Hawaiian Chicken with Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini

I know it's been a while since my last post, but we've had to work on our leftovers. Man oh man, we had a lot of leftovers. After we finished them, I chose to make a couple of dishes I'd made in the past so that we could feast on some oldies but goodies. It was nice to come to the table, knowing we'd love the food.

Tonight was a different story. I decided to try this Hawaiian chicken, from the January issue of Cooking Light. The issue is full of chicken recipes, and so far, we loved all the ones we've tried. This was no exception. It marinated for about 4 hours in the fridge, and the end result was a juicy, sweet and sour chicken, that tasted really delicious. We aren't pineapple lovers in this house, but the pineapple juice, mixed with the soy sauce, and the sweet and spicy ginger, just really made for a nice, mellow flavor. The only issue I had with this one, was that I attempted to cook it on the stovetop, without a grill pan (I can't deal with the smoke from my grill pan), and I ended up popping it into the oven after about 10 minutes, because it just refused to cook through. It wasn't such a biggie, but it prolonged dinner a bit.

Anyway, I was going to serve this with an orzo veggie toss, but at the last minute, I decided to make a chickpea and zucchini stew. I adapted the recipe, from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's new book, and I was NOT disappointed. This is dish has a really rich, comforting flavor, that I just loved. I served it over brown rice, and it was a really nice blend of spicy and salty, with a robust tomato richness. I didn't think it would coordinate very well, with the chicken, but it was actually perfect. I cut up the chicken and ate the 2 together, which added a great depth of flavor, and a really lovely sweetness.

You know dinner was good, when you think about it for the rest of the night...


Make this. It's sweet. It's salty. It's juicy. 4 Bowls.

Hawaiian Chicken


Other Time: 4 hours, 23 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and 1/2 cup rice)


1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine first 5 ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade; place remaining marinade in a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Chill 4 hours.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade in bag. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 6 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 6 minutes.

3. Combine rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cilantro.

CALORIES 247 ; FAT 1.8g (sat 0.5g,mono 0.4g,poly 0.4g); CHOLESTEROL 68mg; CALCIUM 26mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.2g; SODIUM 674mg; PROTEIN 29.9g; FIBER 0.5g; IRON 1.9mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011

Make this. It's good. Really good. 4 Bowls.

Moroccan Chickpeas & Zucchini

Adapted from Appetite for Reduction
1 tsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic (I use bottled)
1 tbl of minced, fresh ginger
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp of salt
2 cups of veggie broth
1 cup of carrot chunks or baby carrots
2 zucchini, sliced
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 15oz can of chickpeas
1 15 ounce can of cannelini beans

In a large stockpot, saute onion in olive oil, over medium high heat, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Use a little Pam or broth if needed. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, and saute another minute.

Add the remaining spices and salt, and saute for about 30 seconds. Deglaze the pot with veggie broth and mix in carrots. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add zucchini and tomatoes, and mix in beans.

Cover the pot and bring to a slow boil. Cook for 15 minutes. Then adjust lid, to partially cover, and cook for another 15 mins, as liquid reduces a little. Turn off heat and let it sit for 10 minutes to let flavors blend. Remove bay leaves and taste for salt.

Serve over couscous or brown rice.

Isa's Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup

As you may know, we love lentil soup in our house. It's funny, though, because there are some specific flavors that I think of, when I think lentil soup. I think Indian, tomato, barley, or even chicken and sweet potatoes. This recipe called for a bunch of things I would never think to put in a lentil soup, including tarragon, thyme, spinach, and zucchini. I didn't think I'd like it at all - especially when I took my first whiff, and it had a really "herbal" aroma, that I immediately disliked. After an hour of simmering, however, it looked and smelled divine in my house. The end result, was absolutely perfect, and tasted very different than the typical lentil soups I make. The other nice thing about this soup, is that it was a soup, and not a stew, which is usually how my soups turn out. This soup almost reminded me of a chicken soup, but you didn't miss the chicken. Amazingly flavorful, complex, and delicious.





Get the book. Make the food. Tell me about it. 5 Bowls.

Thai Veggie Chili

I hesitate to call this a chili, because it is clearly a stew, but whatever...

When I tried this chili, my first reaction was, "Wow, this tastes really unique. The flavors are so different, considering a lot of the ingredients are the same ones I use all the time."

Kevin's first reaction was, "This tastes sort of generic. I mean, it tastes similar to a lot of things you make."

Hmph. Really? Were we eating the same thing?

Anyway, we both loved it. Well, actually, all four of us loved it, with the ultimate winner being Jonah, who couldn't tear himself away from it. I took this recipe from the the author of Veganomicon, who adapted it from an "Eating Clean Magazine" recipe. I really liked this dinner. It has a sweet and spicy flavor, with a really nice, subtle coconut curry undertone. It's a nice, thick stew, and it went beautifully over a bowl of brown rice. I will definitely be making this again. Soon.







This is a vegetarian hot pot of yums. Make it. 4 Bowls.

Red Lentil Thai Chili

Olive oil (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, however much you feel like using)
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 15 oz can lowfat coconut milk
28 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Limes for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute onions and pepper in oil with a pinch of salt, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more.

Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.

Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!

Vegetarian West African Stew

My friend, Jayme, sent me this recipe last week. It had been handed down to her, and she thought of me and passed it along. I was immediately skeptical about this recipe, because it calls for peanuts. Kevin have always been less than thrilled with nuts in his food, despite the fact that he likes nuts. In the past, when I've crusted things with almonds, or thrown cashews into the rice, he has shown obvious dislike. That being said, I've been anxious to try cooking with peanuts, and Jayme assured me that it didn't have a peanut-heavy flavor.

Anyway... Fast forward to Tuesday evening, when I whipped up this stew. First of all, this is so easy to prepare. Even grinding the peanuts is fun, though I'm sure you could just use organic peanut butter in its place (I think if you use JIF, it would be a little too sweet and salty for the stew). The end product is positively delicious. It has a smokey, salty, sweet flavor, and the peanuts lend a subtle, nutty flavor. The stew definitely doesn't have a strong peanut flavor, but the peanuts are absolutely essential to the deep flavor. The other thing to note about this stew, is that it makes a TON of food. We have leftovers scattered throughout the fridge, and every time I open it, I am excited to see more chickpeas. Weird? Perhaps. But I guess that's the sign of a good meal, right?




Make this! It's a delicious, vegetarian, super healthy meal, that will last a week! 4.5 Bowls (it takes a lot to be a 5 Bowler, know what I mean?)!

Vegetarian West African Soup


This hearty one-dish meal is packed with fiber and can be ready in less than an hour.


Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)


2/3 cup roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped onion
6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Flat-leaf parsley sprigs (optional)

Place peanuts in a food processor; process until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping sides of bowl once.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; saut� 7 minutes or until lightly browned. Add peanut butter, potato, and next 6 ingredients (potato through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Garnish with parsley, if desired.


CALORIES 477 (18% from fat); FAT 9.4g (sat 1.3g,mono 3.5g,poly 3.3g); IRON 3.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 110mg; CARBOHYDRATE 89.7g; SODIUM 904mg; PROTEIN 13g; FIBER 13.1g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2002

Rotini with Lentil Bolognese

Seriously? I'm actually going to create a post about eating pasta for dinner? Um, yeah. I am.

I actually used to make whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, every single night, as a side dish, to whatever we were having for dinner. We loved it, but it was a tad excessive - know what I mean?

Anyway, now we all really miss our daily pasta, and since with was a holiday week, and we were both exhausted and itching for some nice comfort food, pasta fit the bill. I really like meat sauce, but since I no longer eat red meat, I have been looking for a substitute, that adds a nice, hearty texture to a pasta sauce. I found this Lentil Bolognese recipe on Epicurious, but the reviews were a tad less than stellar. I ended up doctoring the recipe, to the point where is is basically nothing like the Epicurious version, though I used their recipe as base for inspiration. I will post my recipe below, and if you want to see the original, just click the link! Anyway, this tasted really good. I loved the flavor - Spicy, salty (but not too salty), sweet (but not too sweet!), and hearty. The only issue I had with this recipe, was that the lentils never really cooked well. There is actually a scientific explanation for this, but basically, when you try to cook dried beans in tomato broth, the acidity makes it almost impossible for the beans to get soft. So, basically, I cooked this for a full hour, and the lentils were soft enough, but not really as soft as I would have liked them. My remedy for this? Next time, I will use canned lentils (drained and rinsed), or I will partially cook them separately, then add them for the final 20 minutes of cooking. I personally think this will be crucial, to making this a second time. It didn't matter, because it was a lovely dish, with a lot of leftovers. I will make this again. It was easy, tasty, and a super comforting end, to a long and eventful weekend!

I used whole wheat rotini, which made this even heartier. Mmmmmm.

A big hunk of leftover, homemade focaccia, rounded out this meal very nicely. Jonah loved this bread!


Nothing like a chunky, vegetable ragu.
You should probably make this. Let me know how you modify it, and let me know how your lentils come out! 4 Bowls - gotta take a point off, for toothsome lentils!

Pasta with Lentil Bolognese

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1-2 stalk celery, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped (I used yellow)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 (15-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped OR pureed (juice reserved)
1 1/4 cups dried French green lentils or regular brown/green lentils
Coarse sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp seasoning salt (I used Penzey's 4S Seasoned Salt)
Bay Leaf
3-4 cups of Chicken or Veggie Broth
Dash of crushed red pepper

1 pound shaped pasta, such as cavatappi, rigatoni, or ziti
Pecorino cheese, grated or shaved (optional, but tastes better that way)
Fresh basil, chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook slowly until the vegetables soften and turn golden, about 20 minutes.

2. Increase heat to medium-high and add the tomato paste. Cook until the mixture dries out a bit, about 3 minutes. Pour in the reserved juice from the tomatoes and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and 1 cup water OR broth (I used broth, as per reviews!). Add seasonings and bay leaf (and whatever else you want!)Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Season with the salt and pepper and simmer until the lentils are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the lentils. (If the sauce begins to dry out, add additional water as needed - I ended up having to add at least 2 cups of broth, throughout the cooking.) Reduce heat to low and keep warm.

** If you choose to use rinsed and drained, canned lentils, you should probably use 2 cans, and add them in the last 10-20 minutes of cooking. I'm not sure how this would change the reduction of the sauce though... Any thoughts on this?

4. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Serve with the lentil sauce, sprinkle with the pecorino, and garnish with the basil, if desired.

Chickpea and Winter Vegetable Stew

We love soups and stews here, at Casa de Marji and Kevin. I haven't been cooking all that much lately, because Kevin has beenn working constantly, and it's difficult to cook and clean, when he isn't home for dinner. Yesterday, he has the afternoon off, so I decided to make something warm and toasty for us. This winter veggie stew is quite delicious. It involves a lot of chopping, but miraculously, it doesn't take all that long to prepare. We are not big fans of turnips here, so I just added more carrots, a green squash, and butternut squash to the mix. I'm sure that changed the flavor a little, but it was definitely to our liking! I was also able to use 2 ingredients that I rarely have a chance to break out. First of all, I used caraway seeds, which involved a mortar and pestle. I love being able to make use of my fun toys. Second, the recipe called for Harrissa, which I used in a lentil dal recipe a few months ago. It's a spicy, tangy, Moroccan condiment, that adds an excellent flavor to soups and stews. Anyway, this dish ended up being a really tasty, mellow blend of sweet (from the squash and honey), and a tangy, underlying spiciness from the harrissa. The cumin, caraway, and coriander made a really delicious, but subtle blend. We loved it - especially with the addition of whole wheat couscous. I will definitely be making this again. Hey, who knows? Maybe next time I'll go crazy and try the turnips... But probably not...

Maya wanted to use my "toy," so I gave her some allspice and coriander to crush. All night, she kept saying, "CRUSH! CRUSH!"

Toasted and crushed caraway seeds.


All aboard. One pot. Lots of veggies. Mmmmmm.

The finished product.


Bottom Line: Try this. It's the ultimate comfort food...
Kevin says: 4 OR 5 Bowls... So, 4.5!

Chickpea and Winter Vegetable Stew

Harissa is a fiery spice paste used in Moroccan cooking. Look for it at Middle Eastern markets. I got it at our local Co-op, in NH, but I think they probably sell it at Whole Foods. It's definitely worth buying!

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup squash mixture, 1/2 cup couscous, and 1 lemon wedge)


2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup (1/2-inch) slices leek (I found frozen, sliced leeks at Trader Joe's! Awesome find!)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 2/3 cups veggie stock (I used Penzey's Veg Soup Base)
2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 cup (1/2-inch) slices carrot
3/4 cup (1-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold potato
1 tablespoon harissa
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound turnips, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges (about 2 medium) (I used a zucchini, and also added more carrots and butternut squash, instead)
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (Meh. I omitted this one.)
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 1/3 cups uncooked couscous (Try the whole wheat variety. Get it cheap at TJ's, or in the bulk bins at Whole Foods!)
8 lemon wedges (Omitted)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and leek; sauté 5 minutes. Add coriander and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 3 cups Simple Vegetable Stock and the next 8 ingredients (through chickpeas); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in parsley and honey.

2. Remove 2/3 cup hot cooking liquid from squash mixture. Place cooking liquid and remaining 2/3 cup stock in a medium bowl. Stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges.

CALORIES 264 ; FAT 2.3g (sat 0.3g,mono 1g,poly 0.6g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 92mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.5g; SODIUM 425mg; PROTEIN 8.3g; FIBER 7.5g; IRON 2.4mg

**5 Points, in case you're counting!

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2009

Sesame Tofu Stir Fry Over Brown Rice (or Soba Noodles)

I really want my family to like tofu. I mean, it's such a healthy, easy thing to make, and it is incredibly versatile. I know I've been a bit stir-fry crazy lately, but I had a block of tofu in the fridge, and wanted to use it before I lost my motivation. This recipe was really just for inspiration - I didn't follow it particularly well, in that I changed all the veggies and tweaked the sauce a bit, but the sauce essentially stayed the same. It was an easy dish to whip up, and I really liked it, but Kevin summed up his feelings, by stating, "This is good... for tofu." So, I guess what it comes down to, is that my family doesn't have any love for this meatless wonder. I personally found this to be a great meatless meal. The tofu has a great texture, and a really nice flavor, without being overly salty. I wish that I had made it over brown rice, because I missed that part of it, but honestly, when I started making the meal, I wasn't exactly sure which recipe I wanted to use, so I went with soba noodles, in case I decided to go in the lo mein direction. Anyway, I am going to keep trying tofu, because I like it, and Kevin doesn't hate it. Hey, they say you need to give a child a food TEN times before they accept and love it. Maybe husbands are the same way?




Sesame Tofu Stir-Fry over Rice

Be careful when stir-frying sesame seeds as they tend to pop and splatter. If you can't find black sesame seeds, use light sesame seeds instead.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup rice and 1 1/2 cups mushroom mixture)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (I used toasted - didn't have black)
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (1-pound) package firm or extrafirm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons peanut oil (I used canola)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
Cooking spray
4 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound) (I used carrots, yellow zucchini, red pepper, and onions)
3 cups (2-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice (I used soba noodles)

Combine sesame seeds and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the tofu cubes; toss gently to coat. Combine oils in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu; stir-fry 5 minutes or until tofu is golden. This definitely took me longer than 5 minutes, and it really stuck to my pan, making it next to impossible to clean. I think next time, I might spray the pan, prior to adding the oil. Remove tofu from pan; keep warm.

Return pan to heat; coat with cooking spray. I used a totally new pan, because I had so many veggies, and wanted to use the wok. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Add asparagus; stir-fry 4 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Reduce heat to medium; stir in green onions.

Combine broth and next 4 ingredients (broth through garlic sauce). Add broth mixture to pan; remove from heat (sauce will thicken). Add tofu and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss gently to combine. Serve over rice.

CALORIES 423 (38% from fat); FAT 18g (sat 2.7g,mono 5.4g,poly 8.8g); IRON 15.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 853mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.1g; SODIUM 737mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 8.5g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2004

Fall Vegetable Curry with Basmati Pilaf

We obviously love curry dishes in our house, and this one boasted a quick cooking time, so I thought I'd give it a try tonight. I rarely cook vegetarian dinners that aren't soup, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The recipe recommended serving it with Cashew Rice, but I decided to try a rice pilaf recipe that looked really interesting. The flavor of both recipes was great. I loved the curry. It was a nice blend of sweetness from the potatoes, and salty spiciness, from the curry and chickpeas. The only problem with it, was the cooking time. It seemed to me, that everything needed to be cooked longer. The onions still had a bit of bite to them, and the potatoes were a tad toothsome as well. It was frustrating, because it was pretty uneven - some of it was cooked to perfection, while parts of it seemed underdone. I loved the flavor, however, so I'd like to try this one again.



Fall Vegetable Curry


Other Time: 30 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup curry and 2 tablespoons yogurt)


1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup diced peeled sweet potato
1 cup small cauliflower florets
1/4 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt

1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Decrease heat to medium. Add cauliflower, onion, and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring mixture constantly. Add broth and next 3 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with cilantro; serve with yogurt.

CALORIES 231 ; FAT 3.9g (sat 0.9g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.9g); CHOLESTEROL 2mg; CALCIUM 106mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.8g; SODIUM 626mg; PROTEIN 10.4g; FIBER 8.6g; IRON 2.5mg

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2010

The rice dish was interesting, because it called for both rice and vermicelli in the same dish. I had a lot of green onions in my fridge, so it was a good way for me to use them. I've never used my Calphalon pots in the oven, so I was a little nervous about how this one would come out. I was supposed to cook it in a dutch oven, but I don't have one, so I had to settle for my soup pot. The rice came out underdone, though it had absorbed all the liquid and was stuck to the bottom of my pot. So, basically, it seemed like it, too, needed more cooking time, and more liquid. Once again, parts of it were fine, while parts were toothsome. I loved the flavor though, and the parts that were well cooked, tasted delicious. This might have happened because I didn't use a dutch oven. Perhaps there's a reason it didn't call for making it in a giant pot. Hmph. Anyway, this one was a keeper as well, but it needs some refining, if I want to make it in my big pot again. Or... I may just have to break down and buy a dutch oven.
Basmati Pilaf with Vermicelli and Onions


This is a version of arroz con fidellos (rice with pasta). Fidellos is a thin Sephardic pasta similar to angel hair or vermicelli.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)


5 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped Rio or other sweet onion
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
3/4 cup (2 ounces) uncooked vermicelli, broken into 2-inch pieces
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup sweet onion; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add basmati rice and pasta; cook 2 minutes or until rice is opaque, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken broth, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand 15 minutes. Uncover; stir in parsley and green onions

CALORIES 140 (19% from fat); FAT 3g (sat 0.4g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.2g; SODIUM 289mg; PROTEIN 3.1g; FIBER 0.8g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2006