Sunday, March 31, 2013

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Mexican Risotto


Risotto is a type of Italian Rice cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. The broth may be meat-, fish-, or vegetable-based. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine and onion. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It also happens to be my absolute favorite style of rice. I like it as a main dish. Since Mexican food is one of my favorite types of food, I naturally wanted to try some Italian/Mexican fusion. Wow. I am so glad I did. This is comfort food at it's best. Naturally gluten-free and so tasty! Enjoy!
Gluten-Free Mexican Risotto
adapted from Mom De Cuisine

1 link dried chorizo, diced
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
3-4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
salt/pepper to taste
cilantro to garnish

Warm the vegetable broth to a simmer over medium heat, or heat it up in a microwave. You never add cold liquid when making a risotto. All broth must be warm before adding it. 
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot. Add the chorizo and saute until crisp, 3 minutes.
Remove chorizo to a paper towel to drain and wipe the pot clean.
Heat the remaining oil over medium high heat. Add the peppers, onion, and spices and saute 3-4 minutes or until the veggies soften. Add the garlic and tomato paste and saute one minute more.
Add the rice to the pot. Add the wine and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Add a cup of stock to the rice, stirring constantly. When most of the liquid is absorbed, add more stock.
Continue this process until the rice is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring continuously.
Once the rice is tender, add the chorizo and cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the chorizo is warmed through.
Serve risotto in a bowl topped with the cilantro.


Follow Us

Friday, March 29, 2013

Strawberry Smash



Mom has had a hard week. Having a friend pass away, my son moving to another state, and some health issues, makes for the need for a break. Enter Strawberry smash. Just enough citrus, fruit, and rum to make me close my eyes and feel like I am on vacation. Just what Mom needs right now. TGIF! 

Strawberry Smash

1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 Strawberries
1 cup ice
1 ounce simple syrup (recipe below)
Simple Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Boil 1 cup water, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Hull your strawberries, by taking out the core and the stem. A straw works best for this. 
Add Strawberries, Simple Syrup, Lemon juice to a blender. Blend until fully blended. Pour into your shaker and fill shaker with ice. Shake until frost forms on your shaker. Pour into glass and add desired amount of ice. Garnish with a strawberry.
Follow Us

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Savory Vegan Vegetable Soup

 
As I am sure you already know from reading my blog, I like to have a lot of soup on hand for lunches during the week. I get busy and then hungry and I don't want to make bad food choices. Having a healthy soup in my fridge, keeps me on track. I love that I can have a cup of it in the late afternoon and it will tide me over until dinner, without blowing my diet out the window. This makes for a great lunch or snack. Very low calorie and healthy. 

Gluten Free Savory Vegan Vegetable Soup
adapted from Tone It Up!

2 cups potato, peeled and cut into 1" bites
2 Quarts Vegetable Broth
2 cups Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Carrots, sliced
1 sweet Onion, diced
1 Tbs. Black Pepper
1 Tbs. Basil
2 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except potatoes together in crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours. Add potatoes and cook another hour. 
Follow Us:

Personalized TARGETED Nutrition saved me!

Personalized TARGETED Nutrition saved me!
It can save you too! Take the free health assessment (it can even hook up to your DNA test results) to see what your body REALLy needs.