With this recipe, we used a 3 quart slow cooker.  Each slow cooker seems to have it's own unique heat.  In determining the cook time, I would recommend using a 3 quart slow cooker.  This lovely side dish was cooked in 2 hrs. and 15 minutes.  It makes a nice lunch with a salad, or a lovely side dish to any Mexican flavoured main dishes.  Adding sliced avocados, salsa, plain yogurt are nice accompaniments.

2 tblsp. Avocado oil

3/4 cup long grain basmati rice, well rinsed

1 small shallot, diced

1/4 of a green pepper, diced

2/3 cup diced tomato

14 oz can of black beans rinsed well

1-2 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tblsp. warm water

Plug in the slow cooker, and preheat on low.  Heat up a saute pan on low medium heat with the Avocado oil.  Add the vegetables and saute 5 minutes.  Add in the seasonings and rice, and saute for another 3 minutes.  Transfer the rice vegetables to a slow cooker, add in the black beans and pour in the water.  Stir gently lid on and cook on low for 2 hrs. 15 minutes.

 

 

This easy simple side dish is lovely with any food, but in particular any Indian dish.  We had ours with Butter Chicken which was the perfect accompaniment.  Any good curry dish will work well with this rice and lentil dish.

2/3 cup Basmati Rice - well rinsed and drained

1/2 cup red lentils, well rinsed and drained

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

3 - 3 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock or combined stocks

2 Tblsp. Avocado oil

1 Tblsp. each fresh parsley and chives, and cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

good sprinkling of organic turmeric powder

Heat up a sauce pan on low medium heat and pour in the oil.  Add the rice, a good sprinkling of turmeric powder and saute until slightly fragrant.  Then add in the lentils, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour in the stock, (I started with 3 cups stock).  Stir with a fork and bring to a good simmer.  Lid on then turn down to minimum heat.  After 10 minutes, give a quick stir and determine if you will need another 1/2 cup of stock.  Lid on to finish cooking, then once cooked add to a bowl, and sprinkle on the fresh herbs.

Here we are in March, and we can still get organic vegetables from our local farm.  Such a delight, and super fresh and delicious.  This week we got spinach, leeks, purple potatoes and carrots,

2 cups chopped fresh spinach

2 cups chopped fresh leeks (slice ends off then slice lengthwise and rinse well)

2 Tblsp. butter

1 cup chicken stock, 2 Tblsp. reserved

1/2 cup light cream (we use lactose free)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/8th tsp. dried sage

good pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 T cornstarch

2 Tblsp. reserved chicken stock

Heat up a braiser or saute pan on low medium heat, melting the butter.  Once it has come to temperature add in the leeks and spinach.  Saute until wilted, 5-8 minutes.  Season with sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.  Make up a cornstarch slurry with some of the chicken stock and set aside.

Pour in the remainder chicken stock stirring well.  Put on low, and simmer reducing to half.  Pour in  cornstarch slurry, only using a bit to slightly thicken, then add cream and Parmesan cheese, mix well  serve hot along side any main dish.

 

Air Fryer spaghetti squash could not get any easier.  We love to have spaghetti squash with Meatballs and Marinara sauce, or under a serving of chili.  Spaghetti squash is a nutritious and filling squash any way you decide to serve it.

Cut the stem end off of the spaghetti squash, then place on cut end and cut the squash in half.  Scoop out the seeds with a spoon.  Drizzle a small amount of Avocado Oil in each squash and spread throughout with you hand.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the Air Fryer at 375 degrees for 5 minutes.  Open the basket and add a splash of water to the bottom of the fryer - no need to remove the tray.

Place the Spaghetti Squash cut side up into the basket and cook.  Depending on the size of you squash cooking time will be anywhere from 23-30 minutes.  Carefully remove the cooked squash with tongs and allow to cool a bit before using a fork to scrape out the strands of squash.  Serve along side any main dish.

This is a recipe that happened as a result of a happy accident.  We love a simple Saffron Rice with any kind of seafood or simple chicken dish.  So having made the Saffron rice the night before, there were some leftovers the next day.

I decided to reheat the rice in a pan with a bit of butter, and threw in a couple of eggs to scramble in the rice.  Next, I added a few dollops of salsa.  Unbelievable, and out of this world flavor.  Who knew Saffron could work so well with a bit of salsa?  It was heaven.

Now a word about Saffron.  It is considered the most expensive spice in the world, and rightly so given how it is grown and harvested.  That said, the quality of Saffron will vary depending on the region it is grown.  My two favorites are Persian Saffron, and Indian Saffron.  It is worth every penny finding quality Saffron and it certainly makes a huge difference in depth of flavor.

In terms of rice - Basmati Rice is my personal favorite.  In this recipe I did something a little bit different.  To a 3/4 cup measuring cup, add 1/4 par boiled whole brown rice, then top up with regular Basmati rice.  Give a good rinse, and allow to dry in the colander.

If you have Basmati rice alone that will work no problem without the added par boiled brown rice.

Also, in this recipe, I infused oil with garlic and onion first, then removed the garlic and onion to let the Saffron shine, with a hint of the garlic and onion.  Saffron in this dish comes first and foremost!

This is a dish we could eat for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, in fact it is going to be our dinner tonite served with a garden salad loaded with veggies.  This served 2 for dinner with enough leftover Saffron rice for my breakfast tomorrow...happy days!

Saffron Rice Recipe:

2 Tblsp. Avocado Oil

1/4 onion, any kind, roughly chopped

2 large garlic cloves cut in half

3/4 cup Basmati Rice (1/4 of it being par boiled brown rice) (make sure to rinse and drain well in a colander and allow to dry - let sit a good hour or so)

good pinch of Saffron - here we used Persian

1 cup chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup water

salt and fresh cracked pepper

Heat the Avocado oil on low heat.  Add in the onion and garlic, saute for 5 min. until lightly golden, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard.  Add the rice, and Saffron to the oil and stir for 1-2 minutes until there is a slight roasting smell.  Pour in the chicken stock and water stirring well, season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a good simmer, then lid on turn down to minimum and simmer 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.

Saffron Rice Breakfast Bowl:

1 Tblsp. butter

2 rounded 3/4 cups of Saffron rice

4 eggs lightly whisked with a fork

1 green onion chopped (optional)

grated aged white cheddar cheese - 1/2 cup or more to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Salsa - we used a good quality jarred salsa

Heat up a frying pan with the butter on low heat.  Whisk the eggs with a fork and season with salt and pepper and set aside.  Add the rice, and green onions to the pan and saute for 3-4 minutes until heated.  Pour in the eggs through out and keep sauteing until the eggs are cooked through. Top with the cheddar cheese, tossing lightly to melt. Plate and serve with dollops of your favorite salsa.  Enjoy!

 

 

We were pleasantly surprised how delicious these roasted vegetables turned out.  Here we used a combination of cut potatoes, carrots, a few thick slices of zucchini and a couple of strips of red pepper.  They have a nice browning on the outside but tender inside.

For this dish you will want the potatoes and carrots roughly the same thickness in size.  The zucchini we left on the thick side as they will cook a bit quicker.

Once the vegetables are cut add to a bowl, with a lite drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh cracked pepper, and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Toss well.  Preheat the Air Fryer to 400 degrees for 5 minutes.  Add vegetables to the basket spreading out.  Cook for 15-17 minutes in total, shaking the basket every 5 minutes.  Serve along side any main dish.

 

We love our vegetable side dishes in this household, so why not make them a bit extra special?  Easily done and so tasty.

3/4 cup chicken stock

1 cup frozen organic corn kernals

1/2 a large shallot finely diced

1/2 a large celery stalk leaves included, finely diced

2 large crimini mushrooms chopped

1 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. season blend: Mix up:   1 Tblsp. garlic powder, 1 Tblsp. paprika, 1 Tblsp. ground celery seed, 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 3 grinds of fresh cracked pepper

1/2 tsp. dry sage

2 1/2 tsp. potato starch

Begin by steaming the corn in the chicken stock for 5 min. then remove from heat and set aside.  Heat up a pan with the butter on low heat.  Once heated add in the other ingredients except for the potato starch and season blend.  Saute on low for 6 min.  Sprinkle in the season blend and potato starch continue to saute for 2 min.

Slowly pour in the stock from the corn whisking well, then add in the corn and remaining stock.

Season with extra salt and pepper to taste and simmer on minimum for 15 min. stirring throughout...it will reduce to a nice sauce.  Serve along any main dish.

We have been using our new Air fryer a few times a week - and we love it.  Such simple and quick and easy dishes whether a main dish or side - they are delicious.  Plus...just 1 tsp. of oil...how great is that?

4-5  potatoes (we use German Butter Potatoes)  well scrubbed and sliced in half

Season blend of choice, we used this one (with added a sprinkle of Greek Oregano)

1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Add the potatoes to a bowl with the EVOO, and your choice of season blend, salt and pepper.  Toss well to coat.  Preheat the air fryer at 375 for 5 min.  Add the seasoned potatoes to the basket and cook 15 minutes, shaking the basket half way through.  Depending on how big your potato halves are you may need to give an extra few minutes cooking time.  Serve along side any main dish - breakfast, lunch or dinner.