Rice Pudding

My Mom use to make this when I was growing up. I love it hot. And I love it cold! It is a great item to throw into the school lunches, too.

Throw everything in a large pot on stove. Bring to a slow boil. Cover for 45 minutes. Stir often.

5 cups milk
1 cup rice
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

You could also add 2/3 cup raisins and 1 tsp cinnamon. I prefer to just sprinkle a little cinnamon on mine.

Lentils and Rice Casserole

I found this recipe from my good friend Erin. Her blog bakingforboys has some wonderful meal ideas! I have made this twice this month because it is so healthy, filling and cheap to make!  Oh, and EASY!

Combine and place in 9x13 baking dish:


3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice, uncooked
3/4 cup onion chopped (I used 1 T minced onion)
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Cover and bake at 300 for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with cheese, cilantro, and Frito chips!

Gallo Pinto

This is a Costa Rican dish. Super easy and versatile. There are hundreds of ways to cook this. I found this one was very easy. I start the rice first so that it is ready to go. For 3 cups of rice you will use 3 cups of water and 1, 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice. If I had celery on hand I probably would have thrown that in, too.

*What to do with the left overs? I added a large dollop of sour cream and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. This filling makes great toquitos!! Place a couple tablespoons of filling on a flour tortilla and roll up tight. Place the rolled tortilla seem side down on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Dip in sour cream. My kids loved these!

Heat:

3 T oil

Add to hot oil and saute for 7 minutes:

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

After 7 minutes add and mix well:

1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
2 T worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups cooked rice

Now add and mix well:

2 cans black beans, drained
hand full of cilantro, chopped fine