Bulgarian Pepper Casserole

Sunday night's dinner: Bulgarian Pepper Casserole. I enjoyed putting this meal together, even though the casserole wasn't my favorite.

I started by cooking some brown rice on the stove. In a separate pan, I sauteed peppers and onions with oregano and basil. Garlic and feta cheese were added to the pan once everything was softened.

I whipped some ricotta cheese in a big bowl and mixed in the peppers and brown rice.

The top of the casserole was dotted with tomatoes, sliced garlic, and olives (only half since somebody doesn't like olives!). Overall, the casserole was OK. It was an interesting combination of ingredients!

Spinach-Rice Casserole

Spinach-Rice Casserole contains a pound of spinach (I halved the recipe) which you steam down to nearly nothing. It's amazing to watch this giant leafy green mound melt into a little sopping wet heap. The spinach is then mixed with brown rice, onion, garlic, sunflower seeds, a milky egg mixture, spices, and some grated cheddar cheese. Really filling and absolutely delicious. I was so pleased with how this recipe turned out!

Stuffed Artichoke with Greek Pilaf and Greek Lemon Sauce

Stuffed Artichoke with Greek Pilaf and Greek Lemon Sauce!

Here's how it all went down: started by making Greek Lemon Sauce. Blended silken tofu with a little salt, lemon juice, and white pepper. The sauce was a little plain but was a nice dip for the artichokes.

Artichokes were steamed and the center most part was pulled and scraped out. You know that fiberous part right above the heart? Yea, that had to go.

Steamed brown rice and cooked onion, garlic, and celery with sunflower seeds, lemon juice, and black pepper. Minced parsley and onion. Mixed everything together and spooned into artichokes. Devoured! An amazing, dairy free dinner. Super garlicky and fresh and healthy!

Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad

Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad is a highly addictive situation with many fascinating components. I'm not feeling particularly descriptive tonight, so here's whutchoo put in this salad:

brown rice
fresh pineapple
green onion
celery
red bell pepper
water chestnuts (I almost left these out. I think they are disgusting, but I am trying to be a big girl with a big girl palate.)
fresh mung bean sprouts (I know I just said I'm tryin' to be a real adult, but it's one step at a time, K? I straight up left these out... anything with the word "mung" in it should surely be kept at a distance from the mouth)
raisins (Plumped these in a glass of very warm water for about 30 minutes, a trick I learned from a total stud)
toasted peanuts
toasted sesame seeds

All of this gets combined in a mild, oil based sauce with orange juice and garlic and spicy spice. It marinates in the fridge, or until you can't bear it any longer and must have a taste. So you do, and it's delightful, and both you and Charlie are surprised by the contribution, taste and texture wise, that water chestnuts have made, and think they might not be so bad after all, but hey, who knows, it could just be all the basketball you've been watching.

Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding made with brown rice and soy milk. The rice pudding doesn't look too appetizing, but tasted quite delicious with cinnamon, agave nectar, and vanilla. Unfortunately, it burned the bottom of the pan... took some intense scrubbing to get it out!