Cranberry Rice; Meatless Monday

Thanksgiving is the only time of the year when we get cranberries. I didn't know what cranberries were until I came to this country. Then I only knew of cranberry juice, which I love and cranberry sauce that comes in a can. Until last year, I had never brought home cranberries as I didn't know what to do with them. Everything changed last year. I made cranberry pecan bread, cranberry chutney, cranberry wild rice pilaf and it all turned out good. This year I am expanding my horizons even further. I made this cranberry rice which was delicious. I tried it with the organic Mekong brown rice from Lotus foods and it came out delicious! I really like their brown rice! It cooks within 30 minutes to a perfect consistency. The texture is great and not chewy. I, who would not eat brown rice before, now look forward to it! No,Lotus Foods is NOT paying me to say this or to write this post. This is entirely my opinion. You have to give it a try to know for yourself if what I say is true. Last time I made Thai Salmon basil fried rice using their organic brown rice and it turned out delicious! I wanted to check if that recipe was what was making it taste so good by using a recipe that was vegan and with no sauces in it. I made this cranberry rice using very few ingredients and with the primary flavor coming from the cranberries. It is a very simple and quick recipe which gives you a delicious meal! 

Servings: 3 ( 1 cup per person)

Ingredients:

Lotus brand organic brown rice : 1 cup
Water: 1 3/4 cup
*Cranberries purée: 1/4 cup
Cooking oil: 1 tbsp ( I used coconut oil)
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig ( optional)
Urad dal(Split matpe beans): 1 tsp
Chana dal ( split chick peas): 1 tbsp
Peanut halves: 2 tbsp ( optional if allergic to nuts)
Green chillies: 2, chopped fine( can be adjusted based on individual spice level)
Ginger: 1 inch, minced
Asofoetida ( hing) powder: a pinch
Sugar: a pinch
Salt: as per taste

Method:

* to make cranberry purée, heat 1 cup fresh cranberries with 1 tbsp water until soft around 7-10 minutes. Cool it. Blend when cooled.

In a saucepan, bring 1  3/4 cups water to a boil. Add the brown rice to it and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the flame to low , cover and cook for 30 mins. When the 30 mins are up, fluff the rice with a fork, keep it covered for another 15 mins.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauté pan . Add mustard seeds. 

Once the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, urad dal, Chana dal,green chillies, ginger, hing and peanut halves one after the other. 

Sauté for a couple of minutes until the lentil and peanuts turn slightly golden in color.

Add the cranberry purée, salt and sugar and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Now add the cooked brown rice and mix gently but thoroughly.

Garnish with freshly grated coconut and/or coriander leaves ( cilantro). This last step is optional. 

Serve hot. I am bringing this to the wonderful Angie's Fiesta Friday #96.

Cooking made easy:

I always look for ways to make my weeknight dinners more efficient. One of my tricks is to make cranberry rice using Cranberry Chutney. I make a big batch of cranberry chutney and use it instead of the cranberry pulp in the above recipe. You can find the recipe for cranberry chutney here.

Tip for healthy living:

Cranberries is a superfood that is a powerhouse of antioxidants. They are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. They are a rich source of vitamin C and dietary fiber. It is known to prevent and help treat urinary tract infection.

Food for thought:

All great achievements require time. Maya Angelou

Buckwheat-mushroom Rice Ramen ; Lotus Foods; Meatless Monday

I am a proud Meatless Monday blogger and an avid supporter of the Meatless Monday movement. I believe in eating healthy and this can be mainly achieved through a predominantly vegetarian diet. I also avoid gluten. So, when people from the Meatless Monday campaign reached out to me to try these new Gluten-free organic rice products from Lotus Foods, I willingly agreed. 

Soon, I received a package from Lotus food that contained these three items and some literature regarding them:

1. Buckwheat Mushroom Rice Ramen
2. Jasmine organic brown Mekong flower Rice
3. Heirloom Forbidden Rice

I saved the instant rice for a rainy day when I will need cooked rice in a real hurry. I decided to make the noodles and the organic brown rice this weekend.

I have been eating rice noodles instead of wheat noodles for a while now. However, I haven't found the right one that would cook without turning into mush on me yet. I always have to be extra vigilant and make sure that I don't soak them for too long in the hot water. I have tried buckwheat noodles and didn't really care for the taste. These buckwheat-mushroom noodles were just perfect! I followed the instructions on the packet ( just like you would do when you make Ramen noodles) and made them. I didn't want it soup style, so I drained the water once the noodles were cooked. I like lots of vegetables in my meals, so I sautéed some vegetables and onions separately and mixed them with the drained noodles. I have added one chopped green chilli with the vegetables and used only the seasoning provided with the noodles. It was light, flavorful and delicious. I got two meals from one packet. The noodles remained al-dente. One could barely say that these are buckwheat-rice noodles! I would definitely make it again. This would be perfect for weeknight dinners when you don't want to slave in front of the stove. The whole dish was ready in 15 minutes.

Disclaimer: I am not being paid to do this review.

Buckwheat-Mushroom Rice Ramen with Vegetables

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Buckwheat-mushroom rice ramen ( from Lotus Foods) : 1 packet
Water: 2 cups
Onion: 1, small, sliced thin
Shredded carrot: 1/2cup
Shredded broccoli stems: 1/2 cup
Cauliflower florets: 1/4 cup
Green chilli: 1, chopped fine
Tender Green peas: 2 tbsp
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Salt: a pinch

Method:

In a frying pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add chopped onions and sauté until it starts to sweat. Now add the green chilli bits, green peas and cauliflower florets. Cook it on low for 2 mins. Add in the shredded broccoli stem and shredded cabbage and sauté for a couple of mins. Add salt and mix.Do not add too much as the seasoning will have salt in it.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the noodles in, simmer and cook for 4 minutes.

Drain the noodles and add it to a different bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning on the noodles and mix well.

Put the cooked vegetables on top of the noodles and serve it or mix it with the noodles and serve it.

Serve hot.

Enjoy.

I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday, Angie's Fiesta Friday & Saucy Saturdays. Loretta @ Safari of the Mind and Petra @ Food Eat Love are co-hosting the Fiesta.

Cooking made easy:

For the noodles, I made use of the vegetables that I had in my refrigerator. Pretty much any combination of vegetables can be used for these dishes. You can add more or less veggies as you wish. There is no hard or fast rule.

Tip for healthy living:

Any carbohydrate rich dish can be made healthier by the addition of vegetables.

Food for thought:

Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Phillips brooks.

Wild Blend Rice Cranberry Pilaf

Angie, I am here! I know I am late for the Fiesta Friday anniversary party , but I am here! I have brought this amazing wild rice pilaf!

I love trying new stuff. One such thing is the Wild Blend Rice from Lundberg that I recently got.It is essentially a  blend of wild rice, long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, whole grain Wehani rice, and whole grain black Japonica rice. I have always been fascinated by wild rice. I have eaten wild rice salad many a time and enjoyed it. Brown rice I know is healthy, but I cannot switch it for my regular parboiled or Matta rice. This rice blend was perfect for those times when I wanted something different and a little more exotic.

Being that it is cold outside, I like to eat warm/hot food. I therefore didn't want to make a salad. I also had butternut squash, some green squash, carrots and fresh cranberries on hand and therefore decided to make a pilaf utilizing everything I had on hand. I must say that it came out really good and was gone in no time! I like my rice cooked until tender, I therefore soaked it for a couple of hours so as to reduce the cooking time. Brown rice takes forever to cook! This again is a one-pot recipe, easy to make.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Wild blend rice: 2 cups
Butternut squash: 2 cups, diced medium.
Green squash( zucchini): 1 cup, diced.
Baby carrots: 1 cup
Clarified butter : 1 tbsp
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1 medium, diced small
Garlic: 3-4 small cloves, minced
Boiling hot water: 5 cups ( you can use vegetable or chicken broth if you wish)
Fresh Cranberries: 1/2 cup, chopped
Cashew halves: 1 tbsp( optional)
Slivered almonds: 1 tbsp( optional)
Pomegranate seeds: 2 tbsp( optional)
Parsley( fresh) : 1 tbsp, chopped
Salt : to taste
Black pepper: 1 tsp,freshly ground ( can adjust as per individual taste)

Method:

Soak the rice blend in water for 1-2 hours. Drain and keep aside. ( This step is optional. I do this to reduce the cooking time and to make the rice more tender).

In a sauté pan or pressure cooker pan, heat butter and olive oil.Add the minced garlic, sauté for few seconds.

Now add the chopped onions and sauté on medium until the onion turns transparent.

Now add in the cashew halves, cranberries; sauté for a minute.

Add in the wild blend rice and the boiling hot water. Add salt, pepper powder,baby carrots, parsley and bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

While that is cooking, you can cut the butternut squash and the green squash if you have not done so already.

After 30 mins, add in the butternut squash and the green squash to the pan, stir, cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the rice reaches the desired level of tenderness.

Note: if using the pressure cooker/pan to cook, do not use the whistle/weight.Garnish with pomegranate seeds, slivered almonds and cranberries.

Serve hot. 

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Any kind of vegetable can be used in this pilaf. You can use peas and carrots or mushrooms; anything really.

If you don't have fresh cranberries, you can used dried ones.

If you are allergic to nuts, you can skip it. If not, you can even use walnuts or pecans in this recipe.

Tip for healthy living:

Although brown rice is more tedious to cook, it is much healthier for the body. Not only is it less processed, it has a higher dietary fiber content when compared to other kinds of rice. It also has a lower glycemic index and is therefore good for diabetics. It has both the outer bran and germ layers and therefore more vitamins and other nutrients.

Food for thought:

The only way to have a friend is to be one. Ralph Waldo Emerson