Goji Berry and Gren Pea Pilau

I like to impulse buy unusual items from grocery stores -- foods I've never heard of and ingredients I don't know how to use. Recently, I found a package of Goji berries -- some kind of dried red berry, about the size of a cranberry, but drier looking.

I've since learned that the goji berry is one of many new health-food crazes, being touted as a way to stave of cancer and "boost your immune system." (For more on why you may not even want to boost your immune system, read this.)

Despite this trendy claims, I found many references to the Goji berry being a traditional part of eastern diets. And, I had picked it up in a Mediterranean market, where it is often used like a cranberry -- as a source of both tartness and sweetness.

I tried this rice dish, which I found to be quite lovely. Highly recommended!

Goji Berry and Green Pea Pilau

1 T olive oil
1 stick cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seed
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 c basmati rice
1 3/4 c water
1/2 tsp salt
1 small handful goji berries, dried
1 handful green peas, fresh or frozen

Pour olive into in a deep saucepan. Add cinnamon stick and cumin seeds and cook until seeds begin to pop -- 2-3 minutes.

Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add carrot and cook 2-3 minutes more.

Add rice and water and bring to a boil.

Lower heat, cover and let cook 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and add goji berries and peas on top of the rice.

Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Comments

Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa

This dish is delicious! Easy! And, beautiful to look at! The original recipe calls for you to process all the cooked vegetables together into a chunky salsa, but I recommend serving it as is so you have an automatic side dish. The original also calls for cooking chicken bone-in, but, the more I cook traybakes, the more I advocate for slicing chicken into tenders and cooking boneless. Just a safer bake that way because everything comes to the same temperature at the same time. Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa Milk Street 1 T chili powder 2 poblano, stemmed, seeded, chopped 1 yellow onion, root end intact, in 8 wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 c olive oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T oregano, dried 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed 10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 T vinegar 1/4 c cilantro, chopped Heat oven to 450. In small bowl, stir together chili powder and 2 tsp salt. In large bowl, toss together pobloanos, onion wedges, tomatoes, and 1 T of the chili-power...

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take...

Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche

This "quiche" is so simple to make - you can prepare everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, and have it ready to go soon after waking up. An ideal dish to serve company, too. Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche The Garden of Earthly Delights 1 1/2 c water 3/4 c couscous, uncooked 3 eggs, beaten 1 bunch spinach 3/4 c cottage cheese 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded 3 T salsa 1 tsp chile powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable oil and set aside. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Spread couscous evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Placein oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove quiche from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Donut Army

Search This Blog