Ain't No Rice Like the Coconut Rice

I just got two new cookbooks delivered to my door! Woop woop! I of course skimmed through these cookbooks at Barnes and Noble, but then bought them on Amazon and used E’s free two-day shipping! That’s the way to do it. Since you’re dying to know, I got Hungry Girl to the Max and Cooking with Trader Joe’s – Lighten Up! You can expect to hear more about these books in the near future!

Speaking of Trader Joe’s, who else is a fan? It’s such a fun, cheerful place to be, especially when you have 3-Buck Chuck, cookie butter, and guacamole hummus in your cart. Now, THAT is a good time. Also, their prices are FANTASTIC!! One of my favorite things to buy at Trader Joe’s is their light coconut milk. I can buy a can for 99 cents instead of paying $2.39 or more at the other grocery stores around here. Eric and I can eat some coconut rice, that’s fo sho.

Speaking of coconut rice, look at that yummy plate of goodness I made the other night. Apricot chicken, roasted veggies, and coconut rice topped with lima beans. This is probably one of my favorite meals becaauuuseee…(Did I already warn you about my obsession with lists?)

1. I was able to have everything ready at the same time. This is mostly thanks to my lovely slow cooker. Slow cookers are the way to go. I keep a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins in my freezer for slow-cookin’ magic. The apricot chicken recipe I used comes from SixSisters’ Stuff. Check ‘em out! The best thing about slow cooking is that every single recipe I’ve tried in the slow cooker comes out tasting incredible. Soups explode with flavor, chicken is you-don’t-even-need-a-knife tender, and leftovers are much appreciated.
2. Coconut rice makes Eric a very happy man. When he comes home from work and smells coconut rice, he dances around the apartment, giggling like a child.  It pretty much makes my day.
3. Have you tried roasting vegetables? It’s currently my favorite way to prepare them. You can use any combination of veggies, but with this particular meal I combined broccoli, onion, and baby carrots. Here’s how to roast ‘em like a champ:

·         Place all chopped up veggies in a large Ziploc bag.

·         Pour about a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the bag and zip it up.

·         Shake, rattle, and roll the bag around until all your veggies are nicely coated in oil.

·         Pour contents of bag onto a baking sheet. You can cover the sheet first with some parchment paper if you’d like.

·         Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, and garlic salt. OR get creative and try some other seasonings – parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, oregano, ginger – whatever you’d like! I’m sure it won’t taste too awful.

·         Roast at 400° for about 20 minutes. 

Next time you are scrambling for a side to your main dish, opt for some roasted vegetables instead of french fries or mashed potatoes. Trust me, they’re just as delicious, if not more deliciouser. Also, use the term “more deliciouser” in a sentence this week.  Do it.