Quick and Easy Chocolate Pudding

My oldest son and I have a love in common...we both truly and deeply love chocolate. My son especially loves chocolate pudding, but after reading the ingredients' list on a package of instant pudding and discovering that many of the ingredients are unrecognizable and even derived from petroleum, such as artificial food colorings and additives, I decided that chemically processed and artificially flavored pudding is not something I want my family to consume on a regular basis. I love the real food tips that are provided by one of my favorite bloggers, Lisa, at 100 Days of Real Food. She has a great article on artificial food dyes. After doing my own research and reading her article, I definitely decided that artificial food dyes and chemical supplements in food is not something I really want my family to eat.

So, I found this simple, easy, and less processed alternative. Granted, this recipe requires sugar, but sugar consumed occasionally and in small amounts by my family is acceptable by me. The original recipe, from Debra at allrecipes.com, required a full cup of sugar for 8 servings. I reduced the amount of sugar by half and only used a half cup instead and added butter and vanilla for extra smoothness and flavor. My kids love it! Now, if only I could make it taste great without the sugar...hmmmm...a work in progress.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup confectioners sugar (you could use granulated sugar instead, I just like the smoothness of the powdered sugar)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 cups milk
1 TBSP vanilla
1 TBSP butter

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch.

Whisk in milk a little at a time so the mixture does not have any dry lumps. Place in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes on high. Stir, then cook at 1 minute intervals, stirring between cooking times for 2 to 4 minutes, or until shiny and thick. Stir in vanilla and butter.

I have a secret to share with you. If you don't know me by now, I am a little impatient, especially when it comes to chocolate...so...sometimes I cook for 2 minute intervals rather than 1 minute intervals as the original recipe states. My only caution is to watch the microwave to make sure the chocolate pudding does not bubble over your microwave safe container as its cooking.

Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming (I know, I know, in previous blog entries I have written how I dread plastic wrap on warm food, but if someone comes up with a different way to prevent the surface of the pudding from forming a skin, let me know), and chill in the refrigerator or if you are like me, eat it immediately after its cool enough to touch your mouth! You could go without the plastic wrap. The chocolate skin on top tastes just like the pudding, just firmer and thicker in texture.

Corns, Beans and Rice

I still have many boxes of brown rice to eat and still have a few recipes up my sleeve to try. Here is one more I pulled out of my pocket by mixing ingredients I have on hand. My husband so enjoyed this dish that he ate it as his main meal rather than a side dish as originally intended.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen sweet corn kernels cooked
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 green or red pepper diced

Dressing:

• 3-4 TBSP olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime or 2 TBSP bottled lime juice
• 1 TBSP ground cumin
• 1 TBSP  ground garlic
• 1 TBSP onion powder
• 3 TBSP cilantro
• kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and salt/pepper. In a large bowl, mix the rice, corn, peppers and beans. Fold in the dressings with the rice and vegetables.

Coconut Rice Pudding

Remember in my previous post, I have many boxes of brown rice to go through and what a blessing to find a dessert that uses brown rice. I love rice pudding but never have used brown rice to make it. I remember this dessert as a school girl enjoying it as a side with my school lunch. The inspiration for this recipe was found at TV Food Network with some modifications of course. I cut the sugar to 2 TBSP from 1/2 cup, cut the liquid measurements in half, and added more rice than the recipe required. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did!

Ingredients:
1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk (unsweetened)
1 3/4 cups milk
2 1/2 cup brown rice
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 TBSP sugar

Put the coconut milk, milk, rice, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the liquid simmers very gently. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender but chewy and absorbs most of the liquid, about 1/2 hour.

Remove the pudding from the heat, transfer to a bowl, and cool in the refrigerator, about 1 hour.

To serve, top with a banana or whipped topping.

Other topping suggestions from TV Food Network: Diced fresh pineapple with toasted coconut and finely grated lime zest, berries or peaches sweetned with honey or 2/3 cup dried blueberries steeped in 1/2 cup boiling water.

Baja Black Beans and Rice

It seems like forever since my last post, but with the new baby and and running for soccer, planning for gatherings, and trying to squeeze in household chores between naps and feedings, I sometimes feel overwhelmed and not enthusiastic in my quest to try new recipes. Lately, I have been relying on freezer meals that I planned and made before baby David arrived, but ever since my stash of freezer meals has disappeared due to consumption, much of our diet lately has consisted of too many "stick in the oven" processed meals.

As I am looking for food ideas in my cupboard, I found an over abundance of brown rice, 10 boxes of brown rice as a matter of fact...What to do ...what to do?! I think it is time to use more brown rice in my cooking, so the next few days watch for recipes involving brown rice. Here is today's experiment. I served it at lunch for my boys while everyone else was at work and school. My oldest boy loved it and ate every last bite, but my middle boy refused to even try it...I thoroughly enjoyed it as well!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can corn drained (or 1 cup frozen corn)
2 fresh tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions: Cook the brown rice. While brown rice is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Once the rice completes cooking and is slightly cooled, mix with the black bean mixture and serve.

Garlic Baked Potato Wedges

A favorite side dish for my family (I first tried the recipe from Pinterest at The Purple Foodie), my kids really disliked the cornstarch and found it too breaded... So, I stuck with my original baked potato wedge recipe, but added more olive oil, garlic and sea salt for a new twist. I hope your family likes it as much as mine...We Love Garlic! I must admit while this is a non-processed recipe that is baked not fried, it may not be the healthiest selection for a side dish. It's a guilty pleasure of mine without the guilt I would feel if I ate fast food french fries.

Ingredients:

• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6-7 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 6-12 wedges
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Organic Ketchup
• Mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 425° F. Scrub the potatoes and leave the skins on. Pierce with a small knife and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes until slightly tender but not cooked all the way through. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly and cut into wedges.

Combine the garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and oil in a large bowl.  Add the potatoes to the bowl with the garlic mixture and toss well to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake, turning once, until golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Sometimes, to bake even faster, I switch the oven to broil and cook under the broiler at the highest temperature for 15-20 minutes rather than waiting the extra 20-30 minutes at 425° F.

Serve with ketchup, mayo or sour cream. My family's favorite is ketchup and mayo mixed together as a dipping sauce. The main dish is the French Dip with Au Jus.

Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad

After working two weeks at 8h and Railroad Center in Downtown Sioux Falls, I spent many enjoyable meals at Sanaa's, a Middle Eastern restaurant immediately next door to where I was teaching this last summer. Tabbouleh salad, I must say, was my favorite item on the menu, and I ate it with every meal I had there. I even substituted it for the rice, it was so delicious. Tabbouleh Salad is a classic Middle Eastern dish made with bulgur, cinnamon, allspice, tomato and parsley. Serve with grilled meats and fish. I found this recipe at www.sheknows.com.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fine bulgur
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and minced
• 3-1⁄2 cups minced flat-leaf parsley
• 1-1⁄4 cups minced mint leaves
• 1⁄3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the bulgur and the water into a medium-sized bowl, cover and allow to soak for 12 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse the bulgur and then place in a salad bowl. Top with the tomatoes, parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, vinegar, scallion and a few pinches of salt and pepper to taste. Toss the mixture well to combine and then serve immediately.