Perfect Brown Rice Every Time

This is going to be one of those practical posts where we get back to the basics of cooking. When I was first learning how to cook, I cooked my rice in the microwave because it was the way my mom always did it, and predictably my rice boiled over into a starchy puddle of goop. Other people swore by their rice cookers as the secret to creating perfect rice, but truthfully no one really needs yet another unitasker appliance taking up precious real estate in their cupboards. In an interesting turn of events, my husband taught me the secret to cooking perfectly tender, fluffy brown rice every single time.  

Avocado Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

I know I've said this before, and I'm sure I will say it again about a different recipe, but this salad is absolutely amazing and I don't think I'm overstating my point. My go-to bag lunch is a salad, because it's easy to pull the ingredients together in my lunch bag, quickly chop toppings just before serving, and it helps me get in my veggie servings early in the day. And I could eat this salad every single day.

Red Quinoa Tabouleh

Whether you spell it tabouleh, tabbouleh, tabouli, or tabbouli, to me this simple dish is synonymous with summer. A tangy mix of fresh herbs, tomato, onion, and grains, tabouleh is rumored to have it's origins in an ancient culinary rivalry between Caesar and Cleopatra. (Hey, I really can't make this stuff up!)  My first experience with tabouleh was at a wonderful Lebanese restaurant in northeast Minneapolis and it is a staple on the menu of many Greek restaurants, although most sources consider it a traditional Arab dish. Traditional tabouleh is made with a grain such as bulgur or in American versions couscous, but for a healthier spin I wanted to use one of my new favorite ingredients, quinoa.

Mixed Greens Caesar

Salads are one of those diet foods that tend to get dieters into a lot of trouble rather quickly. Sure, it's vegetables, but once you start adding dressing, cheese, croutons, and other crispy toppings you can easily find yourself with a plate of vegetables that tops 1000 calories. They say true love lasts a lifetime, and I LOVE Caesar salad. So to ensure I can enjoy Caesar salad anytime I want for the rest of my life, I created a better Caesar salad.

Oven "Fried" Zucchini with Lowfat Buttermilk Ranch

Lately I've taken a liking to a local restaurant's newest side dish: breaded fried zucchini. And yes, it's exactly as good as it sounds! But between greedy bites I'm keenly aware of the amount of grease that has soaked into those perfectly healthy veggies and inevitably guilt sets in. Fortunately, this year my garden has been graced with a very prolific zucchini plant so I've had plenty of materials with which to craft a lighter oven "fried" zucchini.

Fresh Mushroom Salsa

Oh how I adore fresh salsa, and this is one of my absolute favorites! This is a slightly modified version of my mother in law's mushroom salsa recipe which has become a staple at family parties. Like all fresh salsas this is simple to make, and if you like mushrooms this recipe is definitely worth a try.

Pasta Caprese

Arguably one of the best flavor combinations in the vast culinary universe are the flavors found in insalata caprese. Fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes slices in a light vinaigrette are always a delicious combination which is probably why we see these same ingredients together in everything from salads and sandwiches to pasta and pizza. This recipe is a simple pasta that can be made in just 20 minutes and is delicious served hot or cold making, it a perfect dish for the spring and summer months.

Moroccan Stuffed Squash

I just returned from a much needed mini-vacation from school and studying for boards. After several days of dining at some of the best restaurants in Minneapolis, I'm refreshed, inspired, and back in the kitchen with several new recipes to share in the coming weeks. Hopefully you have found a little time to test out some new recipes too. If they're one of mine, please post your comments - I love to hear from you! For now, here's a recipe that gets top ratings from the hubs.

Baked Onion Rings

A long time ago I remember giving a restaurant server a very hard time for putting onion rings on top of my burger. At the time, I failed to recognize the genius behind taking one of the world's most delicious foods and using it as a topping instead of a side dish. No one needs a lecture on how deliciouly unhealthy deep fried onion rings are for the body, so instead I'll tell you about my quest to perfect the baked onion ring.

Baked Cream Cheese Wontons

I can't order Chinese food and not order a side of cream cheese wontons. They're my favorite part of the entire meal - warm, crisp, sweet, and outrageously addictive. But just one deep-fried wonton has 120 calories and 8 grams of fat making them a very guilty pleasure. The other thing about take out wontons is they're always cold by the time they arrive at your door. To solve all my wonton woes, I learned how to make these at home.

Northern Cornbread

Every once in a while during my childhood my mom would serve Jiffy cornbread with dinner. We all enjoyed the sweet flavor of corn perfectly blended with butter from the Millerville Co-Op Creamery and topped with honey from a neighbor's bees. It was heavenly! Last year I made a batch of chili to bring to a friend's house for a potluck but I was completely out of cornbread mix, so I sent the hubs to the store to pick up a few boxes. He came home with a container of cornmeal. After a brief exchange of very frustrated words I found a recipe online for cornbread and decided to give homemade cornbread from scratch a try. Since that day I haven't bought a single box of Jiffy cornbread mix. So the real credit for this gem in my recipe collection goes to the hubs for making an epically brilliant shopping mistake!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

There isn't another bread in the world that is more versatile than pita. It makes a delicious base for pocket sandwiches filled with falafel or salads. You can use it instead of a traditional pizza crust. There isn't a more perfect delivery vehicle for dips like tzatziki, hummus, or even tabouleh salad. You can even slice it, season it, and bake it to make lowfat homemade pita chips. But until you've eaten homemade pita bread, you have no idea how good pita can be!

Blood Orange, Beet, and Fennel Salad

The older I get, the more I love the foods that I refused to even taste as a child. This salad includes several of those flavors - beets, fennel, and onion. Let me explain. I grew up in a tiny little town in rural Minnesota where you were either Lutheran or Catholic, Scandinavian or German, and lived on a farm or in town. At every family gathering we ate pickled beets, which to an 8 year old are decidedly gross. My disgust for pickled beets probably had very little to do with the beets and more to do with the fact that the beets were served alongside potato sausage, pickled herring, creamed peas, and lutefisk. Thank goodness for lefse, otherwise I wouldn't have eaten anything! It wasn't until this past summer when my mother-in-law planted beets in my garden that I first ate beets that weren't pickled, and it turns out they are very delicious and one of my new favorite foods!

Seasoned Sweet Potato Oven Fries

There is nothing that makes a burger taste better than a side of delicious french fries.  But we all know traditional french fries made with white potatoes deep fried in oil are a nutrition don't.  Giving up bad-for-you-foods doesn't need to include french fries, you just need to shift your thinking and discover oven fries.

Duke's Wild Rice Hotdish

Two years ago my Dad died from pancreatic cancer, and the world lost a wonderful person and a pretty fantastic cook.  If my basic cooking strategy is to use fresh ingredients and simple preparation, my Dad's cooking strategy was to always cook things low and slow.  I loved coming home from college on weekends because I could count on trying one of his experimental hotdishes.  No matter how bizarre the ingredients (potato chips, rice, and vegetable soup - really?), they were always delicious and tasted better the next day.  Holidays were also a special occasion because my Dad's formula for entertaining guests was for every three guests you needed two different types of meat.  I'm sure my decision to become vegetarian is in some because I know that no one will ever make a prime rib like Duke could!

This recipe of my Dad's is one of my personal favorites, and it certainly was a crowd pleaser!  Cooked low and slow in one of his beloved crock pots, this dish really sums up all of the flavors of my childhood.  The first time he made it we tasted it together and debated what, if anything, it needed.  His eyes lit up and he said, "I know what it's missing," and he proceeded to add 1/2 lb. of butter to the crock pot.  And he was right!

Homemade Croutons

Anytime I make a side salad with the dinner, the hubs asks if I'm making homemade croutons to go with it.  Making homemade croutons is a skill every cook should have because it's simple, inexpensive, delicious, and never fails to impress.

Spiced Sweet Potato Salad

I have a love hate relationship with salads.  I love ordering fancy salads at restaurants, but I hate the disappointment I feel when I realize how simple it would be to make the same dish at home.  I love the idea of making a big fancy salad at home, but I hate that a salad you make at home never tastes as good as a salad you paid for.  But during a study break the other day I found myself picking through my refrigerator trying to piece together enough ingredients for a fast dinner, and I stumbled upon salad-making gold!  Having the right mix of salad greens made all the difference.  Trust me, if you have some fresh dill, you should throw a little of that in there too.  I know, it makes absolutely no sense, but it tastes amazing with the rest of the flavors in this salad.  It's hearty, nutritious, absolutely gorgeous, and it was ready in 20 minutes.

Honey Lime Vinaigrette

I dare you to read the ingredients on your favorite vinaigrette.  Kinda gross, isn't it.  Vinaigrettes are so simple - oil and vinegar, and if you're really trying to impress someone special you can add some fresh herbs.  That's it!  Yet we insist on having a special bottle of salad dressing to suit every taste and flavor combination imaginable.  I am embarrassed to admit how many bottles of salad dressing I currently have in my refrigerator, usually because it sounded great in the store only to be a disappointment at the dinner table.  So I propose a better solution: just make your own.

Steaming Vegetables

The entire purpose of using fresh vegetables in any recipe is to preserve the flavor and nutritional content mother nature intended.  As usual, we ruin the health benefits of vegetables during preparation.  Boiling vegetables leeches out nutirents, including vitamin C, folate, and flavonoids.  Frying vegetables is great in theory until you account for the oil you need to add to the pan and the amount of time it can take to fully saute an entire batch of vegetables.  Steaming is a fast, simple, and foolproof way to cook your favorite veggies with minimal fuss and virtually no mess, and it protects their nutrient content.