Goudy Straight Trippin'

Category: Side Dishes

  • Garlic Fried Rice

    Garlic Fried Rice

    This recipe is quick and easy. I always tend to over cook the amount of rice we need for dishes and end up freezing the leftovers so I usually have some rice on hand in the freezer for this dish. You can use fresh rice but it will not behave the same.

    Ingredients

    • 3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
    • 6-8 large clovesgarlic, minced
    • 2 cupsday old white rice (mine was frozen)
    • 1/2 small onion, diced
    • Salt and pepper, to taste

    Directions

    Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil to the pan swirling it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and onion, cook until it just begins to brown – do not let it burn. Stir in the rice and cook for 5-7 minutes just until the rice is a light golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

  • Black Bean Salad

    Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette

    I found this recipe on Pinterest of course! It’s perfect for entertaining because it’s festive and you can make it ahead of time — in fact, you should because it gets better and better the longer it sits. I have made it several times, once as a garnish for our mexican food night and Stephen put the salad on his tacos and once for a friends get together. It does involve a fair amount of chopping  — nothing difficult but it does take some time to put together. Enjoy! 

    Ingredients

    • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
    • 3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob or 1 can of corn
    • 2 tomatoes, diced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 2 tablespoons minced shallots, from one medium shallot
    • 2 teaspoons salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, best quality 
    • 1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
    • 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
    • 2 Hass avocados, chopped

    Directions

    Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.

  • Pinto Beans

    For many years, I did not make this recipe, boy was I missing out! I prefer pinto beans vs red beans. You can cook these in the crockpot or on the stove (as long as you are there to monitor the water level). I usually make a double batch so that I can freeze some for soup or refried beans later in the week.

    INGREDIENTS for overnight soak

    • bag of pinto beans
    • 2 T garlic powder
    • 2 tsp Cumin

    INGREDIENTS for cooking

    • 2-3 small green onions, chopped
    • 1 cup fresh Cilantor, chopped or 2 T dried cilantro
    • 4 pieces of uncooked bacon, cut up
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
    • 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, more if you prefer it spicier
    • 2 T Cumin
    • 2 T Mexican Oregano

    The night before rinse your beans then in a large bowl or pan add your beans, soaking ingredients above (garlic, and Cumin) and enough water to cover the beans generously in a large pot. Cover and leave on the counter overnight.

    Cooking day: Add salt, garlic, onions, pepper, cilantro, red pepper flakes, cumin, Mexican Oregano and bacon. Fill the pot with enough water to generously cover the beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 3-4 hours, adding water as needed to keep the beans moist and to ensure that it does not burn.

    Crockpot: Rinse the beans, add beans and above cooking ingredients to the crockpot. Fill the crockpot with enough water to generously cover the beans, otherwise, you take a chance of your beans becoming to dry or burning. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

    Helpful tips:

    • Soaking cuts the cooking time by as much as 70%, so most soaked beans will pressure cook in as little as 8 to 15 minutes. 
    • If you fail to soak the beans first, you can still have beans that day, it will just extend the cooking time.
    • Soaking helps further break down those pesky oligosaccharides, the indigestible sugars that cause gas in beans, as well as removing tannins, phytic acid and tryspin inhibitors.


     

  • Aunt Willie’s Mac and Cheese

    Aunt Willie’s Mac and Cheese

    This recipe is thanks to Aunt Willie! She made an awesome macaroni and cheese and I was fortunate enough to have her teach me the recipe before she passed away.

    1 box elbow macaroni, uncooked

    1/2 cup flour

    1/8 tsp pepper

    2 cup milk

    1/2 cup parmesan cheese

    8 oz light processed cheese, cubed

    4 oz cream cheese, softened

    2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

    toast, crumbled

    Cook macaroni until tender, drain. Combine flour and pepper in a pot, add 1/2 cup milk stirring until completey smooth. Gradually add remaining milk, stir briskly. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil (careful not to burn it). Stir constantly. Reduce heat; add cheeses, stirring until melted. (If it is too creamy or thick, add more milk to desired consistency. Remove from heat, stir in macaroni. Pour mixture in to a 9 x 13 dish. Sprinkle toast over top of macaroni. Bake @350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown

    You can also skip the oven part if needed. It cuts down on the cooking time and would be ready in 20 minutes verses 50 minutes