Last night I made aracini with some left over rice.
I used 3 T. ener-g egg replacer, 4 T. water, 1 c. cold cooked rice, 1/3 c. grated Parmesan and mixed well. I made two different kinds. I rolled some into a ball and then rolled in italian style bread crumbs, others I flattened into patties (which stuck to my hands terribly) and covered in the same breadcrumbs. The patties I pan fried completely, while I only pan fried the balls for a few seconds (to seal) and then dropped in the deep fryer (set at 375F) for 5 minutes.
The aracini done traditionally (seen here in the picture) are lovely but I don’t care for the texture of the middle as much. Way mushy. The patties were tasty and the texture was much better. Served with my homemade pasta sauce. (Any sauce would probably work fine)
This is supposed to be a side dish apparently but the family had hamburger helper so I had these for my main course with steamed broccoli on the side.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Burrito Casserole
Ohmigoodness. Tonight’s dinner was delicious but sounds weird as hell.
Made 24 hours in advance; really improves the flavor.
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burrito Casserole
The original recipe called for ACTUAL burritos but it’s way more work than I’m willing to do.
1/2 onion, diced
1 can black beans
1 sweet potato, diced
1 cup cooked rice
Tortillas, corn or flour (I used corn)
Cilantro
Cumin
Cayenne
Salt
Boil sweet potato until tender with a little salt. Spray a casserole dish with cooking oil spray and line bottom with tortillas, I rip mine into strips so that they fit better.
Drain potatoes, then beans, and put back into pot. Add spices to taste and onions (if you’re not comfortable with your own nose for spices, you can use a packet of taco seasoning instead). Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce to a simmer until liquid is reduced and onions are tender (about 20 minutes).
Pour rice into mixture and spread onto the tortilla base.
Now, at this point, you can cover with another layer of tortillas and the cheese of your choice if you’re so inclined. I didn’t but, I digress…
Cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Seriously, it tastes ok at this point but it’s worth the wait.
Fast forward to the next evening. Put cold pan (still with foil) in cold oven, and turn it up to 350F. Bake for 20 minutes, take foil off and bake another 10.
Serve with sour cream, guacamole and/or salsa.
No pic today because I was starving and forgot about taking photos and ate.
Long time no post. Holidays are hectic. Dinner tonight is a simple dish. White rice, lentils, sautéd mushrooms, and green onions.
Crazy week. Way tastier than it looks.
Tonight for dinner I made my version of Loco Moco.
Cook and layer these ingredients in a bowl. Rice, (lentil) burger, fried egg and brown gravy.
Happy Holidays everyone.
Since I will be out all day, I put together a vegetable paella in the crock pot for tomorrow’s dinner.
The ‘actual’ recipe is as follows:
5 oz. frozen, chopped spinach
1 lb. long grain rice
3.5 c. vegetable stock
1 bell pepper
1 med. tomato
1 med. carrot
1-2 cloves garlic
1 T. parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
4 oz. frozen peas, add for the last 15 min., mix well.
Cook on low for four hours or high for two.
I added four small potatoes, diced, since I have a crapload of them. I used a red bell pepper, which makes it look gorgeous, fresh spinach (squeezed dry and torn up), and 2 large carrots (because my kids dig them).
