubes in a bowl and toss.  Add the tofu to the pan and cook eight minutes or until golden brown, then remove from the pan.

2)  Combine remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch and orange juice in a small bowl.  Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and bell peppers and cook one minute.  Add juice mixture, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.  Stir in the tofu.

3)  Place 1/2 cup of rice on each plate and top with 3/4 cup of the tofu mixture.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, if desired.

NOTES:

*  This dish is considered a 20 minute main.  By using the mise en place technique (everything measured and ready to be entered), you can make this time limit.

*  You can use a variety of rices.  I had basmati brown rice on hand.  Also Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, but instead I used a Mahatma yellow rice.

* You can use a variety of vegetables in this dish.  I didn't have cilantro, but would have used it if it were available.  I did not use an orange, but I did zest about one tablespoon of fresh ginger from a knob to use up the ginger.  I could also see using broccoli florets, snow peas, and a variety of other things, including different types of tofu such as "aged." 

* I was out of unseasoned rice vinegar so used Mirin instead.  There was no noticeable difference.

* The sauce does make a lovely sticky glossy sauce that is a combination of sweet, sour and heat (from the red pepper flakes.)  I found I had to play around with the sauce to make more and to get a better balance in the flavor.  I kept adding small portions of orange juice, a little more orange zest and squeezed the rest of the fresh orange into the sauce.  You can also add hot chili oil found in the Asian section of markets.

* I made a smaller portion of rice, but even then, there was some rice left over which is fine.  It can be worked into something else tomorrow.  The vegetable portions were all gone.  I would definitely add more vegetables than the recipe calls for.  I used carrots cut on the bias.

Sniffle Stew

Sniffle Stew:

1 pound chopped kale or collards
3 cups broth
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sunbutter, peanut butter or almond butter
1/4 cup diced uncrystallized ginger or 1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 generous tablespoon garam masala or curry powder
1 squeeze lemon
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Steam or boil kale four to five minutes

2)  Simmer the broth, tomatoes, nut butter, ginger, kale and spices on low for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, stirring occasionally

3) Add drained garbanzo beans.  Simmer a minute or two more, and add salt and pepper if desired.

NOTES:

* I used ruffle leaf kale.  I think you could substitute so many different vegetables in this dish.  I think collards might have an overpowering flavor for some.  I also added a few  miniature fingerling potatoes, chopped,  from Whole Foods.  Very tiny.

* I used vegetable broth.

*  I used almond butter

*  I used curry powder, from Whole Foods

*  I used peeled, grated ginger.

* I served this "stew" over basmati rice.

* I put a tiny bit of oil in a dutch oven, and I added a bit of the broth to sautee the kale and potatoes.  After about ten minutes, I added the can of diced tomatoes  (drained) and the can of garbanzo beans (drained).  Right behind that I added the curry powder, almond butter,  ginger and lemon juice (about a tablespoonful.)  I let the stew simmer for a good 30 minutes. I was worried about the heaping tablespoon of curry, but it was not overpowering.