Cilantro Lime Rice (Cafe Rio)

We ate well in the Peterson household last night. Oh yes. We had Cafe Rio salads! I'm going to post each recipe that I used separately, and then I'll post a complete recipe with links to the individual recipes so that they can be easily found and accessed in the future.

And believe me, you will want to access these recipes in the future. ;)

So, here's the recipe for the rice. I got it from Favorite Family Recipes, but adapted it to use my rice cooker (she cooks the rice on the stove). If you don't have a rice cooker feel free to follow her recipe, which can be found here: Cilantro Lime Rice.

Cilantro Lime Rice (Cafe Rio)

Ingredients:

2 c. (the smaller cup used specifically for our rice cooker) uncooked rice - we used Calrose, because that's what we always have, but her recipe specifies long grain

1/2 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. fresh lime juice

1 can chicken broth (14 oz)

1 T. fresh lime juice

3 T. fresh chopped cilantro

2 t. sugar

If needed: water

Directions:

Rinse rice in rice cooker. Add chicken broth, garlic, 1 t. lime juice, and butter. If needed, fill to 2 c. line with water (the chicken broth filled our rice cooker right to the 2 c. line, so I didn't need to add water). Push the 'cook' button and walk away. (Oh, how I love my rice cooker!) Once the rice is done cooking, combine the remaining lime juice with the cilantro and sugar. Pour over the cooked rice and fluff it to combine.

Fiery Chicken with Vegetables

This was the first recipe I tried from my new cookbook, Cheap. Fast. Good! And I'm pleased to say, it was delicious! It was easy to make, and the recipes are written in such a way that makes you maximize your cooking time. I like it already. :)

Note: The recipes in the cookbook all seem to call for long grain rice. Of course, that's not what we eat in our house. :) I just skipped the instructions for preparing rice that were given in the recipe and prepared my own in our well-loved rice cooker. I'll include the instructions from the book, in case you would like to prepare the rice that way (or if you don't have a rice cooker).

Fiery Chicken with Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 can fat-free chicken broth (1 c. for the rice and 3/4 c. for the vegetable sauce)
1 c. long-grain rice (I actually made 2 cups of Japanese style short grain rice)
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 T. vegetable oil
1 bag frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable mixture (without sauce)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. soy sauce
2 t. minced ginger (either fresh or bottled...I bought a jar of it)
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. cornstarch


Directions:
Prepare rice by combining 1 c. chicken broth and 1 c. water in a covered medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir, and reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer until rice is done, about 20 minutes. (Or, like I said, prepare rice in a rice cooker...you can even substitute part of the water with chicken broth for flavor.)

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats, defrost your chicken if needed. Once oil is hot, add the frozen vegetables and stir occasionally. While the vegetables start to cook, cut the chicken into small cubes, adding them to the skillet as you go. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 5-6 minutes.

Add garlic to the pan and stir. Next, add soy sauce, ginger, sugar, and red pepper flakes*. Stir well and cook for about two minutes to blend the flavors. In the meantime, combine cornstarch and 3/4 c. chicken broth in a small container with a lid. Cover and shake to combine until there are no more lumps.

Drizzle mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Stir continuously until sauce thickens, about 1 minute (it really does thicken up pretty quick). Serve over a bed of rice.

*The red pepper flakes are the reason this recipe is called "Fiery". If you like things a little less spicy you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes. If you don't want it to be spicy at all, you can leave them out. Paul and I enjoyed the kick, and it wasn't too spicy for us. :)

Country Captain Chicken

It's been so long since I made this recipe! I haven't been very successful with the slow cooker recipes like I used to be. I have a bunch of recipes I want to try though, so hopefully I bring it out again soon!

This recipe, like most slow cooker recipes, was nice because I could put it together and let it cook itself. It had a little more prep than some other recipes that I've made, but it was a really good dinner. It had a surprising flavor, and both Paul and I enjoyed it.

Country Captain Chicken
Ingredient:
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I actually just used two boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces)
2 T. flour
2 T. oil, divided
1 c. chopped green bell pepper (I just chopped up one smallish pepper)
1 large onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped (I actually forgot to put this in when I made it)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c. chicken broth
2 c. canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. golden raisins*
1 1/2 t. curry powder
1 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. black pepper

*Paul doesn't like raisins. But I had a feeling they wouldn't seem like raisins once they were cooked for hours and hours, and I was right. They really added to the meal, so I recommend putting these in even if you are apprehensive.

Directions:
Coat chicken pieces with flour, set aside. Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic. Cook and stir for about five minutes or until onion starts to get tender. Place vegetables in the bottom of your slow cooker. Heat remaining half of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add flour-coated chicken. Brown for five minutes on each side. Chicken will not be fully cooked, but it will finish cooking in the slow cooker. Add chicken pieces to the slow cooker. Pour broth into the still-hot skillet. Cook and stir, scraping off bits of chicken or vegetables at the bottom of the skillet. Pour into slow cooker. Add tomatoes, raisins, curry powder, salt, paprika, and black pepper. Gently stir the spices into the tomatoes to disperse them into the mixture. Cover. Cook on low for 3 hours. Serve over rice.


Like I said, this recipe had a surprising flavor. It was very interesting and yummy. I highly recommend giving it a try at least once.

Wild Rice Casserole

I got this recipe from my mom back in April when Lisa (remember my vegetarian friend? ;) ) came to visit. It's delicious and quite hearty. It's one of those things I would never have liked when I was younger (mostly because of the mushrooms), but I find that I'm not as picky as I used to be, and I even like the mushrooms in this recipe.

Also, the recipe my mom gave me has no directions other than length of time cooking (covered and uncovered) and temperature of the oven. So, these directions are how I chose to put it together. I'm sure you can do it however you prefer.

Wild Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
1 c. wild rice (Note: Wild Rice seems to come in 4 oz. boxes, so you need two. Also, the boxes have a spice packet inside which I just discarded.)
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, juice included
1 bell pepper, diced (any color works, we used green this time)
1 package mushrooms, sliced
1 small can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 c. olive oil (this seemed a bit much, so I put a little bit less)
1 c. boiling water
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese (we only had medium cheddar, and it tasted good, too)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start boiling some water on the stove. Cut up your bell pepper and onion. Pour rice into a 9x13 pan in an even layer. Sprinkle onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives on top. Next, pour on tomatoes. Add the olive oil and boiling water, making sure all the rice is moistened. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and cheese on top. Cook, covered, for about 1 hour. Uncover and cook for 20-30 more minutes. Rice should be tender.

Fiesta Chicken

This is the easiest dinner I've made in a long time. The active preparation time was less than ten minutes, and that was only because I defrosted the chicken enough to be able to cut it into smaller pieces. You can even put the chicken in frozen.

Fiesta Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken pieces (that's what the recipe calls for...I actually just used about 1 lb)
1 1/2 c. uncooked rice*
1 jar (16 oz) salsa
2 jars water
1/2 bag (1 lb) of frozen corn

*We used Japanese short-grain rice and it was pretty mushy in the end. It's probably best if you use long grain.


Directions:
Pour uncooked rice in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place chicken pieces on top of rice. Pour salsa on top of chicken, and then pour on the two jars of water. Sprinkle corn on top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (on high for about four). Stir together before serving. We topped ours with sour cream. :)

Overall review:
This recipe was just too easy not to post here, but it really wasn't that amazing taste-wise. It was mushy (like I mentioned--probably due to the type of rice I used), and it tasted a little bit bland. I bet with a little tweaking (adding spices or using a different type of salsa) it could be quite yummy. FYI- I used Pace Picante Medium Salsa.

Rice & Beans

(ignore the date; it's wrong)

I tried out Paula's chicken chalupas, the casserole version, and it was delicious! Since she's already posted that recipe (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), I figured I could post the recipe for my rice and Eli's beans. Be cautious with this! I've never had a recipe for the rice (neither has my mom) and Eli hasn't had a recipe for his beans , so we've tried our best!

Rice

Ingredients:
2 TBSP oil (about)
1/2 onion, diced
1 good-sized garlic clove
2 c. long-grain, enriched, extra fancy white rice
8 oz. can tomato sauce
4 c. water
1 TBSP chicken bouillon powder
season w/ salt (cup your hand and fill the bottom of your palm)

Directions:
Heat oil in pan. Add diced onion and garlic clove. Sautee until onion is clear and garlic is fragrant. Add rice. Sautee, but do not burn! Add tomato sauce. Stir until mixed well with rice. Add water. Bring everything to a boil while adding chicken bouillon and salt. When it comes to a boil, cover and turn heat to low. Cook about 20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated. There should be holes in the rice. Makes about 4-6 servings.

Eli's Refried Beans

Ingredients:
3 cans pinto beans with bacon, partially drained
about 1/2 stick of butter, softened
about 1/3 c. milk
season salt (we like Lawry's big red bottle)
pepper

Directions:
Open cans of beans. Drain part of the juice from each can. Add beans to a pot on stove over med-hi heat. Add butter and milk. Everything should look kind of soupy. Be generous with the season salt and pepper. After everything has heated up a bit, taste it to see if there's enough salt and pepper. Heat through (about 5-10 min)

Take soupy, bean mess and add to a blender. Blend. Or you can use a bean masher (aka a potato smasher) and mash the beans by hand. If your beans are a little too liquidy, let it sit on the stove for a few minutes. It should thicken up. Serve with rice!

3 cans makes enough for about 6 people.

If you make too much of either, they make really great leftovers. You can make quick nachos with them or a bean and rice burrito. They're really good with sunny-side up eggs and a slice of avocado for breakfast. The beans are a little healthier because we actually don't re-fry them in oil. I hope everything turns out well for you!

Hawaiian Haystacks

This recipe is definitely up for interpretation. I like to experiment and this one definitely came out wonderful! The only reason for the long cooking time is the chicken. Enjoy! We sure did (also makes for great leftovers).

Ingredients:
Gravy:
3-4 chicken breasts, boiled & shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 TBSP chicken bouillon ( I like the powder)
salt
pepper

Toppings:
(all diced or shredded)
coconut
tomatoes
green onions
pineapple chunks
craisins
celery
mandarin orange segments
crunchy chinese noodles
whatever you would like!

cooked rice

Directions:
Boil chicken until done (I didn't really check the time but about 20 minutes I think). Rinse off in cold water and shred. If you want to save on time (or cheat!) you can use the can chunk chicken (probably 3 cans) and shred that. Place chicken in a pot with 2 cans cream of chicken soup, about a can of water (more or less depending how thick you like your gravy), and about a TBSP of chicken bouillon. Season with salt and pepper. Let gravy warm up.

While your chicken is boiling, start slicing, dicing, and shredding your toppings. Like I said, get creative. Fruits and veggies totally make this meal. I've seen apples, grapes, and carrots used as well.

If you like cheating, use instant rice cooked in chicken broth instead of water. If not, I'd set your rice to cook soon after starting your chicken.

When the gravy and rice are done, eat! Start with a layer of rice and gravy mixture and then pile the rest on! Don't forget the crunchy noodles!

Paul's Fried Rice

Here's another recipe most of you probably have already. You probably don't have it written down, though, so here you go! We often have fried rice on Saturday mornings. :) Paul likes to spoil me.

(Paul's fried rice is intended to be a breakfast meal, but it can work just as well for lunch or even dinner. If you want a more dinner-like variation, you could change the meat from bacon to something else like chicken or thinly sliced beef.)

Paul's Fried Rice
Ingredients:
2 c. rice, uncooked (Again, use Japanese short grain rice. Not instant. We like Calrose.)
1/2 package of bacon (about 8 strips), chopped into pieces
2 eggs, scrambled
1 c. frozen mixed vegetables (very approximate, I always estimate)
garlic salt (we use Lawry's)
sweet and sour sauce to taste (Ishimoto Family recipe to follow)

Directions:
Start the rice cooking. You can be ready with all the other stuff and waiting for the rice to be done, so don't forget to get it started. If you're having this for breakfast, start the rice first thing when you get up. In a big, deep frying pan (like a wok), start cooking the bacon. While it is cooking, season with garlic salt. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare sweet and sour sauce, scramble your eggs (How ever you prefer your scrambled eggs...I prefer mine with a little milk, salt, and pepper. Paul always adds a little garlic salt.), and cook and drain your frozen vegetables. When the bacon is done (but not overdone), drain most of the grease and reduce the heat to medium/medium low. The little grease you leave behind is what you fry the rice in. Add the cooked rice to the pan, and sprinkle with garlic salt. Add the eggs and vegetables and toss everything together. Sprinkle sweet and sour sauce over the rice and toss. Paul really only uses a tablespoon or two. Taste it as you go and add sweet and sour sauce or garlic salt until it tastes the way you want it to. Let it cook for about 5 minutes on low heat (just to add a little crispness), tossing occasionally.

Ishimoto Family Sweet and Sour Sauce (Paul's mom's recipe)
Ingredients:
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
3 T. ketchup
5 T. brown sugar

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for a minute or two (be careful, the pot can boil over easily). Refrigerate any unused portion.

I categorized this recipe as Japanese only because Paul is Japanese after all, and they do eat fried rice there. However, this recipe is pretty Americanized, and also the sweet and sour sauce is more Hawaiian than Japanese. :)