Made two side dishes yesterday. First was some Spanish rice to go with the Clayudas I had left over, the other was a salad, which is technically meant to be a full meal salad, but I used it as a side to go with half a sandwich (some of the left over eggplant spread and that delicious baked italian tofu on the sourdough that my mom bought me....mmmm)
Authentic Mexican Rice
Adapted from this recipe. I'll put what I did here and you can look at the original if you like! Very successful recipe. About as easy as the box rice mixes! Ate with my Clayudas
1 cup uncooked rice -- I used brown
1 1/2 cups cold water plus 1/2 veggie broth
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
small tomato, diced
hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise -- I didn't have one on hand, so I used a hefty dash of cayenne pepper
Salsa - a little less than 1/4 c
1 teaspoon cumin powder (I used more, I love cumin)
1 cup uncooked rice -- I used brown
1 1/2 cups cold water plus 1/2 veggie broth
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
small tomato, diced
hot pepper of your choice, sliced lengthwise -- I didn't have one on hand, so I used a hefty dash of cayenne pepper
Salsa - a little less than 1/4 c
1 teaspoon cumin powder (I used more, I love cumin)
I changed tomato sauce to salsa plus I added a good bit of cayenne pepper (I love spicy), so this end result is quite a bit spicier than the original. Just be warned!
Put a little olive oil (tbsp or so) into a medium-sized pot and heat to a medium temp. Add the rice, uncooked, and brown in the oil. Make sure all the rice is lightly coated with the oil. you do not have to stir the rice around very much at first, while browning, but as the rice becomes browner you want to be stirring it around to make sure it all browns evenly and doesn't burn. It will turn BROWN....its not burning unless its turning dark/black. Towards the end of the browning, add the garlic so that it is sort of sauteed/browned.
Next, dump the water on the rice (it will steam up loudly) and add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and cover (with a small air escape). Reduce heat to medium-low to medium, and let cook for 20-30 minutes. (cooking time and temp varies with your stove....check after 20 min to make sure you don't burn!) Note: Brown rice also takes longer than white.
The essential part of this recipe is DO NOT PEEK while the rice is cooking
When it is ready, all the water will be absorbed, the rice will fluff, and each grain will be split open because of the browning. It should be dry, not saucy. You can adjust the spices/peppers to your taste.
Indian Chickpea Salad
From BBC's Good Food magazine: Vegetarian Summer 2008. I halved the recipe, and made a few changes because of some ingredients I didn't have. I thought it was tasty, and I don't even like salads! Also: meant to be a full meal in itself. Smaller portions for side dish if you want to use it like that :)
Serves 4; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
Serves 4; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 red chilis, halved, deseeded, and sliced
4 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tomatoes, halved, deseeded and diced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 naan bread
FOR THE SALAD:
1 oz fresh coriander
1/2 cucumber, cut into thick batons
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz fresh baby spinach
The changes I made:
I didn't have red chilis. I added some cayenne pepper and a tiny bit of garlic chili sauce at the beginning of the recipe, just to spice it up. I also chopped up a yellow bell pepper I had lying around, I put half in the salad (uncooked) and put half in the recipe at the same time they tell you to put the chili in. Hung on to the spices very nicely. I also used a white onion instead of red. And the bought lemon juice instead of fresh. And like I said, I halved the recipe and have a ton left over.
1. Put 5 Tbsp of the oil into a large pan and add the garlic, chilies, and cumin. Warm over a medium heat for 10 minutes - take care not to burn the garlic. Add the chickpeas, then warm through for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the grill to high (I used a toaster oven)
2. Add the tomatoes, lemon zest and juice to the chicpease, season, then set aside.
3. Brush the naan with the remaining oil. Grill both sides until crisp and golden then, when cool enough, tear into 3 cm pieces
4. Toss together the salad ingredients and divide between 4 plates. Spoon the chickpea mix over. Top witht he naan croutons.
Enjoy the recipes!! Both tasty, both with a little bit of (controllable) kick. Great :)
~Nikki
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 red chilis, halved, deseeded, and sliced
4 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tomatoes, halved, deseeded and diced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 naan bread
FOR THE SALAD:
1 oz fresh coriander
1/2 cucumber, cut into thick batons
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz fresh baby spinach
The changes I made:
I didn't have red chilis. I added some cayenne pepper and a tiny bit of garlic chili sauce at the beginning of the recipe, just to spice it up. I also chopped up a yellow bell pepper I had lying around, I put half in the salad (uncooked) and put half in the recipe at the same time they tell you to put the chili in. Hung on to the spices very nicely. I also used a white onion instead of red. And the bought lemon juice instead of fresh. And like I said, I halved the recipe and have a ton left over.
1. Put 5 Tbsp of the oil into a large pan and add the garlic, chilies, and cumin. Warm over a medium heat for 10 minutes - take care not to burn the garlic. Add the chickpeas, then warm through for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the grill to high (I used a toaster oven)
2. Add the tomatoes, lemon zest and juice to the chicpease, season, then set aside.
3. Brush the naan with the remaining oil. Grill both sides until crisp and golden then, when cool enough, tear into 3 cm pieces
4. Toss together the salad ingredients and divide between 4 plates. Spoon the chickpea mix over. Top witht he naan croutons.
Enjoy the recipes!! Both tasty, both with a little bit of (controllable) kick. Great :)
~Nikki
