Southwestern Brown Rice Salad

This was HOT, HOT, HOT....as in spicy!  If you aren't a fan of spice - either don't put the jalapeno's in or take out the seeds!  It was really good, but had a KICK!  We had this with 3-2-1 RIBS....yummy!!!

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 recipe of brown rice (see below)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Zest of 1 lime
2 teaspoons honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
10oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded if you want; I pretty much always want)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5-7 green onions, chopped

Cook the rice according to the directions below. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, and cumin. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the rice, tomatoes, avocado, and jalapeno. Add the cilantro and green onions and toss. Drizzle with the dressing, salt to taste, and serve immediately (or refrigerate…this will be good until the avocados start getting iffy, so about a day.)

How to Boil Brown Rice

1 1/2 cups long grain brown rice
3 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vinegar or citrus juice

Fill a large pot with the 3 quarts of water (not 3 cups–we’re living on the edge here) and add the salt. Bring to a boil. While the water is coming to a boil, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

When the water is boiling, add the rice and cook uncovered for 22-25 minutes (or until the rice is tender), stirring occasionally. Drain in a fine-mesh strainer and spread evenly over the prepared baking sheet (this step isn’t necessary if you’re eating the rice right away and you feel like you got all the water out, but for things like salads and stir-fries, you’ll definitely want to spread the rice on a baking sheet).. Drizzle with the citrus juice or vinegar and toss to combine. Transfer to a serving dish to serve or cover and store in the refrigerator for later use in recipes.

3-2-1 RIBS

We have not been doing very good at making home cooked meals lately, SO we decided to have a "date night in" / house projects and cook a wicked meal to eat once Brody went to bed.  These might have taken 6 hours to make - but it was worth it!!!  They were soooo good!!!  Ross gets all the credit here - and he said "best ribs he ever had!"  :)

Ingredients:
1 rack of spare ribs (at room temperature)
Rub with rib rub
Tin Foil
Apple Juice

Rub ribs with the rib rub....Smoke on grill/smoker for 3 hours at 225 degrees - bone side down.  (I asked Ross if people would know how to "smoke", and I got "um yeah".....SO if you don't know what I'm talking about - ask me!!  Ross used a smokers box under our grill..had wood chips in there....seemed a little complicated to me, but I wasn't given much explanation -- hehe)

Wrap ribs in tin foil and pour apple juice over.  Cook 2 more hours at 225 degrees.  (again, asked Ross for more deets here....so you don't need to smoke for these 2 hours, but you can keep the ribs in the smoker; if that's what you used.)

Remove from foil and place ribs back on grill/smoker and smoke for 1 more hour at 225 degrees. (and now we are smoking again....)

Take them out and eat!

Baby Food - Apricot

Brody will eat anything.....he had all cold food when we were camping cause we were on the go so much, so when we got home and I gave them apricots I wasn't surprised when he just ate them :)  I think they were a little too tart though, so he wanted "more" once I mixed with his oatmeal!

 

One whole apricot yields about four ounces of puree.

The tanginess of pureed apricot brings a pleasing flavor contrast to sweet fruit and veggie purees, and it brightens meat and poultry purees. You can make apricot puree with fresh or frozen apricots; buy fresh in the summer and frozen the rest of the year for high-quality, affordable apricots. Look for deep yellow to orange fruit that's free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. Ripe apricots will give a bit when you squeeze them. Avoid apricots that feel hard -- their flesh will be crunchy instead of soft and juicy.

Wash the apricot with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then drop the apricot into the water for about 45 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove the apricot from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath immediately. After the apricot has been fully submerged, remove and peel the skin with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.

Slice the apricot in half, lengthwise, working your way around the pit. Twist and pull the apricot halves apart. Use a spoon to pry out the pit, or stick the blade of a sharp knife into the pit and twist until the pit pops out. Slice each half into small chunks.

Puree apricots in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Cool apricot puree and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Food - Zucchini

I didn't think Brody would really like this, because lately he has been seeing anything green and not wanting to eat it - BUT he ate this and seemed to keep wanting more, so we might have a green veggie winner!!

Choose zucchini that are somewhat small in diameter, as these are the most tender.

Wash squash thoroughly and cut into small slices or chunks. Do not remove skins. (*The skin contains most of the nutrients....You may remove skins however an infant of 7-8 months old should be able to digest squash puree with skins on)

Steam until tender (or boil for 10 minutes) then place into your choice of appliance for pureeing and begin pureeing. This becomes very watery when cooked; so you don't need to add any water when pureeing.

Baby Food - Acorn Squash

So I was trying to think of more veggies to introduce to B, and most of the ones I have left our doctor/I've read to wait until 8+ or 10+ months to introduce SO I figured we would do up another kinda of squash since Broden likes his butternut squash so much!

This squash is probably one of the most easily recognized and most often eaten. It does have an acorn shape to it along with deep furrows. The acorn squash is typically a deep dark green however there are some varsities that are yellow or orange. If you find and acorn squash that has orange or yellow splotches on it, this is indicative of it's quality.

With a sharp kitchen knife, cut the acorn squash in half - lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and lay squash "face" or meat-side down in a baking dish with about 1-2 inched of water.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes or until shell/skin looks puckery and turns darker.

Baby Food - Apples

Can't go wrong with apple sauce!!  Brody couldn't get enough of this!!  I literally gave him 5T of apples PLUS oatmeal tonight; I think he would have kept eating but I thought I better cut him off!!!

One medium apple yields about five ounces of puree

Since apples are part of the "dirty dozen" -- foods with the highest pesticide residue -- it's a good idea to buy organic. Choose apples with a sweet, mild flavor, such as Red Delicious and Gala apples; avoid tart varieties such as Granny Smith.

Wash the apple with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water, dry, and peel. The easiest way to peel an apple is to use a vegetable peeler and work in a circular motion around the fruit. If you do not have a vegetable peeler, use a sharp paring knife

Set the peeled apple, stem side up, on a clean cutting board. Slice in half. To remove the core, cup each apple slice in your palm and cut in a shallow scooping motion with a paring knife. Once the core is removed, slice each half into small chunks

Bring water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Reduce heat until bubbles are soft. Cook apple chunks until tender. Check apples after 10 minutes -- it's important to minimize cooking time to help preserve vitamins and minerals. When apples are tender, drain and rinse with cold water for three minutes to stop the cooking process.

Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Cool applesauce and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.

Baby Food - Peaches

Brody LOVED his peaches!!!  Man - I think this kid will eat anything!!!  haha  He isn't such a fan of green beans these days, but mixed with peaches - he'll even eat that!!  He really liked when I mixed the peaches with his oatmeal....I think it took a little of the sweetness away!  AND this helped with his constipation too!!  They say 'P' food for "poop" :)

One peach yields about four ounces of puree.

You can make peach puree with fresh or frozen peaches; buy fresh in the summer and frozen the rest of the year for high-quality, affordable peaches. When purchasing fresh peaches, look for deep orange-colored fruit with a reddish blush. It should be free of nicks, bruises, and other blemishes. A ripe peach will give slightly when you squeeze it. Since peaches are part of the "dirty dozen" - foods with the highest pesticide residue - it's a good idea to buy organic.

Wash the peach with a mixture of three parts water and one part white vinegar to remove bacteria. Rinse under cool running water and dry.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add peaches to the water for about 45 seconds. With a slotted spoon, remove peaches from boiling water and plunge into an ice bath immediately. After peach has been full submerged, remove and peel the skin with your fingers or a sharp paring knife.

Slice peaches in half, lengthwise, working your way around the pit. Twist and pull the peach halves apart. Use a spoon to pry out the pit, or stick the blade of a sharp knife into the pit and twist until the pit pops out. Slice each half into even-sized slices then quarter each slice.

Puree peaches in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Refrigerate leftover peach puree for up to 3 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in your refrigerator.