Cilantro Lime Rice

I made this tonight and we both loved it! My mom gave me this recipe that she cut out of a magazine, so I'm not certain where it came from, but I'll give her the credit.



Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup long grain white rice

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1/4 tsp salt

grated rind and juice of 1 medium lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro



-Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add rice, stirring to coat.

-Add broth and salt, increase heat and bring to a boil. Stir once.

-Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.

-Fluff rice with a fork and stir in lime rind, juice and cilantro. Serves 4.

I thought I used a little too much lime juice, even though I used what it called for. But it was delicious either way! Hope you enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday

Welcome to Menu Plan Monday, hosted by orgjunkie.com. Here's what we are having this week:

Monday- whole wheat pasta with tomato basil sauce

Tuesday- spinach salad with grilled chicken

Wednesday- Italian Chicken and Pastina (see recipe below), strawberries

Thursday- Jamaican Jerk turkey burgers (Finally! I've been trying to make these for ages)

Friday- Homemade pizza (pizza crust recipe here) - I think I am going to try a white pizza, so I'm on the look out for a recipe - suggestions welcome!

Saturday- in Little Rock for our friend's wedding!

Sunday- Honey glazed salmon with cilantro lime rice

Italian Chicken and Pastina by Giada

This is a yummy dinner recipe my roommates made in college. It is easy and a nice alternative to my typical meal for company- king ranch chicken!

Ingredients:
1 cup small pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken
1 clove garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Cook pasta until al dente- about 5 minutes. Cook chicken in oil for 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook 5 more minutes. Mix pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Place mixture in a greased 8x8 pan. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mixture over top and dot with butter. Bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. This is really only about 4 servings, so you should definitely double it or add more chicken if you need more servings (or have a lot of side dishes!)

Hope you like it!

Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes

Supposedly this is the recipe for cupcakes from New York's famous Magnolia Bakery...they were so good! (You won't be surprised after reading the ingredient list!)

Cupcakes:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flours in a medium bowl. Cream butter on medium in a mixing bowl, add sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with milk and vanilla. Only mix until ingredients are incorporated, being careful not to overmix. Bake for 20-25 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean). Cool in muffin tins 15 minutes, then remove and cool completely on cooling rack. While cupcakes are cooling, prepare icing (see below). Be sure not to frost until the cupcakes are completely cooled.

Icing:
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
6-8 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

Put butter, 4 cups sugar, milk then vanilla in a bowl. Mix on medium for 3-5 minutes. Add remaining sugar 1 cup at a time until icing appears thick enough. (I used all 8 cups) If you'd like, add food coloring to icing before frosting the cupcakes. This recipe makes more than enough frosting for 24 cupcakes, so I'm sure it would frost a layer cake or a sheet cake quite well also.

The Best Wheat Bread

I made this bread recently, and it was by far the best one I've ever made! I think the key was letting it rise for a nice long time. I have it written on a scrap of paper so I'm not sure where I got it from.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp oil (or applesauce)
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour (I think I used bread flour)
2 tsp dry yeast

Put all ingredients in the bread machine on the dough cycle. Put in a greased loaf pan, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 20 minutes, and much longer if you'd like. Mine was around an hour. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Cinnamon Banana Snack Loaf

I found this recipe on this food blog. Its also her picture above :) This bread is a perfect thing to have around the house as a snack, and is so easy to make too. Here's the ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup warm water

And here's what you do:

1. Beat together sugar and applesauce. Add vanilla and eggs and beat well.
2. Stir in bananas and mix well again.
3. Add all dry ingredients and combine until moist throughout.
4. Add water and mix again until combined.
5. Pour equal amounts into 2 large, greased loaf pans and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees (check frequently!).

I cut mine into 10-12 slices each. I actually added some peanut butter chips to one loaf, and that was a delicious addition. I'm sure chocolate chips or nuts would be too! And of course, any combination of wheat/white flour would be fine. Hope you like it!

Blackened Tilapia

I mentioned this in a previous Menu Plan Monday, using this link. When I went to make it, I realized I didn't have a lot of the spices, so I ended up changing it a lot. Here's the jist of what I made:

1 cup brown rice
dash red pepper flakes
Jamaican Jerk seasoning
dash thyme
pinch garlic salt
2 tbsp smart balance light
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 can corn
chopped fresh cilantro
2 6oz tilapia fillets

-Heat oven to 400 (or appropriate temperature)
-Cook rice as package directs
-Combine spices in a shallow bowl
-Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat and add lemon juice
-Dip each fillet in butter (both sides) and then spices (both sides)
-Heat skillet to medium-high heat and add tilapia fillets
-Cook fish until blackened, about 2 minutes per side (turn heat down if it starts to smoke)
-Transfer fish to a baking dish and bake for about 8-10 minutes (or until done)
-Stir corn into rice and serve fish over this mixture. Garnish with cilantro.

I didn't specify how much Jerk seasoning I used because I really have no idea. I used a lot, and loved it, but Bart actually thought it was a little too spicy. So you should adjust that according to your tastes. I will absolutely be making this again, many many times. The tilapia's mild flavor really absorbs the seasonings. Hope you enjoy!