This meat-free dinner is adapted from a recipe my husband found on his favorite cycling podcast website. So you know it’s got to be good if it was developed with athletes in mind, right? Well, we made this and dug into it and thought we went to heaven. The spicy smoky flavor of the black beans combined with the creamy sweet potato is a marriage of flavors that’s meant to be. I’m not kidding, try it and if you don’t see angels I will eat my cycling socks. Continue reading “Black Bean and Salsa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes”
Category: Basic Whole
Freezing Rice and Other Grains
Ever make more rice than you can eat? If you aren’t going to use it in the next few days, you can freeze it for later use. Here’s how:
- Put 1-1/2 to 2 cups of plain cooked (cooled) brown rice in a quart-size, freezer-grade ziplock bag. Don’t seal it shut yet.
- Flatten the bag out, then gently roll from the bottom up to remove as much air as possible, and zip closed.
- Flatten it back out and freeze flat.
To thaw, simply massage the bag briefly to break up the frozen rice, then empty it into a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds or so (depending on the wattage of your microwave).
This works for most other cooked whole grains as well. I used to buy frozen pre-cooked brown rice at Trader Joe’s, but this is more economical and tastes fresher.
How to Cook Whole Grains
Barley
Barley is available pearled (the bran has been removed) or quick cooking (parboiled). Technically neither are whole grains but nutritionally speaking they count toward your whole-grain servings because of their high fiber content.
To Cook: Pearl barley Continue reading “How to Cook Whole Grains”
Basic Roast Chicken
Here’s a great, but rather complicated article on how to make the simplest of deliciously roasted meats – the basic roast chicken.
Read the article if you want a deep dive into the numerous ways you can make this wonderfully succulent food. Or just follow my very simple recipe below and be done with it. Continue reading “Basic Roast Chicken”