Orange Rice Pilaf

I am a breakfast girl, and I prefer breakfast foods for breakfast.  Having said that, I love this leftover rice for breakfast, or anytime of day!  A good friend made this for us and it has been a favorite since.  It is perfect to make in the winter when the oranges are so delicious.  It is a perfect side dish and is easily dairy/soy free.

Orange Rice Pilaf

3 T. butter, olive oil, or a mixture of both

¼ c. chopped green onions

½ c. chopped celery

1 c. wild rice/long grain

1 ½ c. orange juice

1 c. water

1 t. salt

¼ c. pine nuts/almonds

1 orange, cut into pieces

In a medium saucepan, on medium heat melt butter.  Add onions and celery and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Add rice and cook in butter for 2-3 minutes.  Pour into rice maker* - add juice, water and salt and press cook.  If you don't have a rice cooker, just add liquid to the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 45+ minutes.  Taste the wild rice prior to adding oranges and make necessary adjustments with more liquid or time.  While the rice is cooking, toast nuts, and peel and cut an orange into bite-size pieces.  Once the rice is tender, gently stir in oranges and nuts.

*The first few times I made wild rice it came out crunchy.  When I now make wild rice, I disregard the rice maker measurements and directions, use the ratio of 1c. rice/ 2 1/2 c. liquid and press cook.   If you make it on the stove, you may need more liquid and time.  It is worth trying again if at first you don't succeed.

Homemade Freezer Jam

I am a jam snob; I cannot eat store bought jam!  I was raised on homemade wheat bread with homemade jam and I continued this tradition with my own family(until I realized the pain I was causing with the bread!)  Once you have homemade jam you can't go back.  For those of you who already make your own jam, this can be your reminder.  For everyone else, I want you to know how easy freezer jam is to make.  I can make a batch of raspberry jam in 5 minutes, no joke.  There are a lot of pectin's out there and basically the box will give you the recipe.  I have tried several brands and now only use Ball, instant pectin.  The main reason is for the sugar content, Ball uses much less sugar than any other brand.  I know there are low sugar pectins out there but when I tried them my jam didn't always set up.  Use whatever you can find, or the brand you prefer and get to work.  There are only 3 steps and here they are(amounts based on Ball Instant Pectin):

Homemade Freezer Jam

1- wash and mash fruit(3 1/3 c.mashed fruit)

2- mix sugar and pectin in a bowl(1 1/3 c. sugar + 1/4 c. pectin)

3-add fruit to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes

Pour into containers, let sit out for 30 minutes, then freeze or refrigerate.

Frog Eye Salad - the only gluten free version I have ever seen!

I don't know the real name of this salad, but at our house it is known as Frog Eye Salad.  The original recipe uses a type of pasta that looks like frog eyes(aceite de pepe).  My oldest daughter loves this salad and I still remember the first party we attended after she went gluten free and they were serving this salad.  I took one look at her and there were huge tears in her eyes, she was heart broken.  She thought she would never again eat her favorite dish.  I was determined to figure it out.  I racked my brain with a replacement for the pasta and remembered my neighbor making a food storage dish, similar to this, out of wheat.  The wheels began turning and I started experimenting.  First, millet.  Decent, but I knew I couldn't stop there.  I needed something a little bigger with a little less flavor - sorghum.  Second, sorghum, Jackpot!  My solution might sound strange, but it works for us and my daughter looks forward to it every time we have it, plus it is healthier. I know sorghum might be hard for some of you to find.  I buy it in bulk and grind it myself.  If you don't have sorghum, give millet a shot, or experiment with with another grain.  Let me know what works, or doesn't work, for you!  The key is to cook it until it is soft.  I usually only make half this recipe, it makes a lot!

Frog Eye Salad

Presoak 2 c. sorghum(overnight) and then boil it like pasta, for about an hour(until it is soft). 

¾ c. sugar

2 T. corn starch

½ t. salt

1 can pineapple tidbits

1 can crushed pineapple

2 eggs, beaten

4 t. lemon juice

2 cans mandarin oranges

4 c. coolwhip

1 c. pineapple juice (reserved from can)

In a small bowl combine sugar, starch and salt, then whisk in pineapple juice.  Transfer to a pot and add in eggs, stirring constantly over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice and let cool.  When cool, combine with grain(or pasta).  Best if you let it sit over night, or for a few hours, in the fridge.  This gives the grain time to really soak up some sauce.  Before serving, add drained fruit and stir in coolwhip.  Keep refrigerated.

Orange Chicken & a Multi-grain Pilaf

We eat a lot of chicken and rice at our house, and we BBQ all year round.  This just happened to be dinner the other night (plus a vegie), so I thought I'd pass it along.  All my kids will even eat both of these.  I cook the multi-grain pilaf in a rice cooker, but it will also work on the stove.  We grilled the chicken, but you can also cook it in the oven.

Orange Chicken Marinade

½ c. orange juice

1/3 c. honey/agave

¼ c. lemon juice

¼ c. soy sauce(make sure it is gf)

2 T. fresh ginger

2 T. chopped garlic

½ t. pepper

¼ t. salt

Mix together and place in Ziploc bag with chicken breasts.  Marinate several hours or over night.  Grill.

I always pound my chicken breasts until they are fairly thin and then cut them in half.  When you do this and marinate for several hours your chicken will be extra yummy and full of flavor!  If you are going to bake them, just place the chicken in baking dish, pour a little marinade over the top and bake at 350 for 25-35 min. or until chicken is done.

Multi-Grain Pilaf

2 T. oil

¾ c. white basmati rice(or any white rice will do)

¾ c. quinoa(rinsed and drained)

3 c. chicken broth(I always use Costco's Organic Better than Bouillon + required water and then I add some extra bouillon for some great flavor)

½ c. dried cranberries

¾ c. pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, heat oil and add rice and quinoa – toast.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Reduce to low and simmer 15-20min or until liquid is absorbed.  Add cranberries and nuts, fluff and serve.

**I always cook mine in my rice cooker.  I toast the grains, then according to my rice cooker's amounts, I do a cup of rice and a cup quinoa and add the required amount of broth.  It will cook as white rice.  then fluff and add remaining ingredients.   It turns out perfect every time.

Wild Rice with Cranberries & Caramelized Onions

This is my new favorite rice!  We eat a lot of rice and so it is nice to have a variety.  This makes a perfect side dish to any meal, especially for the holiday season.  I am not a photographer (nor do I own a nice camera), so this rice is much prettier in person.  Let me know what you think!

2 c. chicken broth ( I use Organic Better than Bouillon from Costco & I always add a little extra)

1 c. wild rice blend

3 T. butter ( I used  nondairy EarthBalance)

1 large onion, sliced in thin wedges

1 T. brown sugar

1 c. Craisins

½ t. finely grated orange zest

1/3 c. pine nuts (or almonds, or nothing if you don't like nuts!)

Combine broth and rice blend in rice cooker and follow rice cooker directions (amounts may need to be modified because of rice cooker).  Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and brown sugar.  Cook 6 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and onions are soft and translucent.  Reduce heat to low.  Slowly cook onions, stirring often for 10-15 min or until they are caramel color.  Stir in dried cranberries and pine nuts.  Cover and cook over low 5 min. until cranberries swell.  Gently fold cranberry mixture and orange zest into cooked rice. 

*If you don't have a rice cooker, go buy one because they are worth it! OR combine broth and rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to low, cover and simmer 45-60 min. or until rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Stuffing

 My husband's Mom makes the best stuffing.  I never thought I could replicate it so I never tried.  A few years later I decided to give it a shot.  It still isn't as good, but it is a runner up.  I think one thing that makes this stuffing good is to use fresh bread that hasn't been toasted.  Also I use a bread that does not have any rice in it which helps the stuffing from getting gummy.  Feel free to change seasonings and add anything you like in your stuffing.  This is just a very basic recipe.

1 loaf gf bread, cubed (about 8 c.)I have a mix available

1 onion, chopped(about ¾ c.)

4 stalks celery, chopped (about 1 1/2c.)

¼ c. butter(or nondairy Earthbalance)

½ t. pepper

1 ½ t. thyme

1 ½ t. sage

1 t. parsley

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 ½ c. water

1-2 T. chicken bouillon(I love the organic Better than Bouillon from Costco)

Saute onion and celery in butter until veggies are soft.  In a small bowl combine water and spices.  Mix bread with veggies and stir to combine.  Slowly add liquid, gently stirring until bread is coated.   Do not add all at once, but wait a minute for liquid to absorb or bread will turn mushy and crumble.  Save any remaining liquid to add during baking.  Place stuffing in 9x13 pan and bake 45-50 min.  Stir half way through and add more liquid if necessary.