Vegan Mofo VI-Day 19: Arroz By Any Other Name...

I can't believe this is the first time I've cooked all week. The previous two weeks I was cooking at least once a day, sometimes twice. I am working on my comeback so I can finish on a strong note, but I am glad I haven't missed a day yet.

I had to change my cooking plans for this week due to weather (too hot to use the oven!), but one thing I could still make was the "Cilantro-Lime Rice" from Viva Vegan, yay! There were good prices on cilantro, green onions and limes at the market so that made me even happier that I chose this dish for this week.

I've never had cilantro-lime rice before. They offer it at Chipotle, but I have this issue that whenever I order anything which has beans and rice, I always get way more rice than beans and I feel cheated. So I usually pass on the rice and just ask for a ton of beans instead. Now that I have my own huge pot of beans and my own lil' pot of rice, I can balance it out and enjoy two great things together without wishing I had one more scoop of beans. Also, it's probably much cheaper this way. Now I just have to make my own guac, salsa and grill some veggies for my cheap-otle experience to be complete. I'm actually planning to do this exact thing if I can get my sister's boyfriend to hook up the guac and salsa. Burrito party!

This recipe was really quick and it's quite delicious. I debated doubling it so that I would have almost as much rice as I have beans (cooked another pot today!), but since it's so fast I know I could just make more in a few days when I run out. I only used two of the eight limes I bought so I definitely have enough for next time. I'm going to see how many I need to make the "Coconut Lime Cupcakes" from VCTOTW. It's supposed to cool down significantly next week and might even rain so that's perfect baking weather.

Vegan Mofo IV - Day 2: Rice Rice Baby!

Even though frijoles will always be my favorite food, rice is pretty high on the list too. I like mine with lots of veggies in it to balance out all of the starchiness, or at least try to. This is another dish that should be really easy to make but that I will find a way to mess up.

Cooking teaches you a lot of things and one of the hugest lessons I am still struggling with is patience. One mistake I used to make was lifting the lid or stirring the pot. No, no, and no. Put the lid on and leave it alone. Today I did that and everything turned out great, plus I got to watch a bit of one of my favorite films, Volver. I know it's Spanish and not Mexican, but who cares?!

I remember my great grandma's rice would have huge slivers of onion in it, which as a kid, grossed me out since I had not yet acquired a taste for onions. Now, I love them and always put a whole one when the recipe calls for half. Same for garlic, two cloves? Let's put seven, no eight! Some people put veggies and and some do not. Most like to use chicken broth. I grew up eating rice this way and I loved it, having no idea how it all came together. Now I know, but still wanted to find a way to enjoy it, vegan style.

I know I can't ask anyone for a real recipe so checked the internet, and finally found one I liked at forkfingerschopsticks. I printed it out and got super excited about trying it. I used Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base for the "broth" and 2- 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce instead of one. I added 2 cups thawed frozen mixed vegetables, a whole onion quartered and sliced, and I think 8 cloves minced garlic. I love this recipe. I can't wait for my sister to stop by and try my rice later!

p.s. If you haven't read Michele Serros' Chicana Falsa there is a really great piece in there called "Attention Shoppers" that you will never not think about when shopping for frozen vegetables.