Rarebit Risotto

Okay, so I'm putting up a quick post tonight so that I can keep to my promise/goal of doing at least one post per week, but I have to admit it's a struggle! It's been busy as usual and the next few weeks will be even busier. I'm so ready for school to be out and work to be over! I like my job and I only work part time, but I'm ready to have no schedule for a while. What can I say, I got spoiled being a SAHM for 10 years.......

Anyway, the recipe for tonight is one a tried a few weeks ago as I was trying to sneak in a cool weather recipe - I love risotto, but it's not something I look forward to making once the weather turns warm.

Rarebit Risotto

This vegetarian risotto (from Simple Suppers) sounded comforting with the rice and cheddar cheese and interesting because of the use of beer. Most risottos call for wine; I don't recall ever seeing one that called for beer. And with the broccoli and tomatoes, one could almost pretend it's halfway healthy.

Overall I liked the risotto, but it's probably not going to be a repeater as there are so many other risottos that I like better. Though the beer was an interesting addition, I think it gave the risotto an off flavor that I had a hard time getting past. I do like beer, so that wasn't the problem, I guess I just didn't think it fit. I used a lager, so maybe it was just too strong a beer for this particular risotto. I might, however, be inclined to try it again using white wine and see how that goes.

The four cups of cheese seemed like overkill and I was afraid the risotto would be a gloppy mess, but it actually worked pretty well - perhaps because cheddar has a healthy amount of oil compared to other cheeses. Still, I'm sure that if you used a really good quality sharp cheddar, you could still get great flavor using less cheese.

I was happy to finally fit in a little broccoli into a meal. My oldest son really HATES broccoli so I don't fix it too often but I love it, especially in the main dish, but I snuck this one in while he was gone for the night. When the youngest is gone, I like to sneak goat cheese or other things that HE really doesn't like. Whatever works.

This may be the last post for another week but who knows, maybe I'll be able to sneak one in before then............

Another yummy Rachael Ray Recipe

Back to back Rachael recipes. This recipe came to my attention via the CLBB. It was posted by Sharon over at Culinary Adventures of a New Wife. Unlike the noodle bowl, this one falls in the over 30 minutes category for me. Although I have to say that even when they take over 30 minutes, Rachael's recipes are often complete, so there's no need to think up sides or additional accompaniments and when you take that into account, her recipes are still pretty quick.

Chicken Greek-a-Tikka Salad with Parsley-Feta Pesto

This is another complete meal - grilled chicken, lots of veggies, a little whole wheat pita and a yummy parsley-feta pesto on top. The only really bad thing about this recipe? The name - it's one of Rachael at her cutesy-poo best (or worst). But what can I say? I like her food and that's what counts in the end.

The Greek comes most notably from the kalamata olives and the feta, while the yogurt marinade provides the Tikka. It really does sound like a lot going on, but somehow it works. Delicious. I'd like to take elements of this recipe to try on their own - like using the yogurt marinade to grill chicken on its own (but perhaps marinating the chicken a little longer) and using the parsley-feta pesto as a dip or spread. Lots of possibilities!

On a side note, I have found a whole wheat pita pocket and a whole wheat flatbread that I love - they are not dry like many whole wheat pita breads and are pleasantly chewy. The flatbread is my favorite, but it has quite a bit more fat than the pita, so I try to use the flatbread a bit more sparingly. I am going to try something new here - when I find a specific product that I really like, I will try to link to it in my recipes, so look for the pita link in this recipe.

Still chilly where you are?

Warm up with this excellent soup!

I realize that some of you in the southern climes have already transitioned into summer, but here in Central PA, May can still bring some pretty chilly weather. Even if it's a bit warmer where you are this soup is brothy and light, not heavy like stew.

This noodle bowl is from Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats and really does cook up in 30 minutes or less, something that I usually have a hard time doing with many of her recipes. Not only is it easy, but it is packed with flavor, making you feel as if you are eating at a good Asian restaurant.

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Once you are finished chopping the bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, garlic and scallions, the rest of the recipe goes very quickly and is ready in a snap. The first time I made this it was very good, but I thought it could use a bit more broth. I have played around with the proportions a bit but haven't quite hit the perfect balance. I think that all it really needs is a bit more broth (1 or 2 cups more?) along with a proportionate amount of garlic and ginger to make sure that the flavors are not overly diluted.

I definitely recommend using shiitakes - they account for a large part of the flavor of this soup - something like a regular button mushroom wouldn't be nearly as good. I used baby bok choy the first time - 3 small heads - and it was very good (though regular bok choy works well too) and would make that substitution any time I'm able to find the baby variety.

With protein (shrimp), starch (noodles) vegetables (bok choy and scallions) and even fungi (shiitakes), this soup makes a pretty complete meal in one. Just one note on the noodles - I tried it with chinese-style wheat noodles which worked out very nicely. I wanted to try it with soba noodles but could not find any and tried whole wheat spaghetti noodles instead. The whole wheat noodles seemed to get a bit mushier than the chinese noodles did, so I don't think I'd try that again.

Fast, easy and delicious!