Dominican Rice

Maybe the best thing about NYC is cheap, delicious Dominican food. A friend I work with taught me the secret to Dominican rice. The tricky thing is you have to buy two spices that are common here, but might be hard to find elsewhere: Adobo and Sazon.

Sorry this is a little imprecise - might take a couple of times to perfect it.

1 med. onion
1 T. tomato paste
1-2 tsp. Adobo
1 packet Sazon
2 C. rice

Sautee an onion in a medium-sized pot. Add tomato paste, Adobo and a packet of Sazon. Add some water and stir. Add rice and stir well. Cover with water, which should be about 1/2 inch above the rice line. Boil until water is nearly all boiled off, rice will still be very wet. Reduce to a simmer and cover with tin foil. (If you cover with a lid it will turn out more like Asian rice - with tin foil it ends up much drier.) Let simmer about 20 minutes and test. If it isn't totally cooked, you can add a little water and let it continue steaming. Taste and add more Adobo if it needs salt.

Serve with black beans, any fish or chicken, plantains. Delicious!

Tuna Cakes

These taste remarkably like crab cakes. Easy and delicious!

3 cans tuna
1 lg. egg
1/2 C. cilantro
1/3 C. bread crumbs
2 T. lt. mayo
1 T. fresh lemon juice (can substitute mayo & lemon for lemonnaise if you're lucky enough to have some on hand)
1 jalapeno, seeds removed
1 T. olive oil (for frying)

In a large bowl, stir together tuna, egg, cilantro, bread crumbs, mayo, lemon, and jalapeno. Mix gently until ingredients just hold together. Using a packed 1/3 C. measure of tuna mixture per patty, shape into 8 cakes.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Cook cakes until golden brown and crisp on outside, about 2 min. per side. Serve hot with cocktail sauce or salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Broccoli Chowder

Found this when I was looking for healthy soup options. It's delicious!

2 med. potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups broccoli florets
1 med. onion, diced
2 C. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 C. fat free sour cream
1/2 C. fat free skim milk
1/4 C. parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper

Combine potato, broccoli, onion, broth and thyme in a pot. Bring to a boil, cover partially and cook until veggies are tender, about 15 min. Mash with potato masher.

Add rest of ingredients. Simmer until warm. Do not allow to boil. Serve hot.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've tried many a recipe of tortilla soup. This is the winner.

2 chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1 avacado
canned minced jalapeno (1 tsp. for medium, more for spicy)
6 C. chicken stock
2 15 oz. cans chopped tomatoes
2 cans black beans

Sautee garlic and onion. Add chicken and cook well. Add 5 C. broth to a large pot. Add tomatoes, beans and simmer. Add canned jalapenos to desired spice level (I use 1/4 of the smallest cans). Serve with fresh avacado, cheddar and tortilla strips or chips. Also good with sour cream.