Category Archives: Grains

Cinnamon Honey and Walnut Oatmeal

Posted on January 2, 2012 | Leave a comment

I was at the farmer’s market the other day looking for some local honey and I ended up buying this whipped honey infused with cinnamon made by Eden’s Nectar.  I wanted to come up with other ways of eating it than just spreading it on a piece of bread with some butter, which by the way is delicious. Last night when Mark asked me to make him some oatmeal I thought ‘hey what a great idea to use the cinnamon honey in’. I like to add walnuts to my oatmeal, not only for the earthy flavor, but also for some nice crunch. This oatmeal doesn’t require sugar so it’s not only yummy, but it’s good for you too.

Recipe:

Makes 2 servings

  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of at least 2% milk
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 cup of oatmeal
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • a handful of crushed walnuts
  • 4 tbsp Eden’s Nectar Cinnamon Honey

Bring the water, milk and pinch of salt to a boil. Be careful not to forget about it because the milk will burn if it overflows. Turn down the heat to medium and add the oatmeal, vanilla extract, walnuts and the honey. Stir until the oatmeal gets soft and the mixture thickens a little bit. Enjoy! :)

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Posted in Breakfast, Grains

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Wild Rice and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Posted on January 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

I don’t know about you but I had way too much to eat this holiday season and have gained a few pounds in the process of it all. I wanted to cook something healthy today so I looked in the fridge and the only vegetables in there were peppers. Since I didn’t feel like going to the grocery store I decided to make healthy stuffed peppers. I filled them with quinoa and wild rice instead of beef and white rice.  I saw quinoa at the grocery store before, but never really knew what it really was. I recently started reading the ”Healthy Latin Cookbook”  and saw quinoa on the “glossary of ingredients”. It’s a grain that was used by the Incas that has more protein than rice, so I went out and bought it with the intention of trying to make something with it.  I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It’s a little bit like nutty rice. The peppers turned out really well, so I thought I should share the recipe.

Recipe:

  • 5 large Peppers
  • 1 chopped Onion
  • 3 cloves of chopped Garlic
  • 1 cup of Rice Blend ( I use Rice Select Royal Blend)
  • 1 cup of Quinoa
  • handful of Pine Nuts
  • 3 cups of Water
  • all purpose seasoning
  • dried Italian herb mix
  • Salt to taste
  • Black Pepper to taste
  • 5 large Peppers
  • hot Chicken Broth
  • Cheese to sprinkle the peppers with

Sauté the onions on medium until they are soft. Add the garlic and pine nuts and sauté for a minute or so. Add the rice and quinoa and cook for an additional minute stirring the rice so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom.  Add water, dried herbs, salt, pepper and the all purpose seasoning. Turn the heat on high until the water boils and then turn down the heat to low and cover the pot. The filling is done when all the water is absorbed. The rice and quinoa should still be a little crispy because they will finish cooking in the oven.

In the mean time preheat the oven to 400F and slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.

Take an oven proof dish and place the stuffed peppers in it. Pour the hot chicken broth in the bottom of the baking dish; you want to cover about an 1/2″ – 1″ of the peppers.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 min. 5 min before your timer goes off sprinkle cheese on top of the peppers and remove the foil. The cheese should get nice a bubbly before taken out of the oven.



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Posted in Grains, Side Dishes, Vegeterian

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Pasta with Olive Oil and Feta

Posted on August 23, 2010 | 2 Comments

This dish is my favorite indulgence.  Not only does it taste delicious but it’s also super quick. I like to call it my little piece of heaven. The best dishes are sometimes the simplest ones. I just love how the sheep’s cheese melts on the pasta and when you mix it with the olive oil it becomes its own sauce. Try to use feta that is sold in it’s own brine. Not only does it taste better but it’s also creamier and softer so it melts much better. Feta is a pretty salty cheese on its own so there is no reason to use salt on your pasta.

Recipe:

  • Olive Oil
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • crushed red pepper
  • black pepper
  • fresh basil
  • feta

Cook your favorite pasta and top it with some olive oil, feta, finely chopped garlic, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and fresh basil.

Enjoy with some red wine!

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Posted in Grains, Main Dishes

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Panamanian Coconut Rice

Posted on August 17, 2010 | 1 Comment

The first time I had coconut rice in Panama I was a little puzzled, because the rice had these weird beans in it that I have never seen before. They are called “Pigeon Peas” in English. You can find them in the ethnic isle in most grocery stores. They balance the sweetness of the coconut milk so well that I don’t think I would like coconut rice without them now. I promise you this dish is very good. I’m craving it as I write the post. :)

Recipe:

The general ratio for white rice is 1 cup of rice 2 cups of water. Technically you are supposed to cook the rice entirely in coconut milk but I like to use half water and half coconut milk. It’s less fattening and it doesn’t make the rice mushy, nor does it taste heavy like it would if you only used coconut milk.

  • 2 cups of white rice
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 1 can of pigeon peas
  • salt to taste

Put rice, coconut milk, water and salt in a pot (with a lid on) on the stove on high heat until it boils. Turn the heat to low until the water is absorbed and is nice and fluffy. Stir the rice to make sure the water has evaporated fully. Add the pigeon peas to your rice and serve.

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Posted in Grains, Latin Food, Side Dishes

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