Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice

Happy New Year! As I near the end of my Netflix and Hulu binge -- I have been thinking about all the TV series I have watched. I thought it would be fun to share which shows and rank them in order from my most to least favorite. Don't judge me ... but this is sort of a personal accomplishment! I mean, who needs academic when you can claim the fame to being the best Netflix and Hulu binger :)

Going through the list, you are quickly going to notice that I like certain types of shows -- drama, crime shows. I know -- guilty pleasures -- my research advisor was quick to point out the corniness of these shows. But I still love them! So, if that is not your thing, this list is going to be pretty worthless to you. And sprinkled in are some pretty classy trashy TV shows. I am just saying #giveloveandhiphopachance! Here goes:

Monk

Person of Interest 

Chuck

Mysteries of Laura

Psych

Numb3rs

Perception

Lie to Me

Blacklist

The Mentalist 

Rosewood

Breakout Kings

Quantico

Medium

Crossing Jordan

Love and Hiphop Hollywood 

Girlfriends Guide to Divorce

Leverage 

White Collar

Law and Order SVU

Drop Dead Diva

The Finder

Missing

How to Get Away with Murder (not a fan) 
 Scandal (only seasons 1-3, because Olivia Pope gets on my last nerve) 

I am also an avid watcher of  the following Bravo shows (thank you Andy Cohen): Real Housewives (RH) of Orange Country, RH of Beverly Hills, RH of Atlanta, RH of New Jersey, Vanderpump Rules, Shahs of Sunset, and Top Chef. On TLC, I am addicted to Married at First Sight and 90 Day Fiance!

P.S. I am always looking for recommendations on new shows to watch.
 

The first rule to binge watching TV shows: always have yummy food on hand. That is why I was glad, when I found this recipe on Pinterest. Let's rewind. I love Chipotle, especially the cilantro lime rice. Doesn't everyone? This recipe takes it one delicious step further by adding in avocado. Do you guys ever splurge the extra $2.00 to get guacamole? I do! This recipe is guacamole meets cilantro lime rice. Happiness :) To the person who thought of this: Thank you, you brilliant soul.

AVOCADO CILANTRO LIME RICE

Slightly Adapted from Cooking Classy

INGREDIENTS

2 c. of uncooked brown rice 

2 medium ripe avocados 

3 tbsp. lime juice

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp. cumin

2 tbsp. minced garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Cook the brown rice (I used a rice cooker). Mash avocados in a large mixing bowl. Mix in lime juice, cilantro,  cumin and garlic. Stir in warm, cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper. Store in airtight container for no more than 1-2 days.

Enjoy,

Cheesy Southwestern Chicken and Rice

As I am getting ready for the big move, I knew that one day the stress would hit me and that day has come. I am definitely a ball of nerves. Figuring out the logistics of a cross country move is time consuming, overwhelming and expensive. Did I say expensive? And student? Those two words never really go together. After doing my due diligence about moving options -- I have come to the conclusion that if you want it done right and cost effectively...gotta do it yourself.

To distract myself, I wanted to re-cap some of the fun stuff I got to do while on the interview trail. Like...celebrating my birthday! Thankfully my birthday fell on a weekend I was not interviewing. And the next interview up was in North Carolina, which just happens to be where my cousin lives. He was so sweet and when I landed, he surprised me with an ice cream cake (one of my favs!).

He then took me to this sweet town called Ashville to do some sightseeing but mostly a lot of eating.

First stop was grabbing some brunch. Fried chicken and biscuits, anyone? Yesssss...gotta love my attempt at being healthy with a side of salad to my FRIED chicken HA!

Then we strolled through all the cute little stores -- and by stores I meant dessert stores where I ate till my little birthday heart was content. Birthdays are days meant to be diet free. Where calories are a foreign word and do not exist. A day in which it is impossible to gain weight. You did not get the memo? Glad I told you!

We finished the night at a local gastropub in the city my cousin lives in that had some delicious food. My favorite was the wonton, ahi-tuna tacos with a wasabi glaze. It was so so so drool worthy.

Now to the food. Ever have those days where you look into your pantry and refrigerator and think -- what am I going to make? And I really need to use these up. Well that was me with this recipe. Googled the ingredients that I had and wanted to get rid of, made a few little tweaks and voila ... easy one skillet meal! And did I mention yummy? ;)

Cheesy Southwestern Chicken and Rice

Adapted from Yammie's Noshery

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic
12 oz. frozen bag of three pepper and onion blend (thawed)
1 3/4 c. corn of frozen corn (thawed)
1 15 oz. can of black beans
2 c. shredded chicken, cooked
1/2 c. salsa
1 packet of taco seasoning
2 1/2 c. cooked rice
1/2 c. sour cream + additional for garnish
1 c. shredded cheese + additional for garnish

Optional: Cilantro or green onions for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Once heated, saute garlic until slightly browned and fragrant, followed by onion-pepper blend, corn, beans and shredded chicken. Cook until warmed through and no residual liquid remains. Stir in salsa and taco seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Fold in cooked rice. Lastly, stir in sour cream and cheese. Garish as desired.

Enjoy,

Cajun Sausage Risotto

I love my hubby. He is such a wonderful blogger hubby :) When I am out of an ingredient or forgot to pick up something, he runs to the store to get it for me. If I am creating a mess and running out of space in our small kitchen, the hubby cleans up after me to give me more space. Or even after baking and cooking, the hubby cleans up after me so I do not have to spend anymore time in the kitchen. The hubby feels that, that is his part in making a recipe -- like we are a team!

Today, I was supposed to make a cake and a few desserts for a baby shower. The cake took me so long that I did not have time to make the desserts, so the hubby ran to the store to pick me up small bites that I could take! I love him so much; he is such a wonderful, supportive partner. How did I get so lucky! ;) And don't you worry-- Ninja tries to do his part too. He loves cleaning up anything that drops on the floor. He waits at the edge of the living room. I think he's providing me moral support (let's not pop my bubble).

Well in ode to my Cajun Country Boy ;) I decided to make a twist to one of my favorite dishes -- risotto. I discovered I really loved risotto when I made mushroom risotto. It is a great way to prepare rice. And I have fostered an extreme love of Cajun food since I met the hubby. I still remember trying boudin, gumbo and jambalaya (made the real way) for the first time ::drool:: I love the mix of seafood and great spices. So I wanted to combine these two loves to make a dish that the hubby would I love. And it was great!

CAJUN SAUSAGE RISOTTO

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS 

4 c. of chicken borth
2 tsbp. olive oil
1 (12 oz) bag of Kroger's 3 pepper and onion blend
1 (14 oz) sausage, cut into medallions (Andouille sausage is most authentic)
1 c. rice (Arborio preferred, long grain rice as substitute)
1/4 c. cooking wine
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1-2 tbsp. Tony Chachere's (or other preferred Cajun seasoning*

*Add amount based on desired spice preference

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in pepper/onion blend. Saute until tender and no excess liquid remains, about 5-10 minutes. Then add in sausage  and cook until browned. Cooking the veggies in the oil of the sausage will add flavor. Set aside.

In a pot, bring chicken broth to a boil, then reduce heat and keep warm over low heat.

In a skillet, heat 1 tsbp. of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in rice and stir well to coat with olive oil. Cook rice for an additional 3 minutes, stirring only occasionally.

Next add in cooking wine and cook until all the wine is absorbed -- stir constantly. Continue to cook rice by adding 1/4 c. of warmed chicken broth at a time into the rice, stirring continuously until broth has been complete absorbed (it best to use a ladle to add the chicken broth).  Do not add more broth until the previous amount has been entirely absorbed by the rice. Continue adding increments of chicken broth and allowing rice to absorb all the broth -- do this until all the broth has been used and rice is cooked through (add more broth if rice needs additional cooking). Rice should be tender.

Once risotto is cooked stir in Parmesan cheese and Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's) until well incorporated and cheese is melted. Finally fold in peppers/onion blend and sausage.

Enjoy,
Chika

Chicken Fried Rice, Take 2

I am totally a quote person! Absolutely love them! In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to quotes that I love. And so I wanted to share with you some favorites of mine:

"The trouble is, you think you have time." -- Buddha

"Some people come in your life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons." -- Mother Teressa

"In life we cannot always do great things. But we can do small things with great love." -- Mother Teressa

"My religion is very simple, my religion is kindness." --Dalai Lama

"Sometimes you need crazy."

"It's not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It's our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." -- L.R. Knost

"When someone else's happiness is your happiness, that is love." -- Lana Del Rey

"Forgive others not because they deserve forgiveness, but because you deserve peace."

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." --Albert Einstein

Since my last post, my glasses have come in! But since I hate selfies (which has really just grown since my rant) and maybe ::cough:: am too lazy to put on make up ;) I will wait till tomorrow for the hubby to take pictures of my new "look." ::Crossing my fingers:: that everyone will like it. I haven't even sent a picture to my sister! And though it is helping, my eyes are still adjusting to wearing glasses. It's a weird feeling (like always looking out of a window)-- but the hubby told me that it is normal-- and I just have to give it some time to get used to. I still feel like my eyes are "straining" or "adjusting" but reading and being on the computer is clearer. Lucky thing I took a break and went to Bahama Buck's again! I tried more sour flavors...I love sour flavors!!! I tried super sour red raspberry and super sour pink lemonade! yum!

I have made Chicken Fried Rice before. But I was not totally in love with how it turned out. Though, I did not take down the post, just in case, someone else was totally in love with it. Do not get me wrong-- it was yummy but this recipe is more a perfection of what was already great:) Plus, I really love fried rice! And who can really have too much of it?! Being a food blogger, I try hard not to remake any recipes, but sometimes it just cannot be helped; for 3 main reasons: it was too yummy not to make again, I was not 100% in love with the original recpie, and/or I cringed at how I took pictures of my earlier recipes. And in this case, it was the latter two. I was super happy with how this re-take recipe came out! Really delicious! It was super simple (it only required 1 pan!), though had a few more steps involved (i.e., and by steps I mean plates ;). And....it had lots of left overs, which means I can now focus on making more important things... DESSERT :)

CHICKEN FRIED RICE, TAKE 2

Adapted from Rachel Shultz

INGREDIENTS

Olive oil for cooking
1 1/2 large chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 c. diced onions

2 green onions, diced (optional)
1 c. frozen peas and carrots, thawed
6 large eggs, whisked
3 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
4 c. cooked rice
1/4-1/3 c. soy sauce
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

This recipe only requires the use of one large skillet or wok. Just wipe down the wok with a paper towel after making each component. You will see what I am talking about below:
 
Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large wok over medium heat, cook chicken breasts until crisp and golden on the outside (and cooked through on the inside). Set aside on a plate.

[wipe down wok] Again, heat another tbsp. of olive oil in the same large wok over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Then add in peas and carrots, stir frying until warm and tender. Set aside on another plate.

[wipe down wok] Then heat a little bit of olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the wok, over medium-low heat. Pour eggs into wok and scramble until light and fluffy. Set aside on a plate. (do not worry-- this is the last plate you'll need besides the one you will be eating on).

[wipe down wok] Almost there-- in the wok heat up the sesame oil over medium heat. Add in minced garlic, and cook until fragrant and slightly browned. If you like green onions like I do, add 2 shallots in with the garlic. Using a spatula fold in rice into the sesame oil, garlic mixture. Continue "frying" the rice for 3-5 minutes. Once the rice is well coated in the sesame oil,  drizzle soy sauce over rice and continue to fold in until rice is well coated. Start with 1/4 c.-- if desired taste/color is not achieved, add additional soy sauce one tbsp. at a time. Then fold in peas and carrots, eggs, and chicken-- one at a time--until evenly distributed throughout rice. Finally add in salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy,
Chika

Easy Jambalaya

Did you miss me? It has been about a week since my last actual recipe post. I am really sorry about that. I just had one of those busy weeks, where I had so much to get done- that cooking and baking got pushed aside :/ Fret not, today I got to wake up early do some menu planning, run to the grocery store and have a little kitchen fun. And I plan to continue this fun tomorrow :)

What's new? Well this past Wednesday Justin defended his master's thesis, meaning he is now Justin (insert last name), M.S.! How exciting for him! To celebrate, he wanted to go to BJ's Brewhouse and Restaurant. You do not have to ask me twice- as that was one of my favorite restaurants. I absolutely LOVE their pizookie. Not sure if you noticed but I said "was my favorite." BJs used to be modestly more pricey but gave huge portion sizes. Now, I am not endorsing eating large portions in one sitting, but as a graduate student- large portions means left overs :) This time when I went to BJs their portion sizes were tiny and their prices were way up :/ No Bueno BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant...No Beuno. Even their pizookie, as delicious as it is- is now way overpriced. ::though that did not stop me from eating a bite of Justin's Red Velvet Pizookie::

I brought up BJs Brewhouse and Restaurant not only to congratulate Justin but also because when there, I ordered the Jambalaya. Now I did not expect it to be so "authentic" and it was not- but it was good enough to where it had me craving actual Jambalaya. And so I wanted to see if I could maybe, kinda sort-of, make a make-shift, version of Jambalaya (aka: Sri Lankan me- making hubby style Jambalaya). Result: the hubby said it tasted like the real thing and better then the Jambalaya made by a Cajun Restaurant here! I thought it was yummy as well- if I do say so myself. ::me popping my collar:: -- and now ::me laughing at myself:: #dork

JAMBALAYA

Adapted from Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 (14oz) bag of frozen cajun vegetables (I used Kroger's Mirepoix Cajun Blend)
1 (12 oz) bag of Kroger's 3 pepper and onion blend
1 (14oz) sausage, cut into medallions (Andouille sausage is most authentic)
1 (8oz) box of either Tony Chachere's or Zatarains dirty rice mix*
1 c. of rice (long grain)
2 1/4 c. water
2 3/4 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 tbsp. garlic
14.5 oz. can of tomatoes
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning- to taste
Hot sauce (to taste)- add a few dashes
Lemon juice- to taste- a few squirts

* Tony Chachere and Zatarains both offer Jambalaya mix- but I think the dirty rice gives it more flavor
**Add shrimp for a great addition. The hubby does not like shrimp :/ That is the only reason I did not include it in this dish.

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet or wok, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add in Cajun vegetables and pepper/onion blend. Saute until tender and no excess liquid remains, about 5-10 minutes. Then add in sausage and cook until browned. Set aside.

In a large pot, over medium heat, combine Dirty Rice mix, long grain rice, water and chicken broth. Stir to distribute contents of dirty rice mix. Then add in garlic, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Increase to medium-high heat and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium-low heat, add in vegetable-sausage blend (that you cooked in skillet) and garnishes (Creole seasoning, hot sauce, and lemon juice).

Cook on medium-low heat for up to and hour- to allow rice to absorb liquid. This slow-cooking method is what makes the rice so tender yet so flavorful. Stir rice intermittently while it is cooking- to prevent rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Also, while rice is cooking, taste rice to make sure garnishes is to your preference- add more if necessary. Be careful with the hot sauce and Tony Chacheres as adding a little can make it very spicy. If rice is not cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed --add in more chicken broth 1/2 c. at a time.  Continue to add chicken broth until rice is cooked and tender.

Enjoy,
Chika

Mushroom Risotto

Have you all heard of Color Me Rad and Color Run? Now that I am more fond of running- I've been thinking of registering for one of these runs. They are both really similar-- a run where you get color thrown at you as you run the course. Really the whole things reminds me of Indian Holi. Color Me Rad and Color Run are about 2.5 miles (5K)-- meaning pretty do-able for me. See, I am definitely not a "runner" who can run miles and miles without stopping. I am your recreational runner that celebrates at two miles :)

I really enjoy the concept of getting color thrown at you throughout your run. Why? Because in the end you look like a celebration! Both runs are held across the United States on different dates. The hubby and I live close to Austin and Houston-- both of which are having runs in March. I have done some reading online and found that Color Me Rad actually "throws" more color and hence makes you look more colorful-- so I am leaning towards Color Me Rad in Austin :) Any suggestions?

Onto food: another recipe I attempted this past weekend was risotto. When I was growing up-- and my mom went out of town-- my dad would always make "risotto" for us (good memories). And for my dad that meant, egg, rice and cheese mixed together; and it was actually quite delicious. Now that I have realized that- that in fact was not risotto, I really wanted to try to make an actual risotto. Risotto does take a lot of patience and concentration. You cannot just put rice in a pot, let it boil and add a few things. You need to watch, slowly add ingredients and stir constantly to cook the rice. But all, in all-- it did not take a ton of time and it was absolutely delicious!!!! 

Definitely one of my favorite recipes! I love how the mushrooms and risotto tasted together...mmmm. The hubby is not even a huge fan of mushrooms but ate this up :) Though this is not technically a traditional risotto because I did not use Arborio rice- instead I used Jasmine rice. If you also do not have Arborio rice-- do not fret-- any long grain rice that tends to absorb a lot of liquid, will work fine :)

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

INGREDIENTS

4 c. of chicken broth

2 tbsp. olive oil 

1 regular carton of fresh mushrooms

3 green onions, diced

1 c. rice (Arborio preferred, long grain rice as substitute)

1/4 c. cooking wine

1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a pot, bring chicken broth to a boil, then reduce heat and keep warm over low heat. 

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, toss in mushrooms and saute until tender-- about 8-10 minutes. Empty mushrooms onto plate or container and set aside. In the same skillet, heat another 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat. Add green onions and saute until fragrant and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add in rice and stir well to coat with olive oil-green onion mixture. Cook rice for an additional 3 minutes, stirring only occasionally. 

Next add in cooking wine and cook until all the wine is absorbed-- stir constantly. Continue to cook rice by adding 1/4 c. of warmed chicken broth at a time into the rice, stirring continuously until broth has been completely absorbed (Gimme Some Oven had the great suggestion of using a ladle and that is exactly how I added the chicken broth). Do not add more broth until the previous amount has been entirely absorbed by the rice. Continue adding increments of chicken broth and allowing rice to absorb all the broth-- do this until all the broth has been used and rice is cooked through (add more broth if rice needs additional cooking). 

Once risotto is cooked add in Parmesan Cheese and then mushrooms, stirring until well combined. 

Enjoy,

Chika