Rice Pilaf

There comes a time in every woman's life where she just has to say to herself "Self, you need to up your side dish game." For far too long I've relied on the help of mashed potatoes, french fries,cheesy potatoes and, dare I say it - boxed rice pilaf. Gasp!

I know. I know. Trust me, I know how pitiful I am. A food blogger who uses Rice-A-Roni to fill the empty void on the plate next to the peas and 4-star roasted chicken with creamy tarragon sauce and a sprinkling of rare Mongolian parsnips. Okay, so I totally made that part up and i'm not even sure if there's such a thing as Mongolian parsnips, but, it doesn't take away from the fact that I'm seriously dropping the ball when it comes to the accompaniments at dinnertime.

Well, fear no more, good people, I have come to tell you that no longer is my pantry filled with small boxes of laziness, guilting me every time I go to grab one... My plates are now overflowing with delicious, flavor-packed rice pilaf with the perfect consistency and texture. No mushy bits, no crunchy bits -- just pure perfect grains of plump rice, noodles, peas, bell pepper, onion and just enough herbs to keep it interesting!

If you're stuck in a side-dish-rut like I was, go ahead and give this recipe a try. It's simple, hard to mess up and the end result will leave you feeling satisfied and proud. Your main dish will love it's new sidekick and all will be right in the world.

Rice Pilaf:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup angel hair pasta, broken into small bits
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions:

Bring chicken broth to low simmer, add in thyme and simmer. In the meantime, add angel hair pasta to a large skillet or pot (preferably one that has a lid) over medium heat. Toast until lightly golden, add in olive oil and butter, melt, then add onion and bell pepper and sauté until onion is translucent.

Add peas and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add rice and stir often while cooking (about 4 minutes) to ensure full coverage. Add broth to mixture, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. 

Fluff rice with fork, mix in parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

5 Minute Thai Ramen

It was only about a year ago that I first tried Thai food. My hubby had been begging me to get some with him and for some reason I really didn't think I was going to like it, so I kept putting it off. After I finally gave in and let him get his precious Thai food, and after I took that first bite of Pad Thai, I knew my life was about to change forever. I fell head-over-heels in love with it! Who knew that peanut sauce would become one of my all-time favorite sauces in the whole wide world? I sure didn't!

It's because of my darling husband that I like many of the foods I do. Without him, I would have never been adventurous enough to try oysters for the first time (which I did this past weekend!) and discover that they are mouth-wateringly delicious. Now every time we take a trip to the beach I know I will be ordering some! Yum x 1000. 

Last night I was really craving something new and was really in the mood to make something I'd never made before... so after searching around Pinterest for a while, I stumbled across a couple of different recipes involving Top Ramen noodles and peanut butter! I knew I could kick it up a notch and create something more amazing, so I grabbed my packages of noodles and headed to the kitchen to make what ended up being my favorite easy side dish ever. It would also be a perfect lunch if you just threw in a little roasted chicken! Or you don't even have to throw in the chicken... you can not throw in the chicken and it would be equally as amazing for lunch! ;) Plus, it's even better the next day!

Make it, devour it and let me know what you think! 

5-Minute Thai Ramen:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

2 packages Chicken Top Ramen

4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons {bottled} teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons sliced green onion

2 tablespoons crushed peanuts

Directions:

Cook ramen noodles in medium pot according to package directions. Once cooked, drain almost all of the liquid out, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pot. Mix in chicken seasoning packets, peanut butter, teriyaki sauce, lime juice, pepper and red pepper flakes. Once well combined, mix in green onion. Top with crushed peanuts before serving to hungry family members!

Makes 2 {large} servings

Easy Roasted Parmesan Zucchini

The last few weeks of my low-carb diet have been, how you say, bearable. I definitely miss my carbs and making a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for my daughter is pure torture, but i'm feeling a lot better. I love that i'm actually sticking to one of my new year's resolutions for longer than a week! Yay! 

Today I'm sharing one of my easy side-dish recipes that has been a staple in this diet, Roasted Parmesan Zucchini! I'm kind of new to this whole roasting vegetables thing... I know, I know... but now that I've discovered it, there's no turning back for me! Enjoy!

Roasted Parmesan Zucchini: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchinis

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper

Olive oil spray

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Slice zucchini into rounds, a little less than 1/4" thick. Spray baking sheet with olive oil spray. Spread zucchini rounds onto baking sheet and spray with olive oil spray, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle parmesan over the top.

Roast for 20-30 minutes, or until zucchini are soft and browned and cheese is starting to get crispy!

Spanish Rice

I'm going to keep this post simple and sweet because well, I have to get my daughter to school like... right now. Sooooo, all you lovely people will just have to bare with me as I keep this post to a minimum. Do you think you can do that? I appreciate it. I mean, I really and truly wish I could sit here and write a long, detailed post about all the amazing things happening in my life. But, well, let's face it, there's really nothing that amazing going on in my life right now anyways. If I were going to write a long post, I would probably be here for hours trying to come up with a story, or a funny little anecdote. But, unfortunately, there is simply no time for this. My daughter is sitting on the couch just waiting for me and waiting for me... and I really must go now! 

Here is my version of spanish rice. This is the same recipe *with a little tweaking* that my husband used to make for me when we were dating. He liked to impress me by cooking for me and making me wonderful meals. He really and truly knew the way to my heart, and he still does!

Easy Spanish Rice Recipe:   

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 cups white rice
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cubes of chicken bouillon
• 3 cups water

Directions:

In a large pan (with a lid) over medium heat, add oil and heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic and onions. Sautee for 4-5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. 

Add rice and stir. Allow rice to cook for about 2 minutes, then add your tomato sauce your water and your chicken bouillon cubes.

Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until rice is no longer "sticky".

Macaroni Salad

I'm going to keep this short and sweet because... well, just because! Life is so strange sometimes... you think you have a handle on everything, then one day it all completely changes! Life is full of twists and turns and unexpected situations and let's just say that there have been some pretty crazy twists (and turns too) for my family within the past couple of months! Pretty much what I'm saying here is pretty, pretty please forgive my horrible blogging efforts! Or lack of efforts... I've been a very bad blogger and for that I'm sorry! I stand here now in front of you with a promise for a better future... a future full of wonderful and delicious recipes! We can start off with this recipe for Macaroni Salad. Unfortunately, this is not my recipe. I really wish I could claim it as my own, though. I make it for almost every one of our family BBQs. It's the best. Ever.

Oh, and also... please excuse the picture... My camera was dead and I only had my mother in law's camera to use and I'm unfamiliar with it... plus, it was pretty dark in her house that night!

Macaroni Salad Recipe:
 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2  large onion (chopped into tiny little pieces)
2 stalks of celery (also chopped into tiny little pieces)
1 green bell pepper (and yes, once again... chopped into little tiny pieces)
2 tablespoons chopped pimentos

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 8 minutes. Once it's done, drain it and rise it with cold water. Place it in whatever bowl you wish to serve it in.

In a different bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and pimentos. Pour over macaroni and mix well.

For the absolute best flavor, refrigerate it over night. If you're in a hurry you can just put it in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 hours.