Kitchari

5 04 2017

A friend of mine who frequents this fantastic little Ayurvedic café, learned how to make this dish from the chef there. This is a staple of the Ayurvedic diet and it is suppose to balance the body and detoxify. It is simple to make and delicious on its own or with steamed or roasted vegetables.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dal, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well and soaked 2 hours

1 tbsp. ghee

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garam masal

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp asafoedita

3 bay leaves

2 tsp curry leaves, crumbled

1 Tbsp ghee, optional to finish the Kitchari

sea salt to taste

Cilantro Sauce:

1 bunch cilantro – leaves removed from thicker stems

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1 /12 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin

juice from one lime, adjust to desired taste

1 small green chile pepper, mince (optional)

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Wild Mushroom Risotto

13 07 2016

I recently took a trip to Europe and I found some amazing dried porcini mushrooms at an outdoor market in London as well as some truffle oil and truffle paste. So, upon returning home, I was inspired to create something with these treasures. The result was fantastic. It goes to show you, that the best creations begin with the best ingredients. I did use a store bought vegetable stock. You can make your own but use more stock and less added water.

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Jamaican Rice and Peas

25 08 2015

My son has been asking for simple tasty recipes that are nutritious that even a college student could make. So we experimented with this Jamaican rice and beans recipe. I substituted black beans for the original kidney beans but that is simply personal preference. This rice was yummy and good served with a Jamaican curry or grilled fish or chicken. You can make it with white or brown rice just add more liquid if using brown.

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Vegetable Bebimbap

15 01 2014
This is my favorite dish from Korea. I love the flavor of all the vegetables and the spiciness of the condiments. You can substitute any vegetables you desire and adjust the spiciness to your taste. The key is to cook the rice perfectly with a little brown crust on the bottom. This is a one pot meal.
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Sansai Gohan (Mountain Vegetable Rice)

21 08 2012
This is one of my favorite Japanese rice dishes. The mountain vegetables come in a pack in the refrigerated section of a Japanese grocery store. They are a mixture of all sorts of Japanese mountain vegetables like fiddlehead ferns and butterbur. I like them in rice and with noodles especially soba. I will give measurements in metric because that is how I learned in Japan.

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Lemon Thyme Risotto with Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Ragout

18 05 2011

3/4 oz. dried porcini mushrooms

8 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

8 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 cups boiling water

1 lb medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal

1/2 small onion, finely diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice, rinsed

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tbsp fresh thyme,  minced

zest of 1 lemon

1 stick unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup frozen baby peas

1 tbsp minced chives

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Asian Shrimp Risotto

16 01 2011
This risotto is made with arborio rice using the same techniques as traditional Italian risotto. However, I used a lot of Asian ingredients to give it a nice flavor twist. You can add other seafood. I was hoping to add some smoked scallops which I think would add a fabulous dimension to this dish.

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Zucchini and Rice Gratin Provencal Style

7 04 2010
Usually I wait until the heart of the summer to start cooking with zucchini. That is when my mother gives me a never-ending supply from her garden. However, I happened to have a few zucchini in my refrigerator yesterday, so I guess I was anticipating that bountiful harvest and the lovely fresh tastes of summer produce. I put together this gratin dish in under an hour. Of course, using a pressure cooker to cook the brown rice sped up the process. You can put together all of the parts to this recipe while the rice is cooking. Then simply assemble and bake. This recipe can be made up to a day in advance before the final baking, making it an ideal dish for entertaining. Once again, I used EVOO’s Tuscan Herb olive oil for roasting the vegetables and drizzling on the rice. You can use just plain extra virgin olive oil, but you may want to add more herbs like some fresh basil and oregano.

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Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

1 03 2010

Risotto Stirring

We made this Risotto style dish at the cooking class. It was delicious and a nice twist on the classic risotto made with Arborio rice. Of course, the technique is exactly the same so you could always substitute rice for the barley. We found this dish to be quite rich tasting. It would work well as both a main course or as a side dish. The key is a good selection of mushrooms and a flavorful vegetable stock.

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Roasted Beet Risotto

13 01 2010

I was looking for something to do with the beets in my refrigerator so I started surfing the web for inspiration. I found a Youtube video of Rachel Ray making this Roasted Beet Risotto. Go Rachel! If you love beets, you will love this risotto. The color is amazing. I served it with Grinach bread and it made for a very festive menu, perfect Christmas colors. Every good risotto begins with Arborio rice and a really good stock. I just used vegetables I found in my refrigerator like potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, thyme, and even the stems of the beets after having stripped the greens to use as a garnish. The red stems added a beautiful color to the stock.

I made a lot of this risotto so I turned the leftovers into Beet Risotto Cakes. I made them into patties, like crabcakes, and sauteed them in some olive oil on the stove until they browned nicely which caramelized the rice a bit. Serve this with a cucumber/yogurt raita. Read the rest of this entry »