Brown Rice with Herbs, Chicken and Vegetables

I loved the color in this dish. It made me happy inside just looking at it. It tasted good as well, which was an added bonus. It was loaded with a lot of great foods. :) You can make your own creative creation. Enjoy your weekend!

Ingredients: serves about 6
3 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 C water
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 whole yellow onion chopped in slices
3 C cooked rice
1 C fresh spinach
1 C chopped carrots
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1/4 C fresh parsley
1 tsp of the following oregano, basil, thyme and ...?
* fresh herbs if you have any
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a big pot put in chicken and water. Turn to medium heat. Put on the lid and let cook about 15 min still chicken starts to cook. Take of the lid and cut chicken into small pieces.( I use kitchen shears.)

2. Then add garlic and onion. Let cook another 3 min together. Stir in cooked rice until combined. Then throw in the vegetables and herbs you choose. Turn down the heat cover with lid, and cook till carrots soften. Don't over cook, or you will loose the bright colors, that make it more appetizing. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Make Your own Cheese Ball

This picture reminds me of a song I sang as a child the "Farmer in the Dell". ... Hi ho the dairy oh the cheese stands alone....." It is fun many years later to have this song pop into my head. It brings back happy memories from childhood. :)

I hope that you are enjoying a wonderful New Year! It is refreshing to think of new opportunities and experiences that are ahead in a new year. It is also fun to think of new things to accomplish. It is renewal time for me. I hope it is for you as well. :) Our numbers have gone down after having family home for the holidays. We had a nice season.

This was a yummy cheese ball that I made for my family. It got gobbled up fast. I enjoyed making a cheese ball on my on own for at least a third of the cost of buying it at the store. It was super easy as well. You could enjoy it with crackers, tortillas or vegetables. Great after school snack too.

Ingredients:

1 80z pkg of * Neufchatel cheese or Yogurt cheese

1/2 tsp sea salt with iodine

1/2 tsp basil dried or fresh

1/2 tsp marjoram dried or fresh

1/2 tsp thyme dried or fresh

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 C chopped up cilantro

or what ever herbs you love

1/2 C. crushed nuts (I used almonds)

Directions:

1. Soften cream cheese. I just let it sit in the warm window seal for a little while.

2. Put cheese in bowl along with herbs. Stir until it is all incorporated. Roll it into a ball. You can put in the fridge for a little while to get it to harden. It works without doing this step.

3. Pour nuts on wax paper and spread out or put them in a bowl. Roll the ball until completely covered.

4. You can serve immediately or store covered until ready to eat. Enjoy! :)

*Neufchatel Cheese is a lower in fat option.

Wonderful Herb Spread

I hadn't made cream cheese for a while. Here is how you make it if you are interested. I love the creaminess of homemade cream cheese. It is so wonderful. I made a tasty herb spread out of it yesterday. This spread could be used on crackers, vegetables, baked potato, and french bread. There are others ways too, but that's a start. I ate some again today. It was even better than yesterday. It tastes so fresh. I hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients:

1/2 C cream cheese store bought or homemade
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh marjoram or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 green onions chopped up small pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Directions.:

1. Stir cream cheese till soft. Then add all the wonderful herbs, onions, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

2. Letting it chill for 30 min is good to enhance the flavor, but not essential. Serve your favorite way. :)

Sweet Potato Fries with Herbs

My friend Melinda gave me a new way to make sweet potato fries. (I love hearing other peoples ideas. =) She said you could also use this mixture on squash and other kinds of potatoes too. I loved the smell of all the herbs. It was fun to use Oregano too! They added a wonderful flavor. I appreciated my husband cutting all the sweet potatoes. He does such a nice job. I like him being in the kitchen with me. Sorry I only have a before picture. I love to find new ways to eat vegetables.


Ingredients:
5-6 sweet potatoes or squash
4 minced garlic
1/2 C olive oil
1 C apple cider vinegar (I may cut this down a tad next time. I did like it!)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Directions: Heat oven to 350

1. Slice up potatoes in julienne pieces. 1/4' wide by 3 to 4 " long (roughly).

2. Mix in a bowl, with a whisk: oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper.

3. Dip all the potatoes into the mixture. Place on cookie sheet. Single layer. Cover with foil for the first 30 min. Then take off the foil and cook another 30 min. Depending on your oven. Keep an eye on them.

4. Serve! Enjoy a nice healthy treat!

*Thanks Melinda for all of your great ideas! =)

Seasoned Cross Rib Roast

This roast turned out great. I was feeding a crowd. It was all gone by the end of the meal. It was very tender and moist. The meat just fell apart. =)
This picture makes me smile because it looks like a plant. I went all out with the herbs. It had a great flavor. This is before it was cooked picture.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs cross rib roast
1 onion chopped in big slices
5 garlic cloves minced
1 to 2 T fresh parsley or 1 Dried
5-6 basil leaves or 2 tsp dried
1 T thyme
1 T marjoram
1 1/2 C water
salt and pepper to taste after


Directions:

1. The meat was frozen. I put it in my pressure cooker and then just poured everything on top of it. Set the timer on high pressure for 99 min., and then it keeps it warm till you are ready to serve. Let the pressure release on its own.


2. Or you could do the same thing in the crock pot. Just start it in the morning on low, and let it cook all day, or put it on high and let it cook 4+ hours till tender. Depending on how big the roast is.

*Made great gravy!

Delicious!

Spices (Chili Peppers, Thyme)

Variety is the spice of life.=) In reading about spices and herbs, they mention to not eat them in excess. I think that would not be a problem for most of us. Usually it is the opposite of not having them enough.

Some helpful insights:

1. Buy in small amounts. If you haven't been using them. Start added them to your foods and see which ones you like. They enhance your foods.
2. Fresh is usually better, but not always possible. Usually it is 1 tsp. dried to 1 T fresh. You can start with less and add more according to your preference. Fresh ground is more flavorful than pre-ground. Dried ones are more potent when you first buy them, they lose some potency as time goes on.
3. I have grown them in my garden with great success. They are on the whole fairly hardy plants. It is gardening time coming up again soon. =) It is a good time to think about what ones to grow.
4. I got some starts in the produce section of the store and have them growing by my kitchen sink. (Basil and Marjoram) They have done really well. I find I use them more often having them right there. I am looking to add more varieties to my indoor garden. They add a nice smell to my kitchen too.
5. Have fun with them! I feel like a scientist at times. Try out new ones. There are a lot of resources out there to increase your knowledge.

Image from thisnext.com

Chili Peppers:

Ways it may help you:
Capsaicin is an ingredient found in chili peppers that makes them spicy.* It also has a lot of helpful benefits. I need to use these a lot more.
*People with heartburn or ulcers shouldn't eat a hot diet.

1. Fights Inflammation
2. Cardiovascular benefits
3. Clears Congestion
4. Boosts Immunity
5. Helpful in losing weight
6. High in Vitamin C (Contains more than an orange)
7. Curbs your appetite
8. Releases endorphins and serotonin- That can give you a good overall feeling.
9. Can help with migraines and headaches
10. Some people say you can warm your feet by sprinkling cayenne in your shoes. ;)
11. Fights prostate cancer and ulcers.

Helpful ways to use it:

1. Add to scrambled eggs
2. Put them in sandwiches, quesadillas, burgers, and wraps.
3. Stir in soups, stews, and pasta sauce
4. Toss in stir frys
5. Saute them with other vegetables
6. Add to dips, salsa, and sauces
7. Add to your favorite Mexican food
8. You can add sprinkle cayenne peppers on foods.
9. Here is a great recipe using Chili powder--one of my family's favorites.
10. Here is another great recipe with chili powder.
image from mountainvalleygrowers.com

Thyme: There are about 60 different varieties. I usually use the dried variety and love the flavor it adds to my food (because that's what I have on hand.) They say the flavor in fresh form is superior to dried. The leaves should be free from yellow or dark spots. It is slow to release its flavor so add early in the cooking process.



Ways it may help you:
1. Good source of iron, calcium and manganese
2. It is an antiseptic as well as antibacterial. You can crush it to clean cuts
3. Soothing for coughs and sore throats.
4. Good antioxidant

Helpful ways to use it: The strong flavor goes well with comfort foods.

1. Sprinkle dried thyme onto to cooked vegetables
2. Add 1/8 tsp to scrambled eggs and salad dressing
3. Use for a rub for salmon
4. Add fresh thyme to chicken soup or salad
5. Add to bean dishes
6. Great with chicken dishes
7. Season soups and vegetable and chicken stocks with it.