Showing posts with label brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brown. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Slow Cooker Vegan Brown Rice Mexican Bowl with Black Beans Bell Peppers and Poblano Avocado Salsa
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| Slow Cooker Brown Rice Mexican Bowls have a vibrant combination of flavors, with just enough spicy heat to keep it interesting! |
I don't remember my mother cooking black beans when I was a kid, but sometime after I left home she must have started using them, because they became my father's favorite type of bean, and any dish that had black beans was something he would enjoy. I was thinking about that as I missed him on Father's day, and remembered all the black bean salads I made for him the last few years of his life when he was in an assisted living center where I'd visit twice a week and cook lunch. My dad could be a picky customer when it came to trying new dishes, and I doubt he ever heard of vegan food, but I'm betting he would have enjoyed these Slow Cooker Vegan Brown Rice Mexican Bowls with Black Beans, Bell Peppers, and Poblano-Avocado Salsa, if only because of the black beans, rice and avocados; three foods he always loved. Using the slow cooker to cook the rice and then heat together the chopped peppers, green chiles, and black beans kept the house cool, and I thought one of these Mexican bowls made a perfect Slow Cooker Summer Dinner.
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Brown Rice Salad Recipe with Olives Bell Peppers Peas and Basil Vinaigrette
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| This Brown Rice Salad with Olives, Bell Peppers, Peas, and Basil Vinaigrette is an old favorite recipe! |
Re-discovering a recipe is always fun, and while I was unpacking from the move I found this old favorite rice salad recipe in a set of binders with recipes I clipped from cooking magazines back in the days before the internet. The salad was called Roman Rice Salad, but unfortunately I didn't write down where I found it, and I couldn't find anything with that name online. I made this salad many, many times through the years with white rice, dried basil, and chopped bell pepper, but I loved this updated version with brown rice, fresh chopped basil, and rings of pepper from sweet mini-peppers.
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Sunday, March 8, 2015
Broccoli Shitake Mushroom and Red Pepper Quiche With A Brown Rice Crust How To Make A Healthy Vegetarian Quiche
Sauté the red bell pepper, red onion and shitake mushrooms.
A brown rice crust is easy to make and is low in calories and fat.
Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of shredded parmesan and bake.
After baking 45 minutes at 375 degrees, let sit for 10-15 minutes.
Beware Restaurant Quiche
When some people see the word "broccoli" or "vegetable" in a menu item, they often get the false impression that the dish is healthy. With vegetable quiche dishes, nothing could be further from the truth. Thats because most quiche dishes made in a restaurant are prepared with butter, heavy cream, full fat cheeses and lots of eggs. And thats just the filling! The crust is generally made from refined white flour and butter or lard. It wouldnt be hard for a slice of restaurant quiche to be over 600 calories and contain 40 to 50 grams of fat.
How To Lighten Up A Veggie Quiche
First, the Crust
I was very excited to find ready made, whole wheat and spelt crusts at Whole Foods. At first glance, I thought that would be a healthy choice for my crust. After reading the label, however, I was surprised to find out that one crust contained almost 900 calories, 64 grams of fat and 32 grams of saturated fat. Even though the saturated fat was from "tropical" oils and contained zero cholesterol, I was still put off by the amount of total fat and calories. I found a few recipes that made a crust using a mixture of cooked rice and eggs and was very pleased with the results. To step it up a notch, I used brown rice and an egg white. The resulting crust had half the calories and 1/16th the fat of the ready-made whole wheat crust. It wasnt as convenient as pulling it out of the freezer but it was still pretty easy to make and certainly worth the effort.
Then, the Dairy
You can lower the calories and saturated fat and still get a very nice consistency by using reduced or low fat cheese instead of full fat cheese. In this recipe I use low fat cottage cheese and reduced fat swiss or cheddar. You can also replace cream with soy milk or fat free evaporated milk. To further reduce the calories and cholesterol, you can replace one of the eggs with 2 egg whites. The flavor created by adding a few tablespoons of high quality parmesan on top will give the impression that all of the dairy ingredients are rich and decadent and no one will realize that youve made these healthy substitutions.
Finally, the Vegetables
There is no need to fry the vegetables in loads of butter. Steam the broccoli and lightly sauté the onions, peppers and mushrooms in a few teaspoons of olive oil.
And the Result is...
The following recipe uses all of these techniques and weighs in at around 300 calories a slice with14 grams of fat and only 4 grams of saturated fat. It also provides around 20 grams of high quality protein and almost 7 grams of fiber. Thats pretty healthy for a quiche.
Good Menu for a Brunch, Baby or Bridal Shower
A veggie quiche is great to serve at a brunch or shower. Serve with roasted baby potatoes, a big fruit or raw green salad and, for a special treat, Mimosas (a flute filled with half champagne and half orange juice). Enjoy!
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Broccoli, Shitake Mushroom and Red Pepper Quiche in a Brown Rice Crust
[serves 8]
For the crust [youll need a 9 inch pie pan]
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 large egg white
pinch of salt and pepper
For the filling
2 cups broccoli florets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup baby shitake mushrooms
2 large organic, cage free eggs
2 large organic, cage free egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk or fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup low fat organic cottage cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat swiss or cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoon parmesan, shredded
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine cooked brown rice, egg white, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan. Press the rice mixture into the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes until it "sets". Remove from oven. LOWER THE OVEN TO 375 degrees.
Steam the broccoli until fork tender and separate into small pieces. Remove from heat and let cool. Sauté the onion, bell pepper and shitake mushrooms until they soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Place the eggs and egg whites in a mixing bowl and lightly beat. Add the milk, cottage cheese, shredded swiss or cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley and mix thoroughly. Add the cooled broccoli and sautéed vegetables and mix well. Pour mixture into the baked rice crust and top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until you can gently shake the quiche and it doesnt wiggle. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Per serving: 304.1 calories, 13.9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 119 mg cholesterol, 19.8 g protein, 33.2 g carbohydrates and 6.6 g of fiber.
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