Rice and Orzo Pilaf

This is a great simple rice recipe to serve as a side.

1 cup basmati or other long-grained rice
3 Tbsp. orzo
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt (I personally left this out as the broth gave it enough salt)
pepper (optional)

Wash rice several times. Place into a bowl and cover with hot water for at least 15 minutes. In medium saucepan on medium heat place orzo and stir continuously until it turns brown. Add butter and rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth and salt and pepper if desired. Bring to a boil, cover pan with light dish towel or a couple layers of paper towel and put the cover on. Decrease heat to low and let cook 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Chicken cutlets with coconut rice and roasted vegetables

This was such a good meal last night!! I got my hands on a new cookbook that I took the chicken and rice recipe from and so far it's awesome! The vegetable recipe came from the South Beach diet book. Tell me if you try it!



Parmesan-spiced chicken cutlets Serves 4

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp. ground peppercorns
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp. Garam Masala
1 3/4 cups bread crumbs ( I used Shore Lunch breading mix)
6 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, finely grated (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or canola oil for frying

Mix the cilantro, garlic, oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp peppercorns, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Transfer to a gallon size resealable plastic bag, add chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to overnight.

Whisk the eggs with the Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp peppercorns in shallow dish. In a separate dish stir together bread crumbs and cheese. Place the flour in another dish. Dredge each cutlet in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, the coat with bread crumb/cheese mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets until both sides are browned-3-4 minutes each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.




Coconut Rice Serves 8

1/4 cup canola oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
12 curry leaves (optional--I left them out)
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Heat the oil with the onions, curry leaves if using, mustard seeds and cumin seeds in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the cumin is browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the rice, cook for 2 minutes, and then mix in the coconut and cook, while stirring, until the coconut is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the water, coconut milk, and kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook the rice for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables Serves 4

1 medium zucchini or green squash, cut into bite-size pieces
1 meduim summer squash, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound fresh asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
1 red onion
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 450 F. Place the vegetables and onion in a large roasting pan. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to mix and coat. Spread in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.


Addendum:I realized I should have named the new cookbook, it's American Masala by Suvir Saran. It's an awesome cookbook!