Firecracker Beef

 Taken from RecipeTin Eats

Prep Time=3 minutes

Cook Time=10 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 326

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T oil

1 lb ground beef

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 T water

Firecracker Sauce:

2 T soy sauce

2 T rice vinegar

4 T sriracha sauce

4 T brown sugar

To serve (optional):

Rice, soba, or vermicelli noodles

1 green onion, finely sliced

1 tsp sesame seeds

Diced cucumber, julienned carrot, finely sliced red radish

Extra sriracha sauce, if you dare!

Instructions:

1. Sauce: Mix Firecracker sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Cook beef: Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see raw meat (2 1/2 minutes). Add garlic and chili flakes and cook for 1 minute.

3. Caramelize beef: Add firecracker sauce ingredients, stir to coat the beef. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring only every minute or so initially, then more towards the end, until the sauce reduces and you can see the beef caramelizing. Caramelize well for good flavor!

4. Water: Add the water and cook for 1 minute (the water makes the beef saucier!).

5. Serve over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds, green onion and a squirt of extra sriracha if you're feeling brave! Add a pile of vegetables of choice on the side. Dive in!

Notes:

1. Other proteins: This recipe will work well with pork, chicken, and turkey mince. 

2. Rice vinegar: Substitute with apple cider vinegar.

*I've made this twice, and we've really liked it. We put the cucumbers, carrots, and radish on top and it adds a nice crunch and freshness to the dish. The second time, we had green onions and sesame seeds on top also. I think it would be yummy with ground turkey or chicken, too, but I haven't tried it yet.

Southwest Chicken Wraps

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note: This is one of the most adaptable recipes on here (reading through the comments will prove that – your variations sound amazing!). Feel free to up the cilantro, add in a different meat of your choice, eliminate the pepper, add green chilies – seriously, the options are endless.

Maria's note:  I did eliminate the pepper and added 1 can green chilies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/2 red or green pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I use a combination of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
• Sour cream (optional)
• 6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: I like to dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it makes the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Lemon Butter Rice

Time: 30 minutes Yield: 2 1/2 cups Recipe from Mary Ehrhart 4 T butter 1 1/4 C rice (long grain or Jasmine Rice works best) 3 C water 4 tsp bullion granules 2 Tb lemon juice (bottled is best) 3/4 tsp salt 1. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. 2. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and let it melt down. 3. Grab 1 1/4 cup rice. Long grain or Jasmine rice works best for this recipe. 4. Pour the rice into the melted butter. Saute it for 4-5 minutes or until the rice is slightly golden. 5. Dissolve 4 teaspoons chicken bullion granules into 3 cups hot water. Pour it into the skillet. 6. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Bottled juice works best here, guys. Fresh juice can turn bitter if it is left to simmer too long. 7. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and give it a nice stir. 8. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and let it cook over medium low heat for 20-25 minutes. 9. Stir it up and give it a taste to be sure it has cooked through and is soft. If it's still crunchy allow it to cook a bit longer. Fluff it with a fork and serve!

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice

1 cup cooked rice
1 pound chicken tenders
1 cup salsa
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Prepare 1 C rice.  While rice is cooking, spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1 pound chicken tenders.  Cook until no longer pink.  Add cooked rice, salsa, Mexicorn, and cheese.  Heat through until cheese melts.  Serve plain or in tortillas with sour cream and additional salsa.

In place of chicken tenders, I use one pint of canned chicken.

Bourbon Chicken

2 large chicken breasts

2 T oil

1 t minced garlic

1/4 C pineapple juice

1/3 C brown sugar

2 T ketchup

1 T apple cider vinegar 

1/3 C soy sauce

1/4 t red pepper flakes 

1 T cornstarch mixed with 1/2 C water

Brown chicken in oil.  Mix everything together (except corn starch and water mixture) until saucy and well combined.  Pour over chicken cook until boiling.  Add corn starch and water mixture. Cook until sauce starts to thicken.  Serve over rice.

Toasted Coconut Rice Pudding

1 1/2 C arborio or another short grain rice

1 1/2 C whole milk

1 C half and half

one 14 oz can coconut milk

1 C sugar

2 C toasted shredded coconut

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1. Coat the inside of the pressure cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the rice, milk, half and half, coconut milk, sugar, 1 C of the toasted coconut, and the nutmeg in the pressure cooker, stirring to blend. Lock the lid in place and cook at low pressure for 15 minutes.

2. Quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Serve warm or cold with remaining toasted coconut.

Od-Fashioned Rice Pudding

1 1/2 C arborio or another short grain rice

2 C whole milk

2 C half and half

1 C sugar

1 T vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Coat the inside of the pressure cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all the ingredients in the cooker, stirring to blend. Lock the lid in place and cook at low pressure for 15 minutes.

2. Quick release the pressure and remove the lid. Transfer the pudding to a serving bowl. Serve warm or cold.

Mushroom Wild Rice

2 1/4 cups water
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup, undiluted
3 (4 ounce) cans mushroom stems and pieces, drained (I only use two and I chop them up nice and small so the kids don't know they are in there!)
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup uncooked wild rice

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until rice is tender.

by Loriann

Jambalaya

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites
It is a really easy version of Jambalaya
It is also great the next day

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. white rice

5 c. water

2-3 Tbsp. butter

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

A lot of garlic (probably 5-6 cloves), minced

1/2 lb. high-quality smoked sausage(approximately; you can actually use a little less if you buy, say, a 14-oz. package of sausage)

1/2 lb. ham (you can also substitute leftover chicken, shrimp, or other shellfish; however, you’ll also need to compensate for the smokey flavor and the salt from the ham, so be prepared with liquid smoke and salt to taste. And you’ll want it to have a distinct smokey flavor.)

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (you could use another Cajun or Creole seasoning, but this brand is widely accessible and cheap) to taste

Directions:

1. Combine rice and water in a medium-large saucepan and cover with lid. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove from heat and allow to stand an additional five minutes. (I just make some rice in my rice cooker)
2. While rice is cooking, finely chop sausage and ham (in your food processor if you have one) and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat in a very large skillet. When butter is hot and bubbly, add onion, green onions, green pepper, and celery and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add chopped meat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and then add cooked rice. Now start seasoning with the Cajun seasoning. It’s hot, I won’t lie, so if you find that it’s getting spicy enough for your taste but it’s still not salty enough, leave the Cajun seasoning alone and just finish seasoning it with Kosher salt. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Combine with cooked rice and serve.

*I added the stuff in italics because she forgot to put it in her instructions, but added it later in her comment section.