Cranberry Walnut Grain Medley

Cranberry Walnut Grain Medley

1 T oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cl garlic, minced
100g / 3.5 oz dried cranberries
100g / 3.5 oz pearl barley
100g / 3.5 oz brown rice
60g / 2 oz walnuts, chopped
a pinch of pepper
a pinch of mustard powder
a pinch of thyme
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1) Cook rice and pearl barley separately and let cool.

2) In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened and golden brown. Let cool.

3) In a large bowl, combine together onion/garlic mixture, dried cranberries, barley, rice and walnuts. Season with salt, pepper, mustard, thyme and cinnamon. Mix everything until combined.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Recipe by collecting memories

Chinese Fried Rice

Christmas time was crazy. I baked tons of cakes, cookies, pies and fudge and it feels like I didn't eat anything normal during this holiday period. After this baking marathon I feel like I need something a little bit healthier. I'm sure some of you have started eating healthier this year (I promise that to myself every year, but my healthy eating never lasts too long). Anyway, I wanted to stay away from sweets this time and cook some "real" food. Yes,  this is fried rice and it doesn't sound healthy. But it just doesn't sound healthy because actually it's packed with veggies and traditional white rice is substituted with brown rice. The only bad thing about it is oil (but come on, it's just 1 tablespoon).  So if you try to eat healthier, this shouldn't ruin your diet.

Oh and finally, I want to thank you for reading my blog for the past few years. I'm very happy to see your comments every day and I feel even happier when you leave feedbacks on recipes you try. I will continue publishing new recipes and sharing my cooking experiences with you this year and I'll keep growing this tried & tested recipe collection. 

Chinese Fried Rice 

70g (2.5 ounce) brown rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
A handful of bean sprouts, drained
Pinch salt
1 tbsp Teriyaki sauce
Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

1) Cook brown rice and allow to cool.

2) In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized. Add garlic and carrot and stir-fry over medium heat until carrot has softened a little bit.

3) Add egg and stir with a wooden spoon, breaking it into small bits as it scrambles. Add bean sprouts, salt and rice. Finally, add Teriyaki sauce and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. 

4) Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Serves 1

Recipe by collecting memories 

Pumpkin Risotto

Cheesy, creamy, yummy, perfect pumpkin risotto! Probably the best I have ever made. I was really surprised that pumpkin works so well in this dish. It adds extra creaminess and the final result is just fantastic. I didn't use white wine though, it is not an authentic risotto. But it's still very, very good and quite easy! You will only have to be a little bit patient while mixing the rice constantly. But this is so worth it!

Pumpkin Risotto

2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
200g rice for risotto
300g pumpkin puree
40g parmesan, shredded
1l (about 4 cups) vegetable stock
salt and pepper, to taste

1) In a heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and fry a few minutes. Add rice, stir to coat with oil. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1/2 cup of stock and repeat the process until you use all the stock and the rice is almost done. You may not use up all the stock, I always have about 1/4 cup remaining. By the end of cooking, add stock in smaller quantities so you can see how much you will need. One important thing - do not stop stirring! Be ready to spend 20-25 minutes next to the stove.

2) When rice is almost done, add pumpkin puree. Cook for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add parmesan (you may leave some for the top).

Recipe by collecting memories

Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is one of my favourite dishes you can make with rice. It has a creamy, rich texture and is absolutely filling. Risotto contains quite much butter which is usually mixed in lastly but I wanted to caramelize my onions in butter first. I also ommited white wine and used vegetable broth. The result was still very delicious and I really did not miss any wine. Instead I added some red wine vinegar (it was ok but you could also use white wine vinegar. I did not have any!). So this makes quite a lot of risotto. I divided this into 4-6 servings but if you are a serious eater you may consider this as 3, I think. Anyway, it's never too much of mushroom risotto!

Mushroom Risotto

3 onions
40g butter
400g mushrooms, chopped into small chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic
400g risotto rice, uncooked
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (I believe white would be better but this is all I had)
~2 liters vegetable stock
pinch ground pepper
salt, to taste

1) Chop 2 1/2 onion into thin strips. In a large saucepan, melt 40g of butter and add the onion. Cover and cook, over medium-low heat, until lightly browned. Stir occasionally until completely soft and caramelized. If it starts browning too fast, reduce the heat or add more butter. This should take approx. 10 minutes. When the onions caramelize, add mushrooms and mix well. Season wih salt and pepper. Cover and cook until mushrooms start to release liquid. Uncover and cook until all the liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. While the mushroom/onion mixture is cooking, you can start preparing risotto.

2) In another large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1/2 chopped onion and cook until slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add rice and toast for a few minutes. Add vinegar, mix well and then stir in 1 cup of vegetable stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until rice absorb most of the liquid, stirring constantly. Add another cup of stock and repeat this until you add all the liquid (I did not add all the stock, I had about 1/4 cup leftovers. If you notice that your rice is cooked and soft stop adding the liquid). When the rice has cooked, mix in the mushroom/onion mixture. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6

Recipe by collecting memories 

Rice and Roasted Vegetable Salad

I had the idea of making rice salad for a long time. Many years ago, I have tasted something like this and since then I was planning to make it myself. This dish is really delicious and can be eaten as a main or side. If you are not into vegetarian dishes, feel free to add some meat. I think next time I'll add some chicken but honestly I prefer it meatless. It was easy to create this recipe because whatever you add into it - it's okay. That's why I like it. To make the salad more fragrant and delicious, I decided to roast vegetables. It takes more time but I believe it's worth it. Of course, I'm sure you can skip this. If you do so, just toss everything together.

P.S. It's a perfect dish for spring!

100g rice + 1 tsp salt

1 carrot + salt, dried basil, pepper
5 medium mushrooms
1 1/4 cup chopped pumpkin + pinch salt; 1/2 tsp dried basil; 1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 red pepper
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 onion
3/4 cup canned green peas
285g canned corn
 For the sauce:
1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
coriander seeds & green onion

1. Cook rice until done with some salt. Drain them well and set aside.
2. Chop carrot and season with some salt, dried basil and pepper. Pour a little of olive oil into your frying pan and saute carrots until softer. Then increase heat and roast until lightly browned.
3. Chop mushrooms and roast in your pan with some olive oil until golden brown. Repeat the same with pumpkin and red pepper.
4. In a frying pan, roast chopped onion.
5. Mix together the onion, carrot, red pepper, mushrooms, pumpkin, garlic.
6. Add peas and corn. Add rice. Mi everything well.
7. In a separate bowl, mix together honey, dijon mustard, olive oil, vinegar. Add some salt and pepper. Pour the sauce onto rice mixture and mix well. Sprinkle some coriander seeds and green onion on top.