Lubia Polow

I made a Persian rice dish last night for dinner. This one is a simple one that doesn't take a lot of time, I think from start to finish it was about 40 minutes. I don't think I have it quite to where I want it yet though, so I may be adding to this recipe in the future or modifying it. The biggest problem I have is that I can't get the right amount of salt, I am typically short on salt for this recipe. Also, I think that the addition of a couple of cloves of garlic and a little saffron would do wonders. But I digress, here is the recipe as I made it last night.

1 lb beef or lamb (cut into bit sized pieces)
3 cups rice (basmati, washed)
6 oz tomato paste
2 cans green beans
1 onion (sliced or chopped)
salt + pepper to taste
potato (sliced into thin pieces)
oil

Cook washed rice for 6-10 minutes, you want the rice to still be a little firm. Make sure that you salt the water as the rice is cooking. Strain the rice and blanch with cold water, set aside.

While the rice is cooking, saute your onion in a little oil. After is turns a light brown, add your meat, salt and pepper to taste. Brown meat and add in tomato paste and green beans plus enough water to cover. It should have the consistency of a thick stew. Simmer for 10 minutes and add in salt and pepper again to taste if necessary.

In a large non-stick pot or cast iron pot, put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot and turn stove onto med. heat. Put a layer of potato slices to cover the bottom of the pot then add a couple of scoops of rice and a little salt and oil, fold in a couple of scoops of meat/green bean mixture and repeat until it is all gone. Cover your pot and reduce heat to simmer. Let it cook for about 20 minutes. This will steam the rice the rest of the way to completion and fry the potatoes on the bottom.

Flip the pot upside down onto a serving platter and serve with pita and cucumber yogurt sauce (recipe to follow soon hopefully).

I might come back to edit this recipe in the future. This dish is really one of my favorites, and I want to get it just right. I am thinking that the addition of garlic and maybe saffron will do the trick. Plus, don't forget to salt the rice, otherwise it will be pretty bland.

Nachos a la Justin

I really love simple foods made well. I don't know what it is but I just like the basics, and when they taste phenomenal it is even better. Case in point, Nachos. This is simplicity at it finest. Corn chips with melted cheese. Easy as, well, nachos. But can they be more, can they be taken out of the mid-day snack and appetizer realm and made into a meal? I say they can, try this recipe for a tasty dinner that kids love.

Bag of corn chips (get ones that have a little bit of salt on them)
can of refried beans (black or pinto)
small can of fire roasted green peppers (the hot kind, not bell peppers)
small can of olives (sliced)
3/4 lb of ground beef or diced chicken breast
1 pkg of Lawrey's taco or fajita spices
2 tomatoes
3 avocados
1 onion
cheddar cheese (grated)
Cilantro
lime
Sour Cream
Salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder

Put the refried beans into a microwave bowl and add a little water, stir and microwave for 45 seconds to warm them up.
In a skillet, cook your meat and add the spices when it is cooked through. Follow the directions for the spice package. Turn on your oven to 350. Dice your tomatoes and onion. In a 9 x 13 pan (I like to use stoneware), place a layer of chips and then cheese. Add about half of your beans, half your onion and all of your green peppers. Add another layer of chips and cheese. Put on your meat, olives, tomatoes, and rest of onion and top with a little more cheese. Put in the oven for 12 minutes.
Slice your avocados into a bowl and add a little bit of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder (to taste) and a scoop of sour cream. Dice your cilantro (about a 1/2 hand full) and put into the guacamole. Squeeze 1/4 a lime into your guacamole. Mix and mash to desired lumpiness.
Put your oven on broil for about 2 minutes (watch it so it doesn't burn). Take out your pan and squeeze 1/4 a lime over the nachos. Serve the nachos with sour cream and guacamole. Mmmm, so good and easy!

Doula Training for ViviAnne

ViviAnne spent the weekend training to become a doula. For those of you that don't know, a doula is a birthing assistant trained in a more natural approach to child bearing and pregnancy. She spoke very highly of her weekend, saying that it was both very educational and emotional. Many of the women at the training talked about their personal stories with their births. All in all it sounded like a great weekend for her and I was happy to be able to give her that by watching the kids Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

I think that she will be an excellent doula and birthing assistant. Her background in human development and her personal experiences make her open to many different styles of birth, and a great repository for information about pregnancy, birthing and child development. Plus her kind heart, giving nature and strong mind make her an excellent person to have in your birth experience.

So, what is next for her? She needs to complete her training. She needs 6 births to get certified as a doula. She has two, I think, done right now, her mother's (which she questions as countable) and her sister Shynne's. You can't count any of your own births, otherwise she would just need 1 more. She has already been approached by a friend of ours to attend her birth and she is trying to convince her other sister, Autumn, to attend her birth. If she is able to do both, than that leaves two and I think she could fined local women just by advertising in the paper and online.

Have a great Monday!