Autumn Wild Rice

2 (6 oz.) packages long grain and wild rice mix
1 medium red or green apple, unpeeled and diced
1 green onion, minced
1/4 c. dried cranberries or golden raisins
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
1/4 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 c. butter, melted
2 t. poppy seeds
1 t. grated lemon rind
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. apple juice

In a medium saucepan, cook rice according to package directions. In a large serving bowl, combine apple, onion, cranberries or raisins, parsley and almonds. Add cooked rice and toss together to blend. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, poppy seeds, lemon rind, cinnamon and apple juice. Pour over rice mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Taco Rice

from allrecipes.com

You can use this as a side dish with enchiladas or as a filling with your tacos, whatever you can imagine it will taste good with-- it probably will!

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
14.5 ounces water in chicken broth can
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix, to taste
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream

In your rice cooker, put in rice, chicken broth & water, tomato sauce, and as much taco seasoning as you want. I used about half. Turn rice cooker on. After rice is cooked, stir in the cheddar and sour cream.

*You can also stir in at the end any of the following: 1 can green chilies, 1 can sliced olives, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 can spicy Ro-tel tomatoes & green chilies

Coconut Rice Custard

1 13.5oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar
1 cup long-grain white rice
3 cups half-and-half (I used powdered milk, and added a little more powder to make it creamy)
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 325F. Bring coconut milk, water, and 1/4 cup of the sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the rice, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed (about 20 min). Meanwhie, warm the half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat, but do not allow to boil. Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and remaining sugar, and pour the warm half and half into the eggs mixture, whisking constantly. Skim off any foam that rises, and stir in the rice. Transfer to an 8x8 baking dish, then place that dish into a large roasting pan or baking dish and put in the oven. Add enough hot water to the larger pan to reach halfway up the sides of the smaller dish. Bake until custard is set (about 1 hour). This is good served warm or cold!

Cilantro-Lime Rice (Cafe Rio knock-off)

I have tried several knock-off recipes, and this is the best so far...but not exactly the same.

1 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix.

Cheese and Brown Rice Casserole

5 cups brown rice, cooked

6 green onions, chopped

2 cup low fat cottage cheese

2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup low fat milk

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour into a lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake in a 375 oven for 15 minutes, stir, and then put in 15 more minutes. Stir again to get the cheese to melt before serving.

Perfect Brown Rice

Here is the promised recipe I mentioned a while ago. It really does make perfect brown rice. It works to use in other recipes, or just alone (you can add spices if you want also)

3 cups brown rice (not instant)
2 eggs
4 cups of water
1 can (about 2 cups) chicken broth (or you can just use 6 cups water, but the chicken broth adds more flavor)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute brown rice with 2 eggs, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture is dry. Pour into 9 X 13 baking dish. Add water, chicken broth, and oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Do not stir! Do not poke! Do not disturb! Just look at rice after 45 minutes and cover with foil at that time. Cook for about another 30 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

Party Rice

Super simple and super yummy!!! It does take a long time to cook, though, so plan ahead if you make this.

1C white rice
1 stick butter (you could use margarine, but not the tub kind, the stick kind)
1 can beef broth
1 can french onion soup

preheat oven to 300. pour rice, soup, and broth into ovenproof bowl, then cut butter into large chunks on top. cook uncovered for at least an hour.

Tonight, it cooked for over an hour, and was still liquidy and crunchy. I popped it in Leslie's oven at 375 for 10-15 more minutes and it was perfect. I think my oven doesn't work quite right, but you could try cooking it at a higher temperature, or just for longer.

Nutty Wild Rice

So this is the recipe I was going to bring but I didn't have all the ingredients. It is so good though!

1/3 c. slivered almonds, or pinenuts
1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (16 baby carrots chopped)
2 cloves garlic, (1 t. minced)
1 c. + fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 c. wild rice (uncooked), or combination of brown, wild, white... whatever you have on hand.
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
1/3 c. Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread slivered almonds on jelly roll pan, greased with a tiny bit of olive oil or butter. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes. Let cool and chop almonds.
2. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, carrots, garlic & mushrooms. Saute until tender and onions are translucent. Add rice and cook until it is lightly browned. Add broth, wine, salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Toss with parsley and nuts and serve.
*I like to make this dish with a mix of wild & brown rice. If I have any white rice I need to use up, I will throw it in at the very end and it mixes very nicely.
**This tastes excellent when paired with a lemon chicken.

Rice on the Side

This is an easy and healthy way to use up leftover rice. It is yummiest if you are a little generous with oil or butter when you coat the pan!

Rice Dish
½ cup slivered almonds
handful raisins
handful peas
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cups cooked rice
Stir-fry the almonds in oil or butter until golden; then set aside. Add the pepper, then the peas, cooking a couple of minutes until they are starting to cook but still pretty firm; set aside. Next add the raisins and rice and stir until it is all warmed through. Add back in all the other ingredients. Salt and Pepper to taste.