Chicken Tortilla Soup I never used to make soup. Good grief! What was I thinking? Soup is so simple to prepare and satisfying to eat. You just saute some vegetables, add other ingredients and seasonings, pour in some broth, and simmer until all the flavors come together. It can also be really economical, as soup is a great place to combine leftover meat, beans, or vegetables, adding broth to stretch them as far as possible. If I had to pick only one soup to make for the rest of my days, this recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup would be the winner. The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is outstanding. Make enough for dinner and eat the Keep Reading
Rice Bowls with Citrus Soy Dressing
Rice Bowls with Citrus Soy Dressing Whether you call them rice bowls, sushi bowls, wok bowls, or just plain old stir fry, I think we can all agree on one thing: they. are. delicious. A bowl of rice topped with sautéed meat or fresh vegetables and drizzled with a flavorful sauce. Sign me up. I think of rice bowls as Asian-inspired comfort food, perfect for May when we are making that rainy transition from winter to spring. They are packed with flavor and color, two things I crave as we move out of the winter blahs. This recipe is yet another favorite from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking (Amazon) The fresh, flavorful sauce comes together Keep Reading
All About Rice: Tips, terms, and how to cook perfect brown rice
All About Rice & How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice Rice is inexpensive, delicious and split into three different sizes: short, medium, and long. Are you still with me? Good, because now that we have established that, let's move to the exciting part. All the different varieties! Throughout the world, there are more than 40,000 different varieties of rice. For fear of losing you around #36,753, I'm just going to define some of the most common types and terms you'll find in your local grocery store: Arborio - This is an Italian short-grain rice with a high starch content, commonly used to make risotto because of its creamy texture and ability to Keep Reading
Rice Bowls with Teriyaki Chicken and Ginger Slaw
Rice Bowls with Teriyaki Chicken And Ginger Slaw I have actually never read Ladies' Home Journal before or after college (apparently it no longer exists, did you know??), but my college library housed a fantastic collection of magazines. I used to take frequent "study breaks" holed up in the periodical section. Who wants to be reading dusty reference books when you could be reading recipes for the perfect layer cake or tips for carving your first turkey? Perhaps I would have been a good candidate for a home economics degree. In the end, I made it out with a teaching degree and a thick stack of recipes copied in the library lobby. Years later, this Keep Reading
How to Make Crockpot Pinto Beans
How to Make Crockpot Pinto Beans In my first bean-related post, I showed you that cooking dried, soaked beans in a crockpot works really well because of the long, slow simmer. I usually use a stovetop burner for every bean except pinto. It's just a weird personal preference. There's something about a pot of beans simmering on the stove that makes me feel incredibly domestic, in a south-of-the-border kind of way. When I'm cooking dried pinto beans, though, I always use my crockpot because 1) I don't have to keep an eye on them and 2) I like to cook them down until they are super soft before mashing them into the consistency of refried Keep Reading
Making homemade hamburger buns (basic yeast dough recipe)
How to Make Homemade Hamburger Buns In our house, hamburgers are welcome anytime of year (learn how to make the perfect hamburger here). And homemade hamburger buns even more so. Hamburger buns are great for holding more than just hamburgers, too. You could easily use these buns for any sandwich fillings. Or not. The other day, we ate these hot out of the oven, simply smeared with butter and honey. I'd highly recommend it. This recipe is actually just a basic yeast dough. It works great for buns, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, or loaves of bread. Adjust the sugar to suit your taste and feel free to add a cup of whole wheat flour in place of Keep Reading
Rice Bowls with Spicy Curry Sauce (Inspired by The Whole Bowl food cart)
Rice Bowls with Spicy Curry Sauce Today's recipe is inspired by Portland's own Whole Bowl food cart. These rice bowls are packed with fresh ingredients and a spicy sauce. According to the official Whole Bowl site, "It's like eating a hug." Portland is food cart territory; several Whole Bowl locations in Portland. You will probably notice the long line of people before you spot the tiny cart. They are waiting to get their hands on a Whole Bowl, "A comforting and healthy medley of brown rice, red and black beans, fresh avocado, salsa, black olives, sour cream, Tillamook cheddar, cilantro, Tali Sauce and trace amounts of attitude." Yum. UPDATE: Keep Reading