Fall Spice Brown Rice Pudding

I'm trying to eat more brown rice these days.  It's good for you, so I've read.  I've been reading a book on macrobiotics.  There is a lot to macrobiotics.  It is more than just what you eat.  It is how you interact with the world around you.  The energies that flows through everything and how to balance that for better health.  Nutritionally macrobiotics seems to be based on brown rice, beans, soy and vegetables.  Soy doesn't work in our family.  But beans, brown rice and vegetables do.  So I'm moved to do something with brown rice.

Fall Spice Brown Rice Pudding with dried cranberries

I'm also trying to eat breakfast more often.  I'm not really a breakfast person... well unless there is a chocolate cake sitting on the counter.

Crispy Treats

Life in the summer is made to be simple.  And simple recipes are appreciated anytime of the year, right?  Especially ones that kids and adults enjoy. 

When you go gluten free deserts can be tough.  And when you are also dairy, egg and soy free it gets tougher.  We are also pineapple, citrus and cranberry free.  (Although I do keep them around once in awhile so those of us who can eat them have that choice, I don't usually make anything with them.)  Pies, cakes and crumbles all have to be tweaked, sometimes completely revamped.  It gets complicated.

But there is one simple desert.  A favorite treat using a cereal and a campfire staple.  The original recipe had dairy in it but here is a just-as-simple tweaked version.  A favorite treat tweaked to fit our dairy free life- simply.

Who doesn't love Crispy Rice Treats?

Mango, black bean quinoa salad

Sometimes you just need something fresh, different, a taste sensation that surprises.  Something different from your "normal" but not too far from your comfort zone.  Something, in fact, that could become comfort food... maybe?

Mango, black bean and quinoa salad with fresh mint.

You're tired of eating rice and decide to cook quinoa.  Fantastic!  Now what??  Well... You just happen to have a mango that needs to be eaten.  And you have mint taking over the garden 'cause everything else died from the mint strangling it.  Okay maybe you don't but I did.  (Imagine that, I had a mango.)

Beef Burgers

This is from my very first post but I decided to separate it out so that the burger recipe could be found a little more easily.

Spiced burger in an arepa with chips and Bunny BBQ

Spiced Beef Burgers
2 lbs ground beef
½  sweet white onion thinly sliced
½ tsp. Cumin
1 tsp Oregano
Black pepper
Salt
In in a bowl place the onions the meat and mix with ½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, a dash of salt and a heavy dash of pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Cook in an electric skillet set at 350F or on a skillet on the stove set on medium high, or on the grill.  Cook the meat until the hamburgers are cooked through.


Enjoy!
~Michelle

Spiced Burger in a taco shell

Salt and Vinegar Potato Salad

Okay, yum.  I had seen this recipe around the web in several sites and finally decided to try it.  A potato salad that gets away from the heavy egg-y mayo.  I'm picky about potato salad. I don't like tons of dill.  I don't like pickle relish in it.  I don't like heavy mayo but I've never liked other potato salad dressed with anything else either.  (Eww to German potato salad.  For a girl who likes hash browns with her eggs and bacon, I don't like bacon in my potato salad.)    I haven't had a good potato salad since we went egg free.

Salt and vinegar potato salad