If you're like me, you eat a ton of rice. And odds are that quite a bit of that rice is either white rice or brown rice. And odds are really good that if you're brave enough to go out for Asian food, you notice that the white rice you make at home looks nothing like the rice you get in said Asian restaurant.
This may not be due to a total lack of rice-cooking-ability. I recently picked up 5 lbs of Jasmine rice at the Asian market at 28th and Valmont (go to the one that has the word 'seafood' as part of the signage -- and yes, 5 lbs. I eat a lot of rice) and the first time I cooked it (observing the nearly universal rule of 2c liquid to 1c uncooked rice) it came out looking suspiciously perfect... Next time you cook rice, mix it up a bit and try out the Jasmine variety.
Cooking it is super simple: 2c. liquid to 1c. uncooked rice, as mentioned above. I throw it all together and turn the heat on high, cover the pot, turn the heat down to medium low when it boils over (I cook with gas) and stir every 5 or so minutes until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. I think I have the whole process down to about 25 or 30 minutes.
If you're searching for something to haphazardly throw together with said rice, try to find a handful of dried lentils, a handful of dried veggies or a cup of fresh, two tablespoons or so of tomato paste, a tablespoon of tamari (be sure it is wheat free and only contains soy beans and water) and two cups of broth. This takes about the same amount of time to cook as the rice and you really don't have to be precise with ingredients. Ladle this over the rice and you have a nice, easy, complete protein (rice + beans) dish that makes the easiest leftovers and totally negates the pint of Ben and Jerry's you eat immediately following(I can't be the only one who does this, I mean seriously).
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Re: I don't get it...
" Monique said...
Hrmm. That does suck. But ...
With all the amazing things to eat at The Kitchen, why would you go for the fries???
(I'm currently baking some cubed squash, with olive oil and salt and pepper. Yum!)"
I probably should have clarified a bit -- Kitchen Upstairs. That being said, have you seen the fries at the Kitchen?! I am a total garlic fiend, so the pile of what I hear are perfectly crispy fries, topped in thin sliced garlic looks pretty amazing.
I fantasize about eating them when I am drinking a glass of Meinklang pinot rose, currently my absolute favorite rose of the non-champagne variety. Insanely delicious, smells like honey and quite refreshing with it's almost fizz, but not quite.
Mmmm... roasted veggies. My favorite (and I make the whole thing and then put it in the fridge for an easy complement of vegetables when I get home from work absolutely beat and have about enough energy to make myself an omelette) is a blend of cubed butternut squash, cubed red beets, chopped onion, crushed garlic and a cubed golden delicious or two.
Just cube some or all of aforementioned ingredients (approx 1" cube bits works well) and drizzle in safflower oil (higher smoke point than olive oil) and roast for 45 min - 1 hr at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to finish this off with a sprinkling of coarse ground sea salt.
Of course, I heard a story about how sea salt is made that was a bit, uh, too organic for my liking... but I'll pretend I didn't hear it because I find sea salt so yummy. Same thing goes for mushrooms... Oh yea! Farmer's market is back next month or so and I am just dying for some Lion's Maine from the Hazel Dell stand. The look like, well, a bit of lion's mane, and they tast a little bit like lobster. Probably a good stand in for a vegetarian take on a traditional seafood pasta dish that might call for crustaceans. I personally prefer the real deal, but given the economy this sounds like it would at least be a much better stand in than making the same dish with krab... which is not safe for us glutards, by the way.
Hrmm. That does suck. But ...
With all the amazing things to eat at The Kitchen, why would you go for the fries???
(I'm currently baking some cubed squash, with olive oil and salt and pepper. Yum!)"
I probably should have clarified a bit -- Kitchen Upstairs. That being said, have you seen the fries at the Kitchen?! I am a total garlic fiend, so the pile of what I hear are perfectly crispy fries, topped in thin sliced garlic looks pretty amazing.
I fantasize about eating them when I am drinking a glass of Meinklang pinot rose, currently my absolute favorite rose of the non-champagne variety. Insanely delicious, smells like honey and quite refreshing with it's almost fizz, but not quite.
Mmmm... roasted veggies. My favorite (and I make the whole thing and then put it in the fridge for an easy complement of vegetables when I get home from work absolutely beat and have about enough energy to make myself an omelette) is a blend of cubed butternut squash, cubed red beets, chopped onion, crushed garlic and a cubed golden delicious or two.
Just cube some or all of aforementioned ingredients (approx 1" cube bits works well) and drizzle in safflower oil (higher smoke point than olive oil) and roast for 45 min - 1 hr at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. I like to finish this off with a sprinkling of coarse ground sea salt.
Of course, I heard a story about how sea salt is made that was a bit, uh, too organic for my liking... but I'll pretend I didn't hear it because I find sea salt so yummy. Same thing goes for mushrooms... Oh yea! Farmer's market is back next month or so and I am just dying for some Lion's Maine from the Hazel Dell stand. The look like, well, a bit of lion's mane, and they tast a little bit like lobster. Probably a good stand in for a vegetarian take on a traditional seafood pasta dish that might call for crustaceans. I personally prefer the real deal, but given the economy this sounds like it would at least be a much better stand in than making the same dish with krab... which is not safe for us glutards, by the way.
Monday, March 2, 2009
I don't get it!
Why aren't the fries at The Kitchen fried separately from everything else? Surely if Wendy's can do it, the kitchen should be doing it in beyond extra virgin olive oil or something...
That being said, check out the fries at Spud Brothers. They assured me my russets were safely fried (or baked) away from everything else. However, stay away from the sweet potato fries as they are coated in flour...
That being said, check out the fries at Spud Brothers. They assured me my russets were safely fried (or baked) away from everything else. However, stay away from the sweet potato fries as they are coated in flour...
The things you thought you had to give up eating and enjoying...
Pasta:
Tinkyada brown rice pasta – delicious, and almost impossible to overcook – I like to buy it at vitamin cottage, but it’s available at whole food s and king soopers
See the awesome Mac and Cheese recipe from a few months ago...
Pizza:
I totally missed on that college staple -- pizza and beer. No more! See below for beers to go with these tasty pies.
Fresh – Beaujo’s: has gluten-free pizza and beer!
Frozen:
Amy’s rice crust pizza isn’t bad, but the Glutino brand pizza is best: can find Amy’s at King Sooper’s, whole foods, and vitamin cottage. Can only find Glutino at Whole Foods/wild oats in frozen section with other pizzas.
Beer:
Budweiser Redbridge is good, easier to find at most liquor stores (liquor Mart, Baseline liquors, etc...)
Green’s: they make three gluten-free beers that are totally amazing, but plan on spending about $7/ pint bottle. Green’s can be found at Liquor Mart or at Ace Liquors (cheaper there).
Bard's Tale: really good, just slightly more than Red Bridge and very clean, less bitter taste.
Hard Cider:
Really good stuff if you're not keen on beer and don't want to break out the Riedels. Disclaimer: my taste tends to run on the drier side.
Woodchuck: all varieties are gluten-free, 802 is my favorite (again, I like it dry).
Strongbow is good stuff, comes from England for you anglophiles.
There is also a fun french cider that comes in a bottle with a cork – this stuff is called Dupont, and I have only been able to find it at Liquor Mart.
Tequila:
Anything should be fine.
Vodka:
Chopin and Ciroc are good. (Sorry, celiac’s means you don’t have a choice but to be top-shelf)
Triple Sec
Dekuyper states that their Triple Sec is safe for us glutards.
Vinegar: avoid white distilled; use balsamic, red wine-, or apple cider vinegars. Champagne vinegar is fine too.
Bread:
This is the most exciting part of this post -- the holy grail of gluten-free bread. The shocker? It actually tastes like the bread you have been fantasizing about, not those icky-dense-cinder-block-ish loaves you have probably resigned yourself to.
Udi’s gluten-free line is really good stuff. The bread is great, can’t go wrong with white or brown. At least in Boulder, This is only available at King Sooper’s, and you can find it at the King Sooper’s on 30th in the same area as all of the cakes. You can find it at the King Sooper’s at Table Mesa and Broadway with all of the frozen juice/roughly in that area of the frozen section. At just a shade over $5/loaf, this is my favorite sandwich bread. Also makes amazingly light and fluffy french toast if you let it dry out for a day.
Whole Foods bakehouse bread isn't bad either, but I prefer to not pay $7 for a loaf of sandwich bread.
Tinkyada brown rice pasta – delicious, and almost impossible to overcook – I like to buy it at vitamin cottage, but it’s available at whole food s and king soopers
See the awesome Mac and Cheese recipe from a few months ago...
Pizza:
I totally missed on that college staple -- pizza and beer. No more! See below for beers to go with these tasty pies.
Fresh – Beaujo’s: has gluten-free pizza and beer!
Frozen:
Amy’s rice crust pizza isn’t bad, but the Glutino brand pizza is best: can find Amy’s at King Sooper’s, whole foods, and vitamin cottage. Can only find Glutino at Whole Foods/wild oats in frozen section with other pizzas.
Beer:
Budweiser Redbridge is good, easier to find at most liquor stores (liquor Mart, Baseline liquors, etc...)
Green’s: they make three gluten-free beers that are totally amazing, but plan on spending about $7/ pint bottle. Green’s can be found at Liquor Mart or at Ace Liquors (cheaper there).
Bard's Tale: really good, just slightly more than Red Bridge and very clean, less bitter taste.
Hard Cider:
Really good stuff if you're not keen on beer and don't want to break out the Riedels. Disclaimer: my taste tends to run on the drier side.
Woodchuck: all varieties are gluten-free, 802 is my favorite (again, I like it dry).
Strongbow is good stuff, comes from England for you anglophiles.
There is also a fun french cider that comes in a bottle with a cork – this stuff is called Dupont, and I have only been able to find it at Liquor Mart.
Tequila:
Anything should be fine.
Vodka:
Chopin and Ciroc are good. (Sorry, celiac’s means you don’t have a choice but to be top-shelf)
Triple Sec
Dekuyper states that their Triple Sec is safe for us glutards.
Vinegar: avoid white distilled; use balsamic, red wine-, or apple cider vinegars. Champagne vinegar is fine too.
Bread:
This is the most exciting part of this post -- the holy grail of gluten-free bread. The shocker? It actually tastes like the bread you have been fantasizing about, not those icky-dense-cinder-block-ish loaves you have probably resigned yourself to.
Udi’s gluten-free line is really good stuff. The bread is great, can’t go wrong with white or brown. At least in Boulder, This is only available at King Sooper’s, and you can find it at the King Sooper’s on 30th in the same area as all of the cakes. You can find it at the King Sooper’s at Table Mesa and Broadway with all of the frozen juice/roughly in that area of the frozen section. At just a shade over $5/loaf, this is my favorite sandwich bread. Also makes amazingly light and fluffy french toast if you let it dry out for a day.
Whole Foods bakehouse bread isn't bad either, but I prefer to not pay $7 for a loaf of sandwich bread.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
