Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Risotto

I would like to know where pesto has been my entire life. Because it surely never existed to my knowledge prior to 3 years ago. What a sad little life I've led.

I have yet to have pesto in a dish where it didn't make it fabulous. On top of gnocchi, pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and shock! gasp! [insert horror face]! -- veggies. Okay, maybe not chocolate. That might be where I draw the line. But that still leaves a huge area of food left to be explored with the addition of pesto.

Let's start with risotto. Because it's comfort food. Because risotto and pesto both grew up in the same neighborhood, so they ought to get along (right?). Oh, and my favorite, because I can. (Well, that doesn't always mean I should, but in this case, absolutely.)

I suggest you get out there and put some pesto in your food. Specifically this risotto. Like yesterday.

Roasted Red Pepper & Pesto Risotto

Adapted from: Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker

5 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
2 ounces goat cheese
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, diced
1/2 cup basil pesto
2 ounces fresh baby spinach

Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Heat olive oil in a wide medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add 1 1/2 cups warm broth. Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add another 1 cup broth; stir until broth is absorbed. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and creamy, about 25 minutes. Add goat cheese, asiago cheese, roasted red pepper, and pesto, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Toss in spinach and stir until fully combined and wilted. Transfer to bowl to serve.

Serves: 6

I think one of the best things about risotto, is that you can throw anything in it, and it will still be good. You could easily change out the spinach for broccoli, asparagus, or some other healthy creature or even add some form of protein such as shrimp or chicken and BAM! it's still good. Switch out the goat cheese for feta or/and the asiago for Parm or Romano? Still good.

Now, if only I didn't want to eat the entire pan in one sitting...

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 343g
Amount per serving
Calories 349	Calories from fat 123
% Daily Value
Total Fat 13.7g	21%
Saturated Fat 6.4g	32%
Cholesterol 27mg	9%
Sodium 884mg	37%
Total Carbs 43.3g	14%
Fiber 2.3g	9%
Sugars 2.8g
Protein 12.6g
Vitamin A 62%	Vitamin C 168%
Calcium 25%	Iron 9%

Sweet & Sour Pork Stir Fry with Sesame Ginger Rice

Let me tell you a story about me trying to burn the house down. It involves pork and a wok pan. And two smoke detectors that would not shut up.

Okay, so there may not have been any actual flames (lame, I know) but there was definitely smoke and very loud beeping noises and omgcanyounottelliamjustcookingdinner? all in one go. Oh, not to mention me being clueless about any smoke whatsoever and merrily going about stirring my little pieces of pork.

Oh dear.

But somehow the pork was cooked just fine and I am still indignant about the fact that there was any smoke. Trust me. I know smoke when I see it. Been there, done that. Whatever. Maybe the fact that there's smoke detectors every 3 feet in this house doesn't help either.

Irregardless of my cooking ability, this is still delicious. Definitely spicy with a nice touch of sweet from the pineapple and pineapple juice. Yum.

Sweet & Sour Pork Stir Fry with Sesame Ginger Rice

Adapted from: Cuisine at Home, December 2011

6 ounces pineapple juice
2 tablespoons chili garlic paste
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking sherry
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, grated
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 tablespoon garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
8 ounces frozen broccoli
1 cup match-stick cut carrots
6 ounces frozen snow peas
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh pineapple, cubed

3 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the first 7 ingredients (through sherry). Set aside.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper onto the pork tenderloin. Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil. Cook the pork in two batches until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove pork to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Wipe wok out with a clean paper towel.

With the heat still at medium-high, add the remaining canola oil. Add the garlic and ginger, stir frying for 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute. Add the carrot and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the snow peas and white parts of the green onion, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Toss in the pineapple and reserved sauce mixture. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Stir in cooked pork and continue to simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with remaining green portions of green onions.

Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, ginger, and sesame oil, stirring well. Return mixture to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.

Serves: 6

Apparently, not only do I like to set off smoke detectors, but I also can't read. Instead of adding chili garlic sauce, I added paste. Um, yes, definitely a difference. Let's just say our sinuses were very cleared out after we finished eating. (Don't worry, I've adjusted the amount above to be more, shall we say, tolerable.) Despite all my flubs, we still really enjoyed the dish.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 438g
Amount per serving
Calories 460	Calories from fat 100
% Daily Value
Total Fat 11.1g	17%
Saturated Fat 1.7g	8%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 55mg	18%
Sodium 980mg	41%
Total Carbs 60.5g	20%
Fiber 4.0g	16%
Sugars 13.1g
Protein 27.0g
Vitamin A 76%	Vitamin C 115%
Calcium 8%	Iron 25%

Butternut Squash Risotto

This morning, Adam and I had to scrape the ice off my car's windows. SCRAPE.the.windows. I don't care that it was ridiculously early in the morning -- it is still October. Which means ice and snow are not allowed.

Better yet, there is a forecast of snow/rain for early tomorrow morning. Which just so happens to be when my Halloween 5k is. Awesome. I mean, 2 miles straight up, then 1 mile straight down in the snow and rain sounds like fun, right? Or not. Why oh why did I sign up for this race again?

This simply ensures that I will need a huge mug of Russian Tea when I finish. Although that would entail needing a thermos. Problem.

Maybe just a hearty bowl full of risotto will suffice when I get home? It's warm, filling, and fall-like. FALL, people, FALL. Not winter. Go away snow.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Adapted from: Cooking Light, October 2011

3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed and peeled butternut squash, divided
2 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups Arborio rice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

In a large saucepan, add 2 cups squash and 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Using an immersion blender (or transferring carefully to a food processor/blender), puree mixture until smooth. Add broth to pan, place back over heat and bring to a simmer; then reduce heat to low.

In a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat, add the rice. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the remaining 1 cup squash, 1 1/2 cups squash mixture, and salt. Cook 2 minutes, or until liquid is almost completely absorbed; stirring constantly. Add 1 cup squash mixture, stirring constantly, until that also is almost absorbed. Add remaining squash mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, reserving 1/4 of a cup, while stirring constantly and letting the liquid almost fully absorb before adding more. Remove from heat and stir in reserved 1/4 cup squash mixture and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle each serving with bacon.

Serves: 5

Butternut squash is one of those things that I really really wished I liked, a lot. Sadly, I'm not really it's biggest fan. The squash flavor in the risotto was there, though not overly pronounced, as the actual squash flavor isn't all that strong. Yet the big mushy chunks of squash hiding out underneath the piles of creamy rice kind of threw me off a bit, and several ended up picked off the side of the bowl.

Honestly, the bacon is really what carries the flavor in this dish. Without it, the risotto turns kind meh, and so-so. Next time I try my hand at a butternut squash risotto I'll probably try a different recipe.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 478g
Amount per serving
Calories 482	Calories from fat 116
% Daily Value
Total Fat 12.9g	20%
Saturated Fat 5.0g	25%
Cholesterol 34mg	11%
Sodium 1123mg	47%
Total Carbs 71.0g	24%
Fiber 3.8g	15%
Sugars 1.9g
Protein 18.9g
Vitamin A 180%	Vitamin C 29%
Calcium 17%	Iron 12%

Brown Butter Risotto

Despite the fact that my fridge is mostly bare, there are always a few items hiding out down in the veggie bins that I never seem to remember about until it's too late. I hate that. This time, I found a carton of mushrooms on the verge of trash-worthiness. Even though they were only about $1, I still couldn't bring myself to just leave them in there, so I hunted around the kitchen trying to find something to go with them.

Which is when I came across my stash of arborio rice in the pantry. That'd work. For some reason, I kept thinking about brown butter, and how nice the nutty flavor would go with the earthiness of the mushrooms. Sure, why not? It was going to be a hodge-podge meal anyways... Might as well throw in the last of my white wine too, as that was also probably past its prime. Geez. Clearly I have an issue with using things up.

Brown Butter Risotto

Original Recipe

4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup white wine
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces white mushrooms, diced
4 ounces frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Bring broth and wine to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide medium saucepan (such as a 10" omelette pan) over medium-low heat. Add onions; saute until very tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups warm broth. Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add another 1 cup broth; stir until absorbed. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and creamy, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet coated with cooking spray, cook the mushrooms over medium heat until tender and just starting to release liquids, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet with a paper towel. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Stirring often, continue to cook the butter until the foaming subsides and browned bits have formed on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fold in the Parmesan cheese, mushrooms, peas, and black pepper. Add the browned butter, stirring well.

Serves: 6

Sometimes when I throw together a "cleaning-out-the-kitchen" meal it turns out just alright, or even not-so-hot. Every once in a while though, I put together something that I would gladly eat again, even the next day, as leftovers. Which is really saying something. I knew going in that this would at least be decent, as I started out with my favorite go-to-hasn't-failed-me-yet risotto recipe. But I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed the mushrooms in it.

I was a little disappointed that the brown butter didn't come through as much as I expected. Though I think not adding the wine and maybe combining the butter with the broth additions might bring out that nuttiness I was looking for a bit more. I guess there's only one way to find out... :)

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 416	Calories from fat 151
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.8g	26%
Saturated Fat 10.3g	51%
Cholesterol 45mg	15%
Sodium 659mg	27%
Total Carbs 46.3g	15%
Dietary Fiber 3.3g	13%
Sugars 3.2g
Protein 12.9g
Vitamin A 17%	Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 21%	Iron 9%

Arroz con Gandules

I have a soft spot when it come to Puerto Rican food, I don't know why. 9 times out of 10 I stay away from greasy fried food but when it happens to come from Puerto Rico, I'm all over it. Can we say alcapurrias and tostones? There's just something about the flavor of the food that I just can't get anywhere else, well, especially with where I live now (let's be honest, I'm still searching for a good Mexican restaurant).

Not all Puerto Rican food is fried. In fact, one of my favorite dishes ever is the Puerto Rican version of Arroz con Pollo, which is just a simple rice and chicken dish. Most of the Puerto Rican food I've attempted in the past I've had before, either in Puerto Rico or cooked by my old roommate who is from there. This was a first for me. I'm not sure how I ran across this recipe, or one like it, but it inspired me to go out and buy a can of pigeon peas with the thought that I would make this some time in the distant future.

But that can just sat there and tormented me. Every single time I opened my pantry. I held off though, as my imported-straight-from-Puerto-Rico-through-my-friend-sofrito supply is starting to dwindle. Then came last night. I realized I hadn't checked my dinner recipe close enough and it needed hours for dough to rise. Yeah, not happening. What did I have? Or better yet, what did I feel like? And then there was the can. All I needed was bacon, easy to do as the husband goes right by the grocery on his way home. Done. Totally not a decision I regret.

Arroz con Gandules

Original Recipe

1/2 pound bacon
3 tablespoons bacon drippings
2 cups medium-grain rice
4 cups water
1/2 cup sofrito (green, not red)
1 (15 ounce) can pigeon peas, rinsed and drained
1 packet sazón with achiote and culantro

In a dutch oven (or large pot), cook the bacon over medium heat until done, but not crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings. (If you do not have 3 tablespoons of drippings you can substitute with vegetable oil.) Add all the ingredients (including crumbled bacon) to the dutch oven, giving it a quick stir. Do not stir after this point. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Allow water to be absorbed (no water remaining on top of the rice), give a gentle stir, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook in 10 minute increments, checking to see if the rice is done after each.

Serves: 6

There are variations upon variations of this recipe, so I just picked and chose the parts I liked. You could easily add capers, olives, onions, or even tomato sauce. Or substitute out the bacon for diced ham or salt pork. Any way works. It's the sofrito, rice, sazón, and pigeon peas that make the basis for this dish. All of the recipes I came across call for vegetable oil to be used in lieu of the bacon drippings, but I decided to go with what I already had going on. I think using the bacon drippings gives the rice and pigeon peas a nice subtle smoky flavor that you wouldn't get otherwise. And let me tell you -- De-licious.

Oh, and don't worry if you get some crispy rice on the bottom of your pan -- it's supposed to happen and can actually be tasty.

I'm not sure I like this dish quite as much as my beloved Arroz con Pollo, but it sure ranks up there pretty high.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 593	Calories from fat 218
% Daily Value
Total Fat 24.2g	37%
Saturated Fat 5.2g	26%
Cholesterol 42mg	14%
Sodium 1228mg	51%
Total Carbs 67.3g	22%
Dietary Fiber 6.4g	25%
Protein 25.6g
Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 6%
Calcium 4%	Iron 19%

Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts

Another spicy rice and chicken dish? Didn't I just post a Kung Pao recipe? I did. BUT I made it with some nasty rancid peanuts, so it didn't exactly satisfy my "spicy chicken and rice" craving. And me being me, I couldn't just be happy with re-making the dish with good peanuts, no I had to go off and find a different recipe. Good thing I had already earmarked this one in a recent Cooking Light magazine.

Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts
Adapted from: Cooking Light

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 (15 ounce) can cut baby corn
1 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced, divided
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked brown rice, chilled
2 (4 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/3 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and red pepper. Set aside.

In a wok (or a large non-stick skillet), heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add baby corn, onions, and 1/2 of the green onions. Cook for 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add in rice, chicken, and water chestnuts, cooking for 5 minutes or until heated thoroughly, gently stirring. Stir in soy sauce mixture. Cook for 2 minutes; tossing gently. Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining green onions and peanuts.

Serves: 4

Surprisingly though, there was a pretty big difference between the Kung Pao Chicken and this dish. The Kung Pao had more of a sauce, but the spice was definitely more upfront and present in this dish. Either way you go, I don't think either will disappoint.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 614	Calories from fat 190
% Daily Value
Total Fat 21.0g	32%
Saturated Fat 2.9g	15%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 50mg	17%
Sodium 977mg	41%
Total Carbs 82.9g	28%
Dietary Fiber 6.9g	29%
Sugars 7.8g
Protein 29.9g
Vitamin A 9%	Vitamin C 44%
Calcium 6%	Iron 20%

Apple Cider and Bacon Risotto

Have you ever made a happy mistake in the kitchen? You know, the kind where you completely mess up a recipe, but it turns out even better than the original? I frequently make mistakes, although most end up in the "edible" category rather than the "happy" one.

As much as I like to think I have a pretty good handle on how much is left of the food staples in the kitchen, there are times when things get overlooked. And of course I get halfway through a recipe before I realize I'm short on a particular key ingredient. It was one of those nights when I was scrounging through the pantry trying to figure out if I had anything that could go together to make a meal -- so I was already starting off slow. After starting to melt some butter and chopping the shallots I realized I was a good cup short on chicken broth. Instead of going into my typical "send the husband to the store" mode, I was determined to figure out something else to use. Ah, well, there's some apple cider hanging out in the fridge begging to be used. Why not?

Why not indeed? It ended up being the perfect fall twist for a chilly fall night.

Apple Cider and Bacon Risotto
From: Original Recipe

4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
3 tablespoon butter
1 cup finely shallots
1 1/2 cup arborio rice
3 tablespoons wheat beer (optional)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 strips bacon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Bring broth and cider to boil in medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover saucepan.

Cook bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until done. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings. Crumble once cooled.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a wide medium saucepan (such as a 10" omelette pan) over medium-low heat. Add shallots; saute until very tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add rice and beer, stir 1 minute or until the liquid is evaporated. Add 1 1/2 cups warm broth. Boil gently until broth is absorbed, stirring frequently. Add another 1 cup broth; stir until broth is absorbed. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups broth, 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is tender and creamy, about 25 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon bacon drippings, 1 cup grated cheese, and crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl to serve.

Serves: 6

Note: One soup ladle is usually equal to 1/2 cup -- which makes transferring the broth to the rice much much easier (no measuring needed).

There are all kinds of ways you can alter and play with this recipe. Pumpkin beer also goes well instead of a wheat beer, and you can easily switch out the shallots for onions. And let's not forget veggies are always a welcome addition, if you're in to that sort of thing.

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories 408	Calories from fat 145
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16.1g	25%
Saturated Fat 8.3g	42%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 44mg	15%
Sodium 1090mg	45%
Total Carbs 48.3g	16%
Dietary Fiber 1.4g	5%
Sugars 4.7g
Protein 15.7g
Vitamin A 11%	Vitamin C 4%
Calcium 21%	Iron 9%

If you are participating in the Get Up and Move Challenge, congrats on making it halfway! Only 15 more days left to go! If you are new to the Challenge, you can always jump on board (you can start at the beginning if you'd like).

Get Up and Move Challenge Day 15: Learn how to identify a correct portion size.

Sometimes it can be frustrating when people have a weight loss goal in mind, yet despite changing what they eat and exercising more, that scale just doesn't seem to budge. While both changes are excellent starts toward improving your health, sometimes we focus so much on what we are eating, we forget about how much.

Too many times we pull the Cheerios down from the shelf, fill ourselves up a bowl, and munch away. Wait, where's the problem there? No problem, unless you thought one serving size was the entire bowl. When attempting to eat healthier, it is also important that we start to recognize proper serving sizes. In the case of Cheerios, it's one cup, not an entire bowl. Now I know you're going to say "but there's no way I can only eat that, I'll be hungry in 1/2 an hour". And that's fine if you need to eat two servings. Just go into it knowing that it's two or three servings -- which can add up to a difference of 100-200 calories. Not a huge, day-ending difference, but that fact is that most people over-consume on portion sizes every.single.meal and have no idea they are doing it. And this leads to the scale not budging when you think it should.


How in the world do we go about learning how to recognize the correct serving size? Let's start with something easy. Go check out your everyday drinking glasses.

Most people typically have two sizes - 16 ounces (or the "regular" ones) and 7 or 8 ounce "juice" glasses. That's right, one of those little glasses is one serving size of juice, soda, or milk. Once again, is drinking a full 16-ounce glass of milk wrong? No. You just have to factor in that it is two servings, not one.

If you filled your cereal bowl up to the top (3 servings) with Cheerios and had a large glass of orange juice thinking those were the right portion sizes, you would be under estimating your intake by over 325 calories at breakfast alone! See where this is headed?

That's all well and dandy, but when I'm out eating, how am I supposed to know what a serving size looks like without measuring it? MyPryamid.gov is a great place to check out what actual serving sizes of certain foods look like:

5 ounces of Beef Strip Steak


6 slices of Deli Ham


2 slices Swiss Cheese


1/2 cup Chocolate Pudding

There are other methods for recognizing portion sizes, such as:
1 cup of cereal = a baseball
2 tablespoons of salad dressing = a shot glass
1 ounce of nuts = a cupped palm
1 ounce of cheese = a ping-pong ball
3 ounces of hamburger = a mayonaise jar lid
1 tablespoon of peanut butter = three dice
1/2 cup of rice = an ice cream scoop
1 potato = a computer mouse
1 dinner roll = a yo-yo
1 teaspoon of butter = a Scrabble tile
1/2 cup of cooked pasta = a golf ball
3 ounces of fish = a checkbook
3 ounces of beef = a bar of soap or a deck of cards

WedMD also has great pictures showing these relationships as well.

Is figuring out correct portion sizes tough? When you are first learning, yes. It can be hard, tedious, tiresome, and makes you want to throw in the towel and say you don't care. Re-learning what correct portion sizes look like is not a quick-fix-lose-weight-fast diet trick. Being able to recognize correct portion sizes is a lifestyle change that will stick with you down the road and help you to make healthier choices in any kind of situation.

What is an example of something you thought was one serving size, and later found it was actually much more?