A medley of brown rice cooked in Golden Monkey tea, fried with onion, carrot, broccoli, and bits of egg, peas, and corn

Yield: 

6 servings

Ingredients: 

3 cups water*
3 tablespoons Golden Monkey black tea leaves (dry)**
1 1/2 cups brown rice
1 stick butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/3 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup frozen green peas
2 cups chopped (bite-size) fresh broccoli florets
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste

Instructions: 

1. Heat water to nearly boiling. Add tea leaves and steep for 3-5 minutes. Strain leaves from tea. Put hot tea into a medium-size saucepan. Add rice, and then proceed to cook rice according to package instructions, subtracting 5 minutes from the suggested cooking time for your rice.***

2. Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, and cook and stir until onions are translucent and carrots are tender.

3. Add corn, peas, and broccoli, and continue cooking until vegetables are crisp-tender. Pour this vegetable mixture into a bowl and set aside.

4. Return skillet to heat, and melt remaining 1/2 stick of butter. Increase heat to medium-high, and add beaten egg. Cook and stir constantly until egg is fully cooked, breaking it into little bits as it cooks.

5. Add cooked rice to egg, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6. Sprinkle soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Add vegetables, and cook and stir until seasonings are evenly distributed and mixture is well-heated, about 5-10 minutes.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

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An easy baked side dish of spinach, rice, and cheese

Yield: 

4-6 servings

Ingredients: 

9 or 10 ounces fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dried onion (or 2 tablespoons of fresh, minced onion)
1 cup cooked rice (measurement is after cooking, not before)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, optional

Instructions: 

1. Place spinach and water in a large pan or skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until spinach leaves wilt.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients. Add the wilted spinach and stir. Pour into a greased 8×8-inch square baking dish.

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until set in the middle. (Test with fork.)

To freeze this casserole: Freeze (uncooked) instead of baking. Thaw and bake, or bake from frozen, covered, for about 60 minutes at 325 degrees, or until hot and set.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Broccoli and cauliflower florets tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and grilled

Yield: 

4-6 servings

Ingredients: 

2 medium-large red onions, cut into halves and thickly sliced
4 cups broccoli florets (bite-size)
1 medium head cauliflower, washed, trimmed and cut into florets (bite-size)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (I like a lot!)
1/3 cup oil

Instructions: 

1. Pre-heat grill, along with a grill grid/pan* on HIGH for 10 minutes. Toss all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. (When adding the salt, sprinkle it rather than dumping it all in one spot.)

2. Pour vegetables onto pre-heated grill pan and spread out evenly. Turn heat to LOW and grill with lid closed for 20-30 minutes. (Smaller florets will cook more quickly.)

Stir and check for doneness every 10 minutes; vegetables are done when crisp-tender and browned on some sides. Serve hot and enjoy! 🙂

I like to serve these grilled veggies with grilled fish, beef, or chicken.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Quick and easy homemade refried beans! These beans are soft, flavorful, and good enough to eat all by themselves!

Yield: 

about 2 cups

Ingredients: 

2 cups cooked pinto beans*
2 tablespoons oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
~1/2 cup water, as needed
Salt, to taste
Your favorite hot sauce, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Instructions: 

1. Heat heavy skillet or pan (I use cast iron) over medium heat. Add oil, then add beans, garlic, onion, pepper, and cumin. Cook and stir, mashing with a spoon or spatula as you stir and adding a little water as needed.

2. Cook until beans are hot and as smooth as desired (I like mine chunky!). Add salt to taste and a few splashes of hot sauce along with freshly chopped cilantro if desired.

Serve hot with tortilla chips for dipping, or use in any recipe calling for refried beans.

Traditional homemade glazed wheat biscuits with cinnamon and raisins

Yield: 

2 dozen biscuits

Ingredients: 

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
1/2-1 cup milk*
1 cup raisins
Icing or glaze, optional (see additional notes for two great recipes!)

Instructions: 

1. Cut butter into flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

2. Add enough milk for consistency. Add raisins and shape into biscuits. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan.

3. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-13 minutes. While baking, make your choice of icing or glaze (see additional notes for two recipes). Drizzle icing over slightly cooled biscuits.

Additional Notes: 

*Use less milk to hand-form biscuits; use more milk for drop biscuits.

Classic Cinnamon Rasin Biscuit Icing/Glaze Recipe:

2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
water

Mix together 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Add water until runny and stir out all lumps with fork. Drizzle icing over slightly cooled biscuits. I set the biscuits on a cooling rack so the excess icing will drip off.

Soft and Cinnamon-y Topping for Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits:

3 Tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tablespoons milk

Mix together 3 Tablespoons softened butter and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Add 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar and stir. Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of milk and beat with electric mixer on HI for a minute or until light and fluffy. Spread over slightly cooled biscuits.

If topping completely runs off, your biscuits are still too hot! Topping should melt slightly and form a glaze when cooled. If biscuits are completely cooled, you can still use this topping; it will just be more like a frosting than a glaze!