BUSY WEEK and COLORFUL RICE

Yesterday has been a week since I was on the net! This was one hecktic looooooooooong week! Yesterday, I first checked FoodBuzz and buzzed off all the yummy creations I missed through the week and boy, was there some pretty tasty, wonderful food to admire! Just to mention few that really intrigued my taste buds: Warm and Cheesy Gnochi Salad @Welcome to Sandra's Easy Cooking , Chocolate Panna Cotta @The Cultural Dish , Ceviche @Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves , Skirt Steak with Stout Pan Sauce @The Cultural Dish , and my personal winner KEY LIME PIE @Cherry Tea Cakes ! Love it!!!

Now about the recipe. We cook rise pretty often (I always choose rice over potatoes), although potato is the most loved starch as far as my family is concerned! They could eat "any way" potato three times a day! Rice as rice, all white on the plate is not that inviting, so I always try to add some color to it: sometimes just by adding a dash of turmeric that will turned it light yellow, or some browned vermicelli pasta to give it some movement, but mostly I add colorful veggies that really bring the rice to life. And as far as the flavor busting, well: "Spices to the rescue!"

Colorful Rice

RICE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT

Rice is an often guest on our dinner table. But serving the rice in same way over and over again can get boring and uninviting. Mixing rice with other delicious ingredients and spices can make the rice eating experience new and exciting every time.
This rice with chickpeas and onions, cardamom and ginger, is rich and satisfying served just with a side of salad, but will nicely pair with chicken, meat or fish.

Rice Somewhat Different

GREAT NORTHERN BEAN- White Beans in a Pot

Beans are just perfect for cold winter days, satisfying our tummies and giving us warmth and energy. They are certainly one of the best foods available. A cup of great northern beans contains 14.7 grams of protein, and 12.4 grams of dietary fiber. These beans are also excellent sources of iron, magnesium and folates, and they have just 200 calories per cup. They can really bulk up the nutritional value of anything to which they’re added to, and when they are combined with brown rice, they form a complete protein. The great northern beans are also good for people, who are on a diet or follow a vegan diet. Though great northern beans alone may not have considerable taste, they do absorb flavor extremely well. In our family we call them white beans and they are an often guest on our dinner table especially in the winter, usually served with a nice side of rice.

Great Northern Bean- White Beans In A Pot

STUFFED GREEN BELL PEPPERS

Ginger in the filling gives the dish a nice heat that warms the back of your throat, the cumin contributes its smokiness, parsley its bright freshness, rich tomato soup slight acidity balances the sharpness of garlic and sweetness of onion, while the mashed potatoes with its creaminess offers a nice introduction to your taste buds of what is coming “to town”.

Stuffed Green Bell Peppers