Friday Foodie - Sofrito

I love living in the area I'm in. The beauty of the mountains, the serenity of the lake - its always a beautiful day in this area. One thing I am especially thrilled with is the abundance of fresh, local produce. This time of the year little farmer's stands like this one are overflowing with amazing fruit and vegetables. After all, one cannot live on books alone :)

 

But what to make with all this fresh goodness? I am always on the look out for new recipes to try, so when a friend mentioned Chef Daisy Martinez's Sofrito recipe as her go to, I knew I had to check it out. What a terrific way to harness the wonderful bounty and carry it into the colder months. Use sofrito for a soup, a stew, a bubbly pot of beans, braised chicken, carne guisada, yellow rice, ropa vieja…the possibilities are endless! Running late? I can have a pot of white rice, some pollo guisado, and a fresh steamed vegetable or salad in 45 minutes, after pulling out a bag of frozen sofrito from the freezer! Wholesome, delicious, nutritious food quick, easy, and very healthy! Sofrito RULES!!

Sofrito (Makes About 4 Cups)
Ingredients

2 large Spanish onions, trimmed and cut in large chunks
3 large Cubanelle peppers, trimmed and seeded
1 cup garlic cloves, trimmed
2 large sweet red bell peppers, trimmed and seeded
1 ¼ cup ajicitos dulces, trimmed
2 plum tomatoes, trimmed and cut in large chunks
4 culantro leaves
1 large bunch of cilantro, rinsed, dried, and roughly chopped
Directions
1. Place the onion, Cubanelle peppers, and garlic in a food processor, and puree. With the motor running, add the sweet red bell peppers, ajicitos, and plum tomatoes. You make have to remove some of the puree into a bowl if you cannot fit the remaining ingredients into your work bowl.
2. Add the remaining culantro and cilantro and process until smooth. If you have removed some of the sofrito, combine the contents of the workbowl with the rest of the puree and stir to combine. Measure out in 1 cup measures into freezer bags and place in freezer to be used as necessary.

Monday Mouthful: Green Tea Rice with Cherries & Vidalia Onions

Usually for the Monday Mouthful, I feature something about my writing, but today I want to post this terrific recipe that I need to try. We are incorporating more vegetarian friendly recipes at chez geek girl, so I hope to give this a try soon.

This recipe is an original from Amie Valpone over at The Healthy Apple:

Green Tea Rice with Vidalia Onions & Cherries

Author: Amie Valpone

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Serves: 4

 

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan

Ingredients

• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup long-grain brown rice
• 1½ cups green tea, brewed and chilled
• 1 large Vidalia Onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup dried cherries
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¼ tsp. fresh orange zest
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, boil green tea with salt and pepper. Stir in rice; return to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cover and cook for 20 minutes then remove from heat and add onions, cherries and spinach. Set aside, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; add remaining ingredients. Gently toss to combine.
3. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Serving Size: ¾ cup Calories: 115.8 cal • Fat: 1.7 g • Protein: 2.5 g • Carbs: 23.2 g • Fiber: 2.4 g • Sugar: 5.9 g • Sodium: 119.8 mg

Thanksgiving at Heartbreak Ranch - Brandied Cranberry Sauce

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, its time to start menu planning at Heartbreak Ranch. What to feed all those hungry folks looking for an authentic Western ranch Thanksgiving meal? Well besides a big ole turkey, we need to have some spectacular sides to showcase our flair for good family style eats.

You can't go wrong with this recipe for Brandied Cranberry Sauce. Its sweet, tart, and has a bit of kick much like Ms. Graysen Beaufort.

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 oz.) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups sugar 

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup brandy
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded orange peel

Preparation

1. Sort cranberries and discard any soft or spoiled ones. Rinse and drain berries.
2. Mix cranberries, sugar, brandy, and orange peel in an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 325° oven until berries are tender when pierced and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cool.