Orange Rice Pilaf

It’s citrus season here in the Phoenix, AZ area.  So when a friend offered me a bag of  beautiful oranges,  I said “yes and thank you.”  

This rice isn’t hard to make but it tastes as if you’ve been slaving all day.  Below you will find stovetop directions as well as making this in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Orange Rice Pilaf
Serves 6
A delicious rice with a light orange flavor and the crunch of almonds.
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup chopped onions
  2. 1 Tbsp butter
  3. 1 cup long grain or jasmine rice
  4. 1 cup chicken broth
  5. 1/2 cup orange juice
  6. 1 tsp fresh orange peel
  7. 1/4 cup sliced or chopped almonds
Instructions
  1. STOVETOP
  2. In a skillet, saute onions and rice with butter until golden brown (3-5 minutes). Add remaining ingredients; heat to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20 minutes.
  3. INSTANT POT
  4. Set to Saute. Place butter and onions and sauce until golden brown. Add remaining ingredients (except almonds). Lock lid down. Set to Manual for 4 minutes with an Instant Release. Stir in almonds.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
 My favorite things to have on hand for this recipe:

Zester

Juicer

Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Strainer

Another idea:  Adding cooked chicken or shrimp to rice takes it from side dish to main dish.

Let me know if you give this a try.  I’d enjoy hearing what you thought.

Deliciously Inspired includes affiliate links for beneficial items.  If purchased through link, it may generate a small income which is used for the expense of the site.

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Cranberry Beans

My grandma was known in our family for cooking and one of her specialities was the way she cooked pinto beans.

Cranberry Beans - plated

Part of the fun of spending the night at my grandparents was getting to choose what we had for dinner.  My usual request was pinto beans and cornbread.  Of course grandma used bacon grease but here is my take using an heirloom bean called Cranberry Beans.  I think they are better than pinto beans – they cook even, tender, creamy and work well on top of salads, as a side, and in burritos.  I placed a link below on where they can be purchased.

Beans
A lovely cooked bean that can be used as a side dish, in soups, burritos or chills.
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 of a bag of cranberry or pinto beans
  2. Chicken or Vegetable broth
  3. Kombu, optional
  4. Garlic Powder
  5. Onion Powder
  6. Cumin
  7. Salt
Instructions
  1. Sort beans by placing on cookie sheet and remove any rocks.
  2. Place in a large bowl and cover with water. Cover with syran wrap. Let sit on the counter overnight.
  3. Drain the beans and rinse
  4. Place beans in large pot and cover with broth filling an inch above beans. (Note -- do not salt or season beans until the end)
  5. Add a slice of bread size of kombu (seaweed). This will help reduce the gassiness of the beans. Kombu can be purchased in the asian section of most grocery stores.
  6. Get boiling and then cover and turn down to a simmer for 2 hours.
  7. Remove kombu as much as possible. There will be some pieces that are too small too remove.
  8. Continue cooking until beans are tender.
  9. Add seasonings to taste.
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/

Cranberry Beans - bag

Cranberry Beans - presoaking
Presoaking Beans

Cranberry Beans - soaked
After soaking – All plumped up

Cranberry Beans - Kombu
Kombu is dried seaweed and often used to decrease the gas that beans can cause. This amount of Kombu will last a long time.

Beans are a wonderful source of fiber and high in antioxidants.

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Grandma’s Cookbook – Meatballs (Gluten Free)

It’s time again to turn to my grandmother’s 1940 cookbook for inspiration.  April almost got away from me but I made it just under the wire.  I’ve mentioned before that my husband has wheat sensitivities so we use some gluten free products.  I’ve tried to make a good meatball for years but with little success.  I’m glad I gave it one more try by using one of the cookbook’s recipes as a guide.  We use Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Noodles. You can find the other posts in this series by clicking  Jan, Feb and March   

GC Meatballs-Finished2

Italian Meatballs
These meatballs don't fall apart and can be frozen for easy use in future meals and real timesaver
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound ground beef (preferable grass fed)
  2. 1/2 pound organic ground turkey or chicken
  3. 1-2 Tbsp ground oregano
  4. 2 tsp onion powder
  5. 2 tsp garlic powder
  6. 1 tsp salt
  7. 1 egg
  8. 2 Tbsp of tomato paste
  9. 2 1/2 cups of Gluten free bread crumbs (I used Glutino)
  10. 1/4 cup milk (I used Silk almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the meat, gluten free bread crumbs, tomato sauce and seasonings together in a large bowl.
  3. In a small bowl mix the egg and milk together.
  4. Add the wet ingredients into the meat and using hands - mix well.
  5. Form meatballs into the size desired - I made ping pong size balls by using a small scoop and then rolling into balls.
  6. Preheat 350 degrees
  7. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
  8. Place meatballs on lined cookie sheet
  9. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cut one in half to test for doneness.
  10. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and place in freezer for several hours.
  11. Remove from freezer and place in Freezer containers - mark your bag or container with title and date made.
  12. When ready to use - let sit in refrigerator for a day to thaw a bit and then follow the Cook Now directions.
Notes
  1. These meatballs can be made in a non gluten free version by using cracker or bread crumbs. Look for a whole wheat bread crumb.
Adapted from The Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook
Adapted from The Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook
Deliciously Inspired http://www.deliciouslyinspired.com/
GC-Meatballs-Glutino Breadcrumbs
This is the product I used in place of the cracker crumbs Grandma’s recipe used – they worked great.

GC-Meatballs-Raw
Mixing everything up.

GC-Meatballs-Scoops
I used a scoop to portion out the meat. You can find scooper OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

GC-Meatballs-Balls
Then I use the best tools there are – my hands to roll into balls.  You can find precut parchment paper liners Parchment Paper Pan Liner – 12″ x 16″, 100 Pack

GC-Meatballs-In Sauce
Place browned meatballs in sauce to finish cooking.

Spaghetti Sauce - Mezzetta
This is my favorite prepared sauce – I can usually find it at Safeway.

Here is my favorite homemade spaghetti sauce recipe.

 

Grandma's Cookbook

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