BIZZY BAKES

Since, I learned to appreciate vegetables, I look for dishes like this one.  The variety of veggies that can be used makes it pleasing to a majority of people.  Use your imagination and see what happens..  I saw this recipe on  The Veggie Table .  I believe it comes from the Moosewood books, originally. Recently, I have been cautiously making dishes from India and loving them.  I still do not know enough about Indian cooking to jump in but I can follow recipes.  I stayed pretty close to this one although I was missing a few ingredients.   Vegetable Biryani   (adapted) Ingredients: 1½ cups brown rice (Basmati),    3 tablespoons Canola oil,   pinch turmeric,    ½ teaspoon salt, 2¼ cups hot water,  1 cup chopped onions,   2 teaspoons fresh ginger -  peeled and grated,   1½ teaspoon ground cumin,  1½ teaspoons ground coriander, ...

I was looking for a dish to round out my Shabbos meal on Friday night.  I had made chicken cutlets and a roast in gravy, spinach kugel and roasted potato slices.  We had plenty of food for the main course but it felt wrong since we were having a nice crowd for dinner.  I wanted something to complete the meal and make sure, there was something for every one.  Rice sounded right. This makes a pretty dish and a neutral one.  While it definitely has flavor, it seems to go with almost any other food.  It served its purpose since it did a disappearing act. This is a Cooking Light recipe and I have been fortunate with their recipes.  I get their magazine and always find a few new recipes to test.  Many go on the roster for future meals. Baked Rice with Butternut Squash (adapted from Cooking Light September 2002) Ingredients: 1 24 ounce bag of frozen butternut squash cubes 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth 1 cup water 1 teas...

I selected this dish for this week.  It is the kind of dish that will always call my name.  Especially after refilling the arborio jar when it didn't need it is as  anincentive to make more risotto.  Who could turn away nice and creamy rice like this? This is for my Donna Hay group, WwDH. Wednesdays With Donna Hay.  You can find all of the links here.   Please do go and see what others have done with this dish. As it turned out, we made risotto, two weeks in a row but this is the kind of dish that is usually welcome.  I selected it for the spinach and feta.  Actually, I forgot to  add the nuts. Spinach, feta and pine nut baked risotto -  The ingredients are  arborio rice,  chicken stock, parmesan. butter. sea salt and cracked black pepper, baby spinach leaves, feta, and  pine nuts.   Sounds like a good combination and it is. Since this is baked in the oven, it is easier to make t...

Hey, Hey Donna Hay.....we are back with this lovely eggplant with tomato, basil and parmesan rissoto.  Sound good?  Well, it is. Margaret  chose this recipe and it is from one of Donna Hay's books,   New Food Fast. Hubby wasn't thrilled with eggplant and would have been happier eating only the risotto. I had no idea, he is not a fan of eggplant.  I love it, made in certain ways and  I make if often.  He has never said a word.  I am pretty sure, it does not fall into the same category as asparagus which he simply despises.  I think that it is more a "take it or leave it" dish. This was not my favorite way of making eggplant either so this dish is probably not going to be seen again.  I think, if you like risotto, this is worth a try.  The sauce was broth, wine and tomato puree and I liked that very much.  Lots of basil and a little black pepper and Parmesan seasoned the dish. The dish is a three pot dish, one for the ...

This was the best chili we have had and hubby proudly made it.  It was light with the turkey and zucchini as major players.  The original recipe was to be more spicy but according to the chef, it should not be that way so out went the chilies and garlic. It is unusual for me to take a second plate but I did.  I was not full after one dish; it was really light.  the original recipe called for bulgar and we chose brown rice in place of this.  Hubby made it separately from the rest of the chili. This is a great dish for the colder weather and my reaction to hubby was, you can make this once a week, for the rest of the cool and cold weather. Turkey Chili Compliments of Hubby  ( adapted f rom Eating Well - Sept/Oct 2013) Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground turkey 1 large onion, diced 2 medium zucchini, diced (about 3 1/2 cups) 2 tablespoons dried oregano 4 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 2 15-ounce cans no-salt-added...

The photo above is to show you the adorable patty pan squash in the rice dish. The dish is a result of my independence in cooking. There was a time that zucchini was an exotic vegetable, to me. I stuck to green beans, yellow potatoes, carrots and other basic vegetables. What do I mean by basic? The vegetables my Mom used to cook as did my Mother-in-Law. The joke in our house comes up when I make a new dish or use a new ingredient and the husband says, "My mother made it differently," meaning he never saw that dish, in his Mom's home. There are times, we struggle to remember the food we ate, as kids and get stuck at the vegetables above plus corn, chicken, ground beef and salads with tomatoes and iceberg lettuce. We come from another generation and the world was different. I was going to say, money was tighter but it is probably not true. My in-laws were comfortable (not at all rich - comfortable) and my parents struggled. Dad had a small business which meant sometimes,...

This brings back memories of the days of our weekly cooking group featuring Ellie's recipes.  I loved those days, making weekly successes and healthier foods.  Out group was made up of dedicated and lovely women and I think, we all looked forward to our special time of the week. This week, I happened upon this recipe by Ellie and I knew, it was time that Ellie and I became reacquainted.  It was a happy meeting with a yummy dinner. Instead of couscous which hubby can't eat, I subbed in quinoa. Balsamic Chicken with Baby Spinach adapted from Ellie Krieger I ngredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved 8 ounces baby spinach 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup low-sodium canned chopped tomatoes with juice 2 cups rice or quinoa, cooked Method: Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil and heat.   Add the...

For years, I wanted to get crystallized ginger but didn't see it in any of the stores.  Whenever, I came across a recipe that called for it, I thought again to track it down but I guess, it was not that important.  The other day, I was in one of the local stores that I frequent on a regular basis and there on the shelf was the ginger.  I am wondering if it had been there all the time or if they just got it in. Oriental Rice with Crystallized Ginger 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 shallot, minced 1 tablespoon Crystallized Ginger, chopped fine 2 cups cooked brown rice Method: Heat oil in a skillet. Add shallot and cook for 3 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and cook for another minute or 2. Stir occasionally. Add rice to the pan and mix all the ingredients. When everything is heated, it is ready to be served. Eat and enjoy. Treasure Box Tuesday        Two Cup Tuesday         In and Out of the Kitchen        ...

When my husband was diagnosed with celiac, we turned to rice to get through the transition.  At that time, there was very little available to the gluten-free consumer, unlike today where there is an abundance, in every store, in every aisle and probably on every shelf. Now, when looking for a filling dish, I turn to kasha, quinoa and rice and also pasta.  Now, there are many pastas available for this special diet.  When I first started cooking without gluten, there was one that I knew of and it was made of corn and was not very good, at least, compared to what is now in the market. Rice, while still a major part of our eating has taken a backseat to other choices such as vegetables.  Vegetables are not only safe for hubby to eat, they are good for us and delicious in many dishes.  You can see with the addition of more grains and vegetables, cooking became much more interesting. Of course, there are also different flour(s) available and baking mixes. ...

My husband is the rice maven, in the family and when I told him about this new method, I came across on the Internet, he wanted to try it. He did just that and sure enough, we had perfect rice. This does not work if you are cooking your rice in soup or some other liquid, other than water. Give it a try and you may to find that there is such a thing, as sure-fire rice. As an aside, I don't make the rice anymore. I ask my husband to do it since he raves about "his way", so often. Wouldn't you know it? I am now humming, Frank Sinatra's "My Way." This is such an easy way to make rice without measuring, yet turning out perfect rice, each time. Try it. Then you will believe it. Cooking Perfect Brown Rice  Take as much brown rice as you will need. T Rinse rice once. (Put it in a strainer with smaller holes and run cold water over it.) Take a large pot and put at least 7 cups of water in this pot. Boil water. (For about two cups of...

This recipe was supposed to Balsamic Chicken with Garlic Couscous.  Since couscous has gluten, I substituted rice and since hubby gets sick from garlic, I used some garden grown basil. I made a mistake when I planned the weekly menu forgetting WWDH.  I can't forget Donna and her recipes.  I enjoy them too much.  Margaret selected this week's dish and I am thinking, we all agree it is a wonderful choice. After marinating the chicken, it is cooked in a fry pan for a few minutes on both sides.  The rice is cooked in the soup and I added the basil.  Although, this has differences from Donna's recipe, it is a great dinner.  I served some baby spinach with it to finish out the plate. Please check out the ladies of our Donna Hay group and to see the results for this dish.  Margaret ,     Gaye and     Sarah .   Kayte is taking a break and I miss her already.   The recipe is online here . Linked to: Wednesday W...

Written in the past and copied here from My Sweet and Savory. I love Tuesday nights when I cook with our Donna Hay group. Now, that I have cooked a number of her recipes, I feel confident, in them. Each one is good and easy to make, just right for me. The other members of the group reiterate this thought. This week Gaye selected the baked chicken dish with a delicious risotto. I have never made risotto in the oven and was leery of the results, especially when I took the baking pan out to see what appeared to be almost all liquid. I mixed it and put it back in the oven for another ten minutes. It seemed somewhat watery but this time, when I mixed it together, it thickened up. Two more minutes with the chicken and peas and it was creamy and delicious. What a wonderful combination this is. My husband thought the lemon was too strong but I think, if you like lemon, it will be just right. You can cut it down, if in doubt about the taste. I thought it was fine. Of course, when I...

****I have decided to move my Donna Hay posts here from My Sweet and Savory since I have put it to sleep.  I love my Donna recipes and want to share them with you.  There will be several new posts brought over and I do hope you make some of them.  Donna produces good recipes.*** It is good that our Donna Hay pick for this week is Fried Rice.  I do have rice.  I must admit, my recipe, is different than the other gals because I was missing many of the ingredients and could not fit another shopping trip into my schedule.   This is Gaye's choice. The recipe is from  Modern Classics Book I, page 148. I had some dehydrated chil i which I used for the heat in place of the real thing.  Since, I am attempting to use up the defrosted frozen veggies, I added corn, peas an d carrots to my rice.   We lost our power  again for a few hours which is  a little frightening.  With another storm on its way , I hope this is not a war...