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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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.

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.

A savory mina, made from layered matzos with a filling of broccoli, onions, egg, and three cheeses
Yield: 

4-6 servings (as a main dish) or 8 servings (as a side dish)
Ingredients: 

4 cups of bite-sized fresh broccoli florets (or one 14-ounce bag of frozen broccoli)
1 small onion, chopped
8 matzo squares
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, chopped
2 1/4 cups (10 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 green onions, chopped
5 eggs
3 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions: 

1. Boil or steam broccoli and onion until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender. Drain.

2. Wet 4 matzos (briefly) under running water, then set aside to
soak. Matzos should be slightly soft after soaking, but not soggy or
falling apart.

3. Butter a large baking sheet. The baking sheet needs to be large
enough to place all 4 matzos in a single layer. Use two sheets if
necessary.

4. Place the dampened matzos on the greased sheet(s). Top with even
layers of broccoli and onion, shredded cheddar cheese, cottage cheese,
Parmesan cheese, and green onions.

5. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and water. Pour slightly
less than half of the egg mixture over the broccoli and cheeses.

6. Wet the remaining matzos and place on top, again, in a single
layer. Pour the remaining beaten egg over the top. Sprinkle minced
garlic, and dot with half of the butter.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Dot with remaining butter and return to oven. Bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mina is golden brown and crisp on top. Serve hot or warm.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A flavorful patty of matzo meal, eggs, cottage cheese, and onions, fried in shallow oil
Yield: 

20 latkes
Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cups cottage cheese
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups matzo meal (9 ounces)
1 large onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt or water
ground black pepper
oil, for shallow frying
Instructions: 

1.
In a large bowl, mash the cottage cheese. Add egg yolks, half of the
salt, the matzo meal, onion, sugar, sour cream, and pepper. Mix well.

2. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites with
remaining half of salt until stiff. Fold a third of the egg whites into
the cottage cheese mixture, then fold in remaining egg whites.

3. Heat a half-inch layer oil in a heavy frying pan, until a drop of water added sizzles. Form latkes into  thin patties (if batter/dough is too wet for your hands, shape with two tablespoons or spatulas).

4. Drop into oil and fry over a medium or medium-high heat until the undersides are golden brown. Turn carefully and brown the second side. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Serve immediately, or keep warm on a baking sheet in the oven.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Simple instructions for making delicious pintos from dried beans!
Yield: 

varies
Ingredients: 

Dried pinto beans
Water
Salt
Instructions: 

1.
Wash pinto beans in water. Sort out any rocks or other items, if
needed. Be sure you’re using beans that aren’t too old, or they will
never cook soft enough no matter how long you cook them!

2. Choose a soaking method:

Overnight Soak:

Place washed beans in a large stock pot. The pot should be no more
than 1/4 filled with dry beans. Fill the pot 3/4 of the way with cold
water. Allow beans to soak overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain
soaking water. Rinse beans.

Quick Soak:

Use 10 cups of water per pound of dried pintos. Put water and beans
into a large stock pot. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes and then allow
beans to rest in the water for an hour, covered. Rinse beans.

3. Cooking:

See additional notes below for crockpot instructions!

Fill pot with soaked beans and fresh water to 3/4 full. Cook over
medium heat and allow to boil until tender (1-2 hours). Drain beans.

Add a little fresh water (1 cup or so for about 8 cups of cooked beans) and stir in salt to taste (important step!). Keep warm until ready to serve, or refrigerate and re-warm when needed.

Additional Notes: 

For
beans that are more like refried beans (but still lumpy!), add some
additional water and salt and cook beans, stirring occasionally, until
desired consistency. Yum! 🙂

Pintos and Cheese: Sprinkle cooked and salted pintos with shredded cheese for a yummy quick snack or lunch!

Crockpot pinto beans:
Cover soaked beans with water, at least an inch above the level of the
beans. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until soft. (Remember, old beans
might refuse to ever get soft, so be sure you’re using good beans!)

Crisp-tender grilled asparagus spears seasoned with garlic, soy sauce and pepper
Yield: 

4 servings
Ingredients: 

1 pound fresh asparagus spears
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce*
1 teaspoon garlic salt
8-10 cranks of black pepper
Instructions: 

1.
In clean water, soak 4 long bamboo skewers for at least 20-30 minutes.
If using shorter skewers, use 8 — or however many it takes. Even sturdy
toothpicks will work, thought not ideal.

2. Wash asparagus and trim the hard bottoms, leaving only the tender spears.

3. Whisk oil and soy sauce together. Put oil mixture into a ziplock
bag with the asparagus spears and shake to coat. Or, if you have a small
cookie sheet or tray of some sort, whisk the marinade in that and then
roll the spears in the oil mixture to coat.

4. Put skewers through asparagus spears as pictured, making long flat “rafts” so the asparagus is easy to evenly turn and grill.

5. Pre-heat grill to medium. Sprinkle both sides of the asparagus flats with garlic salt and black pepper.

6. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. Grill temperatures and
grilling times will vary, so just keep an eye on it and be sure to not
over-cook! Asparagus should still be crisp-tender. Remove from skewers
and enjoy! 🙂

Additional Notes: 

*I’ve also substituted Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and thought it was just as delicious. 🙂

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Tender
brussels sprouts and cauliflower florets sauteed with onions and tossed
with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup for a lightly sweet, tangy
flavor!
Yield: 

6-8 servings
Ingredients: 

1 pound brussels sprouts, washed
1 pound cauliflower florets, washed and cut bite-size
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons oil
salt, to taste
dash of black pepper
pinch of granulated garlic or garlic salt
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions: 

1.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add brussels sprouts to
the boiling water, cover, and boil for 6-8 minutes, until brussels
sprouts are hot in the middle (don’t over cook).

2. Add cauliflower florets to the brussels sprouts in the pot, and
cook for 3-4 minutes, just until cauliflower is starting to get tender.
Drain water.

3. In a heavy skillet, saute onions in oil over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until slightly browned but still crisp.

4. Add the still-hot brussels sprouts and cauliflower to skillet and
cook and stir for a couple minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and
garlic. Remove skillet from heat.

5. Pour vinegar and maple syrup over vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Serve hot in bowls.

Leftovers are good cold, too!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A
flavorful medley of kidney beans, black beans, green beans and
artichokes seasoned with rosemary and lightly sweetened with maple syrup
Yield: 

8 servings
Ingredients: 

1 can (15 ounces) cut green beans, drained (OR 1 1/2 cups cut cooked green beans from fresh or frozen)
1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans, drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked dark red kidney beans)
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, partially drained
1 can (15 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut into bite-size chunks (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic (or 1 clove freshly minced garlic)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions: 

1.
In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss to coat.
Refrigerate for 4-6 hours to allow flavors to combine. Serve bean salad
cold or at room temperature.

Bean salad will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.