for the boys - latest rice hit combo

not the most clearly written title for a simple rice recipe. but sometimes simple recipes are best!

and the photo was a bit sad so thought it could do with being dressed up...

this was a huge success with the 3.5yr old and the 1yr old.
i know i have written in the past of hiding veggies in food and rice is proving to be an easy way to do it.

so for the recipe
i prepped 1c worth of jasmine rice in beef broth
with 1 jar of pureed carrots/peas as in the pic
1/2 tsp minced garlic

and the boys both had a huge bowlful - the 3.5yr old's constant comment - "delicious' between shovelling in mouthfuls of rice.

the thing is, this is the only way we use jarred baby food - the 1yr old has always eaten some form of the food we do, so i buy jars solely for the purpose of adding veggies to recipes for the boys.
easy easy easy
loving simplicity

leftover pulled bbq beef - reinvented as asian - lemongrass, peanuts, cashews and rice noodles

oh i love when leftovers are completely used in a new way. this was easy, involved the use of one of my fave asian ingredients - lemongrass - and all enjoyed it (3.5 and 1yr old included)

ingredients
about 1lb of pulled bbq beef
2tbsp soy sauce
1/4c fish sauce
1.5tbsp (or to taste) chopped lemongrass from frozen
1tbsp garlic powder
1c unsalted cashews (i chopped them up in small pieces and toasted them in the toaster oven
2tbsp sriracha sauce
1 package of rice vermicelli (any width noodle, but i like them sort of medium range)
3tbsp peanut butter
2.5-3tbsp demerara sugar or brown sugar

i boiled up and drained the vermicelli (al dente)

in a skillet i added all but the cashews and beef - so the sauce essentially - then added the beef and a few cashews

transferred to wok - slowly added portions of the rice vermicelli to blend the sauce.

topped with toasted cashews.
lemongrass - enhances leftovers amazingly well

indian on an impulse

i have been a bit under the weather with a stomach bug for a few days (maybe from the heat, not sure)
in any case, meal planning was not as cohesive...more on the fly.
other than doing bbq, or something in the crockpot, or a salad
for a lot of flavour and quick preparation, i often throw together indian inspired dishes.

at a favourite sri lankan restaurant i love having a mango lassi on a hot day. i didn't have the exact ingredients, but i made do.

1/4c mango chunks
1c vanilla yoghurt
1c water
1 tbsp agave nectar
all in the blender and...

turned out really quite well.

also did a simple brown rice with turmeric, garlic and cumin

and because i had cherry tomatoes i had bought at the local farmers market that needed to be used

blended in a bowl here...
i decided to make a simple tomato dal and an easy tofu curry

tofu curry
1 c of cubed tofu
1/2c coconut milk
1/2c water
1tbsp curry powder
dash of turmeric and cumin
-- in the wok for a few minutes to blend and for the tofu to absorb the flavour
simple, full flavours

tomato dal
(this was thrown together so not real official dal - but close enough
1/2c lentils
1c pureed cherry tomatoes
turmeric, cumin, black pepper and mustard spice to taste
dash of ginger
1tbsp lemon juice
---all in the saucepan
tasty and easy even with missing a lot of the ingredients of a real dal

arroz con chorizo

this was a super easy meal/side dish
i took some leftover rice that i had already cooked with a bit of turmeric and cumin (about 4 servings worth)
i used the liquid from a can of diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp of garlic, 3tbsps chopped cilantro, about 1.5c of spanish chorizo (because i love chorizo!) sliced.

in the wok - chorizo, tomato liquid, garlic, fry for a few min
add rice and keep stirring as rice absorbs liquid
add cilantro about 2min before ready to serve.

easy-peasy and good
could add a bit of veg to make it a main, but had it as a side dish

liquid

chinese take-out night made at home

i thought this would be fun
so i used several re-usable aluminum containers (the kind that comes with the lids that are cardboard like on one side and aluminum on the other)

so
the menu for chinese take out night

cashew chicken
lemon chicken
squid and baby bok choy in black bean sauce
lo mein noodles in soy sauce
rice noodles (thai twist)

the first two were inspired by other recipes
the others are mine

cashew chicken
here is the recipe
i did this recipe almost to the letter except that i did a whole bunch of chicken breast in the slow cooker in chicken broth (so that the leftovers could be used in other recipes) and pulled loosely.
everything else was done in the wok and i added the chicken in a few minutes at the end.

this was DELICIOUS - yum yum yum am making this again.

lemon chicken
here is the recipe
this is a recipe i have made several times before so i had pre-cut some chicken breast into big chunks.
i modify this recipe to be more asian - i add about 2 tbsps of garlic/chili sauce and a tbsp of red chili paste.

squid and baby bok choy in black bean sauce
this is simple
1/4c water
black bean sauce
squeeze of hoisin sauce
tbsp rice vinegar
1/2lb squid
3c baby bok choy
quickly whip up in the wok or a pan

quick, easy and tasty - reheats pretty well for squid

lo mein noodles in soy sauce
another simple but tasty dish
pack of lo mein noodles (soak in hot water til al dente
3-4tbsp soy sauce
1 finely chopped spring onion
1 tsp minced garlic
a little bit of water to quickly fry all the ingredients in

easy, simple and doesn't overwhelm the other dishes for the night.

rice noodles (thai twist)
soak 1/2 pack of flat rice noodles (whatever width you prefer) til al dente
in a warm wok
3tbsp soy sauce
1/4c water
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 chopped spring onion
1/4c chopped cilantro
- the last two ingredients go in last, everything else including noodles get tossed until the noodles are coated in sauce - then add the last two ingredients

this is a staple in our home...i vary it up a little but it's my simple, thai-inspired noodle that reminds me of noodle stands in thailand - sans the grease


...this was a feast with LOTS of leftovers - the boys enjoyed the noodles and the cashew chicken.