Nutty Food Critic

When I cook brown rice on the stovetop it is never sticky like the white sticky rice that I love so much! Tonight we cooked brown rice in our Instant Pot on the multigrain setting for 35 minutes instead of the standard 40 minutes - 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water - and it was sticky like the white rice and tasted so good!  I was shocked to say the least because I didn't expect it!  If you love white rice and have an instant pot try it! You shouldn't be disappointed. I know I wasn't! 

Seasoned ground Turkey and vegetables  The picture above is a mixture of ground Turkey, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and lots of spices! The spices are turmeric, garlic, pepper, fajita seasoning, pepper, basil, and ginger. My husband has reactive hypoglycemia and I have high cholesterol so trying to balance the two can be difficult. He can eat any type of meat but I need low fat so we have to compromise now when eating at home.  Bell Peppers ready to go!  This bell pepper dish is actually an old classic that we both enjoy so happy to make it for the first night that we have to throw out all of our junk and medium to high sugar food, and buy no refined sugar, potatoes, and to my husband's detriment white rice dishes!  I studied everything I could on "Dr. Google" (as my physician would say), but next week we will be going in to see a dietician to answer all our questions to make sure we have it right. This morning I went through our pantry and read

Strawberries are perfect for the FridgeSmart or Freeze-It containers My food stays fresher when I use my Tupperware products, whether for freezing or in the refrigerator! I signed up originally to buy from Tupperware but ended up selling as well. Why? Simply because I LOVE their products! Check out my Tupperware website to view all the new, updated and on sale products sold by Tupperware! Click here to view or order:   Earthsflowers I love the FridgeSmart products because when I buy cilantro and/or other herbs/vegetables they stay fresh longer and I don't end up throwing them out if I haven't used them within a week. The Freeze-It ® Plus containers are one of my favorite because I can put leftovers in the individual containers and they are easy to remove the food, and re-heat even if they are frozen. The Zest 'N Press gadget is easy to use for squeezing lemons, limes and small oranges as well as zesting with the same tool. 

Ingredients: 10 Vanilla bean stalks 1 L. Bottle of Vodka Have you ever tried to make vanilla bean extract homemade? I just did! I am so excited about the project and I'm hoping for a tasty outcome. Here is a picture of my jar, along with 10 grade A Madagascar bourbon cured vanilla bean stalks sitting straight up and not bent. I ordered them from a company selling on Amazon. They are not cheap but in the long run, I believe they will be worth the money. The clear liquid is from a full bottle of vodka. I may have a lot of explaining to do when my husband finds the empty vodka bottle in our recycling bin. Vanilla Bean Extract I also ordered a glass leak-proof swing top cap jar that is slightly taller than the vanilla bean stalks so the liquid will fully cover them. Now, I just need to place the jar in the pantry waiting for the vanilla beans to flavor the vodka and change it into vanilla bean extract.  This will take months, but I believe it is well worth the effort. 

Ingredients:  ½ cup black pepper ¾ cup dried minced onion 6 tbsp. garlic powder 3 tbsp. caraway seeds 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes ¼ cup coarse kosher salt I love making this dry rub for my grilled steaks and red meats. Just mix it all up, and you have the best rub that can be used for up to 6 months in a Tupperware container!  Check out my link for purchasing Tupperware containers to store your spices by  Clicking here! Don't forget to click on your social media to share: 👇 👇 👇

Cauliflower Nachos I LOVE 💗 nachos! I use to think I lived on them the majority of time I went to college and after I had my first child.  I have slowed down on eating too much cheese or fried chips lately so nachos haven't been on my list to order or make in the last few years. That changed recently when I saw a simple recipe on line that called for cauliflower instead of chips and I had to try it.  I modified it to fit my taste.  Here is a sample of what I like. I may have it too hot for most people but you  can omit the  jalapeños  and use mild salsa.  Ingredients:  (serving size for one person) 1/2 head of cauliflower cut up Ingredients:  (serving size for one person) 1 fresh  jalapeños sliced 1/2 head of cauliflower cut up 4 habanera green chile natural chicken meatballs cut in half Use approximately 5 TBS of olive oil poured over cauliflower mixture I used lots of different spices, such as basil, salt, pepper, cumin, parsley, garlic and chili powder.  

Well, you have heard of crab cakes but my favorite is chicken cakes!  Made the same way but I use the white chicken breast in the can since it has about the same consistency. Ingredients: 8 Tbs of olive oil (reserve 4 Tbs) 1 Tbs of butter 2 large bell peppers chopped (any color - I prefer red and organic) 1 yellow sweet onion chopped (substitute yellow or red) 2 Tbs of minced garlic 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro (fresh)  2 Tbs of dijon mustard 2 cans of white chicken breast drained 2 eggs slightly beaten 3/4 cup of panko fine bread crumbs (substitute any fine bread crumbs) Spice to taste - I use the following: 1 Tbs of black pepper 1 Tbs of cayenne pepper (less if you don't like spicy) 1 Tbs of turmeric 1 Tbs of ground ginger 1 Tbs of dried parsley 1 Tbs of dried basil  1 Tbs of salt ( optional - I don't use it because the canned chicken as salt in it) Heat oil and add the bell peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro.  Cook about 10 minutes on medium heat unt