Out with the Old, In with the New {Recipe: Cilantro Lime Rice}

My mom used to make Spanish rice often. It is another quintessential dish of the 1970's. I do make Spanish rice occasionally, but I make this Cilantro Lime Rice more often. It is a great accompaniment to just about any Mexican dish.

Cilantro Lime Rice

This rice is good as a side dish, in burritos and burrito bowls, and even in tacos. 

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups brown or white rice
1-32 ounce container of chicken stock
zest of one lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro or 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped fine and loosely packed
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fine ground pepper

Melt butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add onion and sauté until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and rice, and continue to sauté just until the rice starts to turn a light golden brown. Pour in the chicken stock, add the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, cumin, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Follow cooking time on rice package. (For brown rice it is usually about 45 minutes and white rice it's about 16 minutes.) Tip: To check for doneness, take a fork and pull away a little section of rice, then tilt the pan-if there is still liquid, continue to cook for a few more minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice. Be careful not to disturb the rest of the rice in the pan. When done, remove pan from heat, remove bay leaf, fluff the rice and let sit for 2 more minutes, then serve.

Makes 6-8 servings. 

Enjoy!

A Salty Sweet Valentine Treat {Recipe: Valentine Pretzel Bark}

Gone are the days of preparing lots of Valentine's for my kids' friends and decorating cute boxes to put them in. I kind of miss those days, but I now have fun making Valentine treats with my daughter. Together we came up with the perfect Valentine treat for the family. It's the perfect combination of salty sweetness.

Valentine Pretzel Bark is perfect for a beginner at candy making to make. This easy salty sweet treat is also a perfect for my kids: my son who is a little salty (he'd be the first to admit it) and my daughter who is sweet. ;)

Valentine Pretzel Bark

This bark has a yummy pretzel toffee base that would be delicious with any kind of chocolate on it!

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 cups salted pretzel twists
2 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
Valentine M&M's and sprinkles 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with Silpat liner, parchment or no-stick foil.
3. Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on the bottom of the prepared jelly roll pan, using broken pieces to fill in gaps between the pretzels; set aside.
4. In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the sugars and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and gently boil for 4 minutes. 
5. Pour the butter/sugar mixture evenly over the layer of pretzels. Using a heat-proof spatula, spread the butter/sugar mixture to cover the pretzels completely. 
6. Place pan in the oven and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes (keep a close eye on this, it can burn quickly). 
7.  After removing the pan from the oven, sprinkle the top of the pretzel toffee with the white chocolate chips. Wait about 2 minutes, then spread the chocolate with an offset spatula. 
8. Sprinkle with Valentine M&M's and sprinkles.
9. Cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to harden (1-2 hours).
10. Lift the bark from the pan and break into pieces. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Adventures in Doughnuts: Making a Guilty Pleasure a Little Less Guilty {Recipes: Baked Doughnut Twists, Chocolate Glaze, Vanilla Glaze, and A Vegan Alternative}

Almost everyone I know feels guilty when they have a doughnut or two. It is a guilty pleasure filled with sugar and fat, but oh so hard to resist. My family and I don't give in to going to the local doughnut shop often, but love seeking out doughnut shops in the cities we visit.

Lately it seems that every city we visit has a must try doughnut shop. In Portland, OR there are two, Voodoo Doughnuts and Blue Star Donuts. In Kansas City, The Doughnut Lounge is a must. While in New York City, we had to try The Doughnut Plant. Los Angeles is the city we travel to most often and these are the doughnut shops we have tried so far: Randy's Donuts (an iconic landmark), Bob's Coffee and Doughnuts, and California Donuts. There are many more on our list to check out in L.A.

Each one of the doughnut shops we have tried have a doughnut or two that we really liked, but the stand out doughnut shop of all them is Blue Star. The doughnuts from Blue Star are outstanding. While we enjoyed all the doughnuts tried from there, and they are best known for their brioche based doughnuts, the entire family agrees that the old-fashioned buttermilk doughnut the best doughnut we have ever had.

Blue Star has a new location in Los Angeles, so now there is one a little closer to us and we don't have to wait until we go to Portland to have them again. But it still requires a road trip to get there, so in the mean time these will do. These satisfy our craving for doughnuts without the guilt!

Baked Doughnut Twists

My daughter, Lili, has been making these for a Sunday treat lately. They are really good and a bit healthier than fried doughnuts. This recipe is adapted from the one that came with the Doughnut Twist Pan by Wilton Cakes. 

6 tablespoons butter, softened (For the vegan version of this recipe, substitute vegetable shortening.)
1 cup granulated sugar 
2 large eggs (For the vegan version these doughnuts, mix 2 tablespoon of milled flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water and let sit a few minutes to thicken.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour*
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk (For the vegan version of these doughnuts, place 1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a 1/2 liquid measuring cup and add preferred milk alternative (I use almond milk). Let stand for 10 minute to thicken.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare Doughnut Twist Pan with nonstick cooking spray. 

In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each. Add vanilla extract. 

Sift flour and corn starch together into a measuring cup and level. Start with the cornstarch in the sifter to ensure it goes into the measuring cup. This should yield 2 1/4 cups flour/cornstarch mixture. 

Pour the flour/cornstarch mixture into another bowl and stir in baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Add half dry of the ingredients to the wet ingredients and mixed until just combined. Add buttermilk, stir, then add remaining dry ingredients; mix until just combined. Careful not to overmix.

Fill cavities of doughnut pan 2/3 full. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of doughnut twist comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes; remove to cooling rack

Yields 6 doughnut twists. 

The vegan version of these doughnuts were baked in a regular doughnut pan. Again, fill the cavities of the doughnut pan 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Yields 10 doughnuts. 

*The original recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups cake flour. I don't like to buy cake flour because it is bleached, non-organic,  and I never seem to use it all. So, I use a cake flour substitute: cake flour with cornstarch sifted in.

These doughnuts are made using the vegan
version of this recipe. 

Chocolate Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1-3 tablespoons water

Whisk together the all the ingredients, starting with only a tablespoon of water. Continue to add water a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. 

Use a spatula to spread the glaze on the doughnuts, allow some to drip down the sides of the doughnut. If using sprinkles, put the sprinkles on immediately after glazing each doughnut. Otherwise the glaze start to harden and the sprinkles will not stick.

Makes enough to generously glaze 6 doughnut twists. 

Vanilla Glaze

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown's Doughnut Glaze Recipe found @http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/doughnut-glaze-recipe.html

2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Combine milk and vanilla in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until warm. Sift the confectioners' sugar into the milk mixture. Whisk slowly until combines. Remove the glaze from the heat and spoon over the doughnuts, spreading the glaze a bit so it drips down the size. If using sprinkles, put the sprinkles on immediately after glazing each doughnut. Otherwise the glaze start to harden and the sprinkles will not stick. 

Makes enough glaze for 6 doughnut twists. 

Enjoy!