3 Grain Pilaf

If you come to our house for dinner, you see a lot of rice dishes. Because of that, I'm always looking for new ways to prepare it. I came across this recipe last winter and find that I make it more often than any other rice dish. It takes a bit more time, but I think it is worth the wait since the extra time is for simmering the grains instead of actually having to work hard in the kitchen. After a little chopping and dicing, your work is mostly done. I have revised this recipe a lot in regards to the grain to veggie ration and I don't use butter. The original recipe can be found at allrecipes.com titled Multi Grain Pilaf.

1 T olive oil
6 ounces brown and white mushrooms
1/2 C diced onion
1/2 medium zucchini
2/3 C brown rice
1/4 wild rice
2 1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 C white wine
2/3 C long grain white rice
1/2 C diced carrots
1/4 t dried thyme

Heat olive oil in a 6 quart pot. Add the mushrooms and onion. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini and cook 2 minutes. Add the brown and wild rice only. Continue to cook, stirring often, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the chicken broth and white wine. Increase the heat to high and cover. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Stir in the white rice and carrots. Cover and continue to simmer an additional 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the thyme and serve warm.

4 one cup servings
Steve - 4.5 stars "Because it tastes good"
Wendy - 4.5 stars "It's hard to beat the flavor that the different grains and fresh veggies bring to this dish without adding butter. Delicious and healthy."

Vegan Chocolate Cake

I'm not vegan...not even close. So why the "vegan" cake? Actually, it has all to do with not having any butter at the house and nothing to do with not eating dairy products. After doing a little digging around, I came across this recipe at allrecipes.com I was so impressed with this cake that it will be the only one I make from now on. It didn't taste like it was missing anything and Steve had seconds last night and ate it for breakfast today. My only changes to this recipe had to do with the pan and how I greased it.

1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 C white sugar
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 t distilled white vinegar
1 C water

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Lightly grease one 9X5 inch loaf pan. I poured one T oil into a 10X4 loaf pan, spread it around with a paper towel and then added 1 T flour which I smacked around the inside of the pan since I didn't have anything that would work as "grease".

Sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. I use a mesh strainer for sifting since I refuse to buy another sifter that will break after using a few times. Once it is mixed together, add the oil, extract, vinegar and water. Mix until smooth.

Pour into your prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If you can wait ;) I threw the loaf outside for 30 minutes and called it cool enough. After serving on a plate, I sprinkled the cake with Splenda because I didn't have any powdered sugar on hand. Nice touch, but not necessary.

Steve: 5 stars
Wendy: 5 stars
Moist, fluffy, goodness.

Minestrone alla Patata

I would eat soup everyday given the choice - and do a few times per week. Having said that, it is no surprise that my first entry to this blog is exactly that - soup. You can really change this a lot by adding all sorts of vegetables, so go with what you know and like. I like to serve this with a hearty, crusty wheat bread. Today the baker had a nice "nut bread" so I went with that. Here's my version which has been adapted from Cooking Light - January/February 2008

10 - 12 ounces chopped potatoes

2 t olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried oregano

1 C diced zucchini
1/2 C chopped carrot
1/2 C fennel diced
1 C water
2 C low sodium chicken broth
5 T tomato paste
2 C chopped spinach
3/4 C drained and rinsed red kidney beans
1/2 t ground pepper
2 T grated Parmesan Cheese
Crusty whole what bread

Start by filling a medium sized saucepan with hot tap water and put on high heat. Chop up the potatoes and add to the saucepan. Boil while you prepare the rest of the soup.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. While oil is heating chop up your onions and add to the pan. Chop up your garlic and add to the pan. Add the basil and oregano and stir occasionally. You don't want the heat so high that you are concerned about your garlic burning but it needs to be hot enough for the onions to soften. This should take about five minutes.

While you are chopping/dicing the following ingredients stir the pan occasionally. Chop up your carrots and add to the pan, dice your fennel and add to the pan, dice your zucchini and add to the pan. Saute until the zucchini are warm and heated through. Stir in water, chicken broth and the tomato paste. Bring the whole mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer for ten minutes or until your veggies are cooked through but not mushy. By this time your potatoes should be almost cooked through. Drain and rinse them and add them to the pot. Cook 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and cook five minutes. Add the beans and cook a few more minutes until they are heated through. Lastly stir in the pepper and simmer covered.

Set your table, cut your bread, open and pour your bottle of wine - and fertig. Soups done. Serve the minestrone into bowls and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Buon Appetito!

Ratings (out of 5 - 1 being the worst)
Steve = 4 "Because it was yummy."
Wendy = 3.5 It was what I would expect in a minestrone, but nothing earth shattering. Good meal for when it's cold outside.
Steve's rating