bean dinner

Sometimes I am tired of meat!

My favorite rice lately is Basmati rice from India. It has a nutty flavor and cooks quickly.
Rinse the rice, cover with 1/2 inch of water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Can't beat that!

Saute some garlic, onions and carrots until soft. Add a can of drained black beans and warm through.

Serve over the rice with chopped parsley.

I steamed some asparagus while the rice cooked, then slightly chilled. I added a lemon vinaigrette with tomatoes from the garden and fresh herbs.

Perfect

Summer Pasta Salad

Summer pasta salads are some of my favorite dinners. Cool, refreshing and light! Last night we ate a chicken pasta salad and grilled squash - delicious. The pasta salad was made with:
1 box penne or spiral pasta
2 chicken breasts
12 mushrooms
2 slicing tomatoes
First, I marinated the chicken in 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar, minced garlic, 3 tbsp. lemon juice. Then sauteed the chicken over medium heat. When the chicken was cooked, I cut it into 1 inch dices and tossed them in a serving bowl with the cooked pasta, diced mushrooms and tomatoes. I topped the salad with a dressing similar to the chicken marinade.
For a second dish, I cut zucchini and yellow squash into strips and added a green pepper to the mix (cutting it into strips as well). I marinated the veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper for an hour before throwing them on the grill for 20 minutes. The finished product was delicious!

Shrimp on the Barbie

Last night was one of the many beautiful summer evenings we've had so far. We decided to grill and threw some corn and shrimp on the grill. We've found the best corn is from Fresh Market. I seasoned the corn with a little salt and pepper, then wrapped them in aluminum foil. The corn went on the grill first. About 25 minutes total for the corn. The shrimp was marinated in a little lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. They went on the grill at the very end for about 4 minutes total. I also made a Farmer's Market salad with red leaf lettuce, red onion, grape tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers and a rice vinegar dressing. Everything was delicious, the shrimp probably only needed 3 minutes total on the grill - they cook so fast!

Pulled Pork

Last weekend we hosted the post annual party for the "annual meeting" for Superior Dunes.

Based on Elizabeth's recommendation I made pulled pork and served it on small dinner rolls from COSTCO's bakery.

It was just about the easiest party recipe I have ever made. Massaged the spices into the pork the night before and refrigerated overnight. Saturday morning I put the shoulders into cast iron casserole and an earthenware casserole with 1/2 cup water in each, covered tightly and cooked at 325 degrees for a total of 6 hours. I let the meat sit in the oven for another hour with the heat off.

Everything cooked before the party and I only needed to reheat!

Below is the recipe which I doubled since I had a 13 pound pork shoulder from COSTCO. It was delicious. Made 2 large casserole pots. Only used one casserole and served enough to feed 20+ with other side dishes.

I plan to make this again especially as this can then be used in other dishes such as the Carnitas taco that Chipolte makes.


Spicy Rub

1 T fresh crushed black pepper
1-2 t cayenne pepper
2 T ground cumin
2 T dark brown sugar
1 T oregano
4 T paprika
2 T sea salt
1 T sugar
1 T ground white pepper
1/2 cup water

1 boneless pork shoulder 6 to 8 pounds

Mix all rub ingredients together in a bowl.
Massage run into the meat ( really rub)
Wrap tightly or put in plastic bag
refrigerate at least 3 hours - 8 to 12 is better
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
place pork in casserole with tight lid. Meat should just fit in pot.
Bake for 1 hour & turn
Bake for another hour & turn again.
Check after a total of 6 hours.
Shred & serve....doesn't even need BBQ sauce!