Food Mamma

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rice

spud and beef akni

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September is here and looking at the calendar, life is about to get crazy. From school to activities to meetings, time is a bit limited. Anything to simplify our lives, we’ll take it. Like SPUD.

My friends have raved about SPUD and how wonderful it is. Thanks to SPUD, I was able to try it out for myself and have to agree – it’s pretty awesome. You do all your shopping online at your convenience, which is perfect because sometimes I can’t get onto my computer until the kids are in bed. You pay online and they drop off a reusable box on your delivery day. They pack the products really well, so all the refrigerated and frozen items are in insulated bags with ice pouches.

Not only does SPUD make life easier for you, they make things easier on the environment by partnering with local producers and farmers. I love that on the website, it shows how far each product travels to get to you, helping you to buy local. Not only do they have the necessities like fruits and veggies, they have some great products like salmon sausages and beef bacon. Of course, we tried both (so good!). Try out SPUD for yourself. If you are in a SPUD delivery area, use this code to save $20 off your first order: CRCAL-JADFAA.

One of the things I made using ingredients from my SPUD order and from my garden is Akni. Akni is an aromatic rice dish made with either chicken or beef. Influenced with East African and Indian flavours, it is full of flavour and easy to make and is one of those dishes that are perfect for feeding a crowd. This goes great with yogurt and onions.

Beef Akni

1 lb beef, cubed
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
2 cups water
salt

2 cups rice
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves
4 small cinnamon stick pieces or 2 whole cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom pods, slightly cracked open
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic
1 TB lemon juice
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
cilantro

In a large pot, add the first six ingredients. Bring to a boil and then turn the temperature to medium and let it simmer for about an hour, until the beef is tender. If you use a pressure cooker, this can be done in less than 20 minutes. Be sure to reserve the stock. While the beef is cooking, soak the rice in water.

In a large pot, heat some oil and cook the onions. Add the spices and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the meat and cook for a few minutes. Add the drained rice and 4 cups of reserved stock/water. Add salt, potatoes and a sprinkling of cilantro leaves. Cover the pot and cook on medium heat until the water is absorbed. Place the rice in a 300 degree oven for 20 minutes until the rice is completely cooked.

minute rice cups – and a giveaway!

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It’s back to school week! I can’t believe that the summer just flew by. It was a fun summer, with busy days at camp or at the beach and lazy days hanging around the house. We enjoyed our trips to the mountains and our trip to our nation’s capital. It just went by too quickly!

Back to school means back to a routine. Not just a school routine but also those after school activities that make the days seem so long. Life is busy and sometimes trying to get food on the table and enjoyed in a short amount of time can be hard.

Minute Rice® Ready to Serve Cups are pre-portioned single serving mini-bowls of rice that take only one minute
in the microwave to cook perfectly every time. Available in Basmati,
Whole Grain, Oriental Style, Vegetable Medley, Long Grain; Wild Rice – Fine Herbs, Long Grain; Wild Rice – Chicken Flavour and Mexican, the rice
can be eaten straight out of the cup, as a side dish, or combined with a
protein for a quick one-dish meal.

GIVEAWAY!
Want a chance to win some Minute Rice for yourself? You can win three cases (48 cups – a $66 value) of Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cups. Enter below! Contest closes on September 15, 2015.

*Contest
is open to Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents only; prizes are
limited to one prize per winner – i.e. while a person may enter multiple
Minute Rice Ready to Serve Cups online contests, he or she is eligible to collect a prize from only one of the contests entered.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

win a one year supply of minute rice!

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Rice seems to be a staple around here. It’s perfect for sopping up Indian curry or using it to make a one pot meal to feed a crowd.  I didn’t discover the convenience of instant rice until recently. Since it is pre-cooked and then dried, it significantly cuts down on the cooking time. This is huge, especially on days where the kids have multiple activities.

With “pre-cooked rice” as its only ingredient, Minute Rice® is 100% natural. Available in two varieties – Premium Long Grain White Rice and Premium Whole Grain Brown Rice – Minute Rice® takes only five minutes to prepare for white rice and 10 minutes for brown rice.

At a recent event promoting Minute Rice, Chef John Higgins, Director of the George Brown Chef School and Chopped Canada judge offered these top 10 rice cooking tips:

Boil in broth: When boiling rice, substitute water for broth to add flavour to the rice itself and your dish. Chicken broth, beef broth or vegetable stock are excellent choices. Low-sodium broths add a punch of flavour without the added salt.

Try coconut: Cook rice in coconut milk for a mildly sweet flavoured rice which pairs well with curry dishes and other spicy recipes. Coconut flavoured rice with fresh slices of mango or your kids’ favourite fruit can make a fun, healthy dessert option.

Think flavour: Add spices to the rice’s cooking liquid for an aromatic and flavourful base to your dish. Star Anise, cilantro and turmeric are good choices, with bold, robust flavours.

Season early on: Don’t leave your seasoning until the end. Introduce the flavours of your dish early on. For maximum flavour, add the herbs or spices your recipe calls for into the rice’s cooking water.

Add veggies: Enhance your rice dish by adding frozen vegetables. Rather than cooking the vegetables separately, though, condense your cooking time by adding them to boiling water before you begin cooking the rice. Using pre-cut, frozen vegetables is more convenient than cutting fresh vegetables (while still being nutritious), especially when you are pressed for time.

Sweeten with fruit: Add dried fruit – such as craisins, raisins, dried blueberries and currents – to your cooking water to draw out the sweet fruit flavours which will infuse your rice with a savoury taste the whole family will enjoy.

Try rice for breakfast: Instant rice in particular is quick and easy, making it a convenient and nutritious family option. Add almond or soy milk, or your kids’ favourite flavoured milk, as well as dried fruits or nuts for a complete, oatmeal-like breakfast dish which can be served hot or cold. Prepare the rice the night before to save time in the morning.

Steep your rice: Infuse the rice with your favourite flavour of tea for a fragrant, subtle gourmet taste. Steep a pot of tea and use the liquid to cook your rice instead of using plain water. For those less adventurous, start with a more simple flavour such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Chamomile tea. For an economical option, use the tea bag left over from your morning cup of tea.

Add zing with zest: For a zesty citrus spin on your rice dish, grate lemon, lime or orange zest into the rice’s cooking water as it’s boiling. Be sure to thoroughly wash your fruit with warm, soapy water before grating the zest into the water. For a more gourmet taste sensation, try a combination of citrus fruits in one rice dish.

Cut cooking time: Risotto is a wonderful meal or side dish option enjoyed by all ages, but it takes time to make.  Using instant rice in a risotto dish can cut in half the time it takes to make traditional risotto.

Want a chance to win a case of 12 boxes of Minute Rice® 100% Natural Instant Rice ($60 value)? Comment below, or on Facebook or Twitter, with your favourite rice dish. Contest closes on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2015. Only open to residents of Canada.


Here are a few of mine:
Shrimp Fried Rice
Indian Rice Pudding 
Seafood Paella


shrimp fried rice

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Hard to believe the little one is already six and a half weeks old! He’s now in that stage where he’s smiling and cooing and it’s just so fun!
When it comes to dinners, I’ve been pretty lucky! I had made a few dishes that I froze, lasagnas, bananas bread, even taco meat which came in handy for cinqo de mayo. 
Our moms have been awesome, sending food every week, stocking my fridge leaving me one less thing to worry about. 
Last week, I realized there were a few containers of steamed rice. There was only one thing to do – make fried rice!
Super easy to make, it transforms leftover steamed rice into a new meal that’s tasty and flavourful! With rice and shrimp, it became a favourite for Q.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Oil
1/2 pound shrimp
3 eggs, beaten
3 green onions, chopped
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup frozen peas 
2 TB soy sauce 
1 tsp sesame oil
3 cups steamed rice
Salt
Pepper
In a hot wok, add a little bit of the oil and stir fry the shrimp until opaque. Remove from the heat. Add a little more oil and cook the egg, scrambling while it cooks. Remove and keep with the shrimp. Add a little more oil and stir fry the onions and carrots. Add the rice, peas, soy sauce and sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Add the shrimp and eggs until combined and enjoy.

usa rice and seafood paella

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I was very excited to participate in a blogging opportunity featuring USA Rice.

In
our house, we mostly use Basmati and I was happy that I was able to
find one that was grown in the US, so that I could feature it in a
recipe. Normally, I cook rice in a rice cooker.  For this recipe though,
the stove top and oven were used for the delicious seafood paella.

Check out this video featuring one of Canada’s culinary experts, Rose Reisman.

Here are some interesting facts about rice:

The
U.S. is one of the largest exporters of rice, supplying about seven per
cent of the rice that enters world trade. Approximately 45 per cent of
the U.S. rice crop is exported to more than 100 countries.
There are approximately 30 mills in the U.S.
Canada produces no rice of its own. Canadian wild rice is not a true rice, but the seed of an aquatic grass.
Almost 70 per cent of rice consumed in Canada is grown in the U.S.
The U.S. produces over 40 commercial varieties of rice each year in paddy, brown, white, parboiled and precooked forms.
There
are thousands of rice varieties. At the International Rice Research
Institute Genetic Resources Centre in the Philippines, there are 80,000
rice samples in cold storage.
Rice is grown on every continent except Antarctica.
One
seed of rice yields more than 3,000 grains. It is the highest yielding
cereal grain and can grow in many kinds of environment and soils.

With
rice, the possibilities are endless but I decided on making paella. I
adapted this recipe from Ina Garten’s for lobster paella. I made this
savoury dish with lobster, prawns and mussels. Definitely a comforting
dish but sophisticated enough for entertaining.

Seafood Paella
Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Olive oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups USA basmati rice
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 lobster tail, cooked and chopped
1 pound prawns, cooked in butter
1 pound mussels, cooked
salt
pepper
parsley
lemon

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a pot, add onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute longer.

Stir in the rice, chicken stock, saffron, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. After 15 minutes, stir the rice gently and return in to the oven to bake uncovered for 15 more minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.

In the meantime, cook the seafood. I cooked the prawns and lobster in butter.

Transfer the paella back to the stove and add in the seafood. Cover the paella and allow it to steam for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and lemon.

prawns biryani

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Earlier this week, we celebrated Eid-Al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. As with any major occasion, we celebrate with food. One dish that you will find at any special occasion, like Eid or a wedding, is biryani. Biryani is a rice dish topped with a reduced curry of chicken, beef or prawns.

I figured this Eid would be a great excuse to try out a new dish. I have been following Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun for a while and all her recipes look great. I was excited to give her Prawn Biryani a try. The recipe was easy to follow along and the end result was a tasty dish.

I did make a few changes since my decision to make this was so last minute and there was no time for marinating over night and I also didn’t have all of the ingredients. This is best served with raw onions, tomatoes and cilantro topped with some lemon juice.

Prawn Biryani
Adapted from Fauzia’s Kitchen Fun

Prawns Masala:
oil
1 pound prawns
1/2 tsp garlic paste
6 TB fried onions
2 tomatoes
1/2 cup yogurt, whipped
2 TB tomato paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
juice of half a lemon
pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 cinnamon stick
1 cardamom pod
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large potato, boiled and cubed
4 TB chopped coriander

Heat oil and add the prawns, frying until translucent. Drain and set aside.

Add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon to the oil. Once they start popping, add the chopped tomatoes, sprinkle a bit of salt on them, and fry until all the moisture evaporates.

Combine the yogurt, 3 TB of the onions, the tomato paste and the saffron in a bowl.

Once the tomatoes have dried, add the ginger, garlic, turmeric and cumin powder. Fry for a minute and add the yogurt mixture. Cook this down for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens. Add the prawns, remaining onions and potatoes and simmer together on low heat. Add salt as desired. Top with coriander.

Rice:
Wash then soak 3 cups of rice in water for about 20-30 minutes.

Soak a few saffron strands in some water and set aside.

Bring a big pot of water to boil, add salt, 4 cardamom pods, 2-3 cinnamon sticks and 2-3 cloves plus about 2 tbsp. of oil.

Drain the soaked rice and add it to this water when it is boiling. Cook until the rice is about 3/4 done, remove and strain out all the water. Put half the rice back into the pan, drizzle about 2-3 tbsp. of oil and the saffron water. Add a bit of orange color on one side and mix it up a bit with a spoon and add the remaining rice. Then cover the pot tightly. Steam this on low heat for 15minutes or put in a 180 C preheated oven for about the same time. Serve the rice with the prawns on top.