Vegetarian Dirty Rice

This makes a very tasty side dish or could be a main course on its own.

Awesome Rice Pudding

Years ago, I used to get rice pudding from this little Lebanese restaurant in town called N&J's. I loved it so much that I would buy several containers and keep them in the refrigerator at home for easy snacks. When I moved back here, the restaurant was still there but they sadly no longer sold their rice pudding.

Ever since, I have been trying to find a way to make a delicious, super creamy, mildly sweet rice pudding recipe at home. I have lots of leftover rice, and I want to make something really great with it. Everything I have tried in the past comes out a bit dried out or has a strange flavor, or something is wrong with it. Well, I am beyond happy to report that I have found a delicious rice pudding recipe and I am going to share it with you all. This does not taste like the Lebanese version I used to get as it is not a Lebanese rice pudding, but I think I will use it as a starting point for a Lebanese version.

Leftover Turkey & Rice Soup

Every Thanksgiving I am so happy to make lots of stock with my turkey carcass. I always wind up with some extra turkey meat from the process, which I love to use in this soup. This is a sort of "throw it together" type of soup, so if you find you prefer more or less of any ingredient, go for it until you find exactly what you like best!

Red Beans and Rice

With the weather getting cooler, my mind turns to soups and other comfort foods. This recipe for Red Beans and Rice is really delicious and it makes enough for leftovers or to freeze for future meals.

Rice and Lentil Pilaf

This would be great to make on a Sunday so you could have quick and easy lunches all week. If you use a vegetable stock, this is vegetarian.

Stuffed Peppers II (with Stuffed Pepper Bowl variation)

Easy Mexican Rice

We love this rice alongside (or in) our burritos and/ or fajitas and it is super easy.

Mixed Rice Pilaf

1 cup mixed uncooked rice (wild rice and brown rices)
3 cups broth or water
Sea salt & pepper
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 T olive oil
A few sprigs of chopped fresh parsley

In a medium saucepan, bring broth and a little salt to a boil. Add rice, cover, and cook until rice is done (anywhere from 45 to 55 minutes, approximately). Water should be absorbed, but if not, drain. Just before the rice is done, toast the walnuts in a saute pan. When done, add the rice, golden raisins, and chopped parsely to the saute pan. Cook and stir until raisins are heated and all is mixed together.

Prep time on this is very minimal, cook time (hands off) is about an hour.

Comments: The boys didn't like the raisins in this recipe, but I thought they were a nice addition. Regarding the rice, we used a brown/wild rice mix that we can get pre-made at the bulk bins in the grocery store. The difficult part is trying to cook this so all the different kinds of rice are done at the same time. The brown rice usually takes less water than the wild rice and cooks about the same amount of time, maybe a little less. For this reason, I did not estimate the correct amount of water when I cooked this and had to drain a little. Your option would be not to use a pre-made rice mix and cook the brown and wild rice separately and combine at the end or just use brown rice. I really liked the mix, and despite the irritation with having to drain, will probably use this again.

This would be a great dish to make with the basic dinner or to make for lunches during the week (lunch consisting of the rice pilaf and a side of vegetables). This would be very easy to heat quickly at work.