Even though I specialize in Cuban-American cuisine, we don’t eat Latin food every night at our house. Variety is indeed the spice of life. Tonight we’re having Fried Brown Rice with Tofu – I know it sounds a little too healthy to be fun, but trust me it’s delicious. And, okay, there’s a little Latin influence here (I add garlic and cumin). This is a quick, easy, healthy and delicious one dish meal. Try it, you’ll like it!

I’m starting from scratch tonight, and since the rice takes about 45 minutes, I’ll need an hour to pull this all together. But, if you’re lucky enough to have some leftover rice in the fridge this is a great way to reincarnate it and you’ll be enjoying a great meal in just 15 minutes.

BROWN RICE:

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups brown rice

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.
2. Add the rice. When water resumes boiling reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 40-45 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
3. Let the rice stand for about 5 minutes
4. When ready to serve, fluff with a fork.Note: Since this rice is destined to be fried rice, I didn’t add any oil or salt to it. Because it is going to be stir fried, I don’t want to add any extra fat and because I’m going to add some soy sauce to the dish, I don’t want to add any extra salt.

VEGETABLE FRIED BROWN RICE:

Tonight, I have fresh broccoli, a couple of carrots, some celery and a few mushrooms in the crisper of my refrigerator, so that’s what I’m tossing into my fried rice, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I’ve also made this with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables; they work great too. Just toss the whole bag in at step 4 below.

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 small piece of ginger
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium carrots (pared and cut into ¼” slices)
• 1stalk of broccoli (cut into small florets and pieces)
• 2 stalks celery (cut into 1” pieces)
• 1 cup mushrooms (sliced)
• ½ pound firm tofu (optional)*
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a wok or deep, heavy skillet.
2. Add the spices and stir fry them in the hot oil until the garlic begins to turn brown.
3. Remove the garlic cloves and the ginger. Set aside the garlic and discard the ginger.
4. Add the carrots as they will take the longest to cook and stir fry them for about two minutes.
5. Push the carrots away from the hottest part of the pan, and add the broccoli and stir fry them for two minutes.
6. Then add the other vegetables at two minute intervals once again pushing the cooked vegetables aside.
7. Add the tofu and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and stir fry the mixture for two minutes.
8. Add 3-4 cups of cooked brown rice to the pan and toss with the vegetable mixture.
9. Add the remaining two tablespoons of soy sauce and continue stir frying the mixture until thoroughly heated.

* I love tofu, but if you prefer substitute some leftover chicken, beef, pork, ham or scrambled egg for the tofu in this recipe.

These recipes from my cookbook are great ways to use leftover ham:

Croquetas de Jamon (Ham Croquettes)

Ham croquettes could be Cuba’s official appetizer. They’re portable; easy to pack and delicious hot or cold so you can take them anywhere, and they are always a crowd pleaser – a good choice for a party or picnic.

Yield: about 30 appetizer-size croquettes

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon onion (peeled & finely chopped)
• ¾ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups ham (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine
• bread crumbs
• vegetable oil for frying

1. In a large heavy skillet, melt the butter over low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until tender.
3. Blend in the flour.
4. Gradually stir in the milk until the roux thickens into a paste.
5. Add the ham, spices and wine and continue cooking stirring constantly just until blended.
6. Remove from heat and let cool thoroughly. If you wish, the mixture can be refrigerated at this point and made into croquettes the next day.
7. Pour an inch thick layer of bread crumbs in a low pan.
8. Scoop up 1 tablespoon of the mixture and shape it into a cylinder about 2” long and ¾” in diameter.
9. Dip it into the breadcrumbs and coat it.
10. Repeat with the remaining mixture refreshing the breadcrumbs as necessary.
11. In a deep fryer or in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 to 3 inches of oil to 350°, or until a drop of the mixture sizzles when it hits the oil.
12. Fry the croquettes a few at a time turning them until golden brown on all sides.

SHORTCUT – try substituting leftover mashed potatoes for the roux paste made from the butter, milk and flour. We’ve had good luck with this, and it can be a big timesaver.

Croquettes freeze well – I like to make a big batch of these at one time. Prepare croquettes as directed above through step 9. Place croquettes in layers separated by wax paper in a shallow pan, making sure sides don’t touch. Cover and place them in the freezer for a couple of hours or overnight until firm. At this point, you can remove the croquettes from the pan and place them in a plastic bag for easier storage. To prepare, simply remove as many as you want to make from the freezer and resume the recipe at step 10.

Croquettes are delicious all by themselves, but I love them accompanied by our spicy guava mustard.

Mostaza con Guayaba y Miel (Guava Honey Mustard)

This delicious, spicy mustard is a wonderful accompaniment to sausages, cold cuts or cheeses.

• 1 cup prepared yellow mustard
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons guava paste
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of food processor fitted with the steel blade and process for about one minute or until all ingredients are pureed and thoroughly mixed.
2. Adjust seasonings to taste.

I love ham salad, and created this healthy recipe with a twist. Try it in sandwiches or as a canapé topping for your favorite cracker or on a crispy slice of  a favorite vegetable.

Pasta de Jamon (Ham Spread)

Yield: about 1 quart of ham spread

• ½ pound ham (about 2 cups of finely chopped ham)
• 1 small onion
• ¼ cup salad olives (drained)
• 2 4.5-ounce cans deviled ham
• ¼ cup nonfat or lowfat cream cheese
• ¼ cup nonfat yogurt
• ¼ cup dill relish (drained)

1. In a food processor bowl, pulse the deli ham, onion and salad olives until finely chopped.
2. Transfer the ham mixture to a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bienvenidos and Welcome Readers!

Wow!  I am pretty darn excited about my shiny, new blog, To Cook is To Love.  Pretty spiffy isn’t it?  Sleek and stylish, warm and inviting. Hop in and let’s take her for a spin!

To Cook is to Love is high performance, fully loaded with lots of great features and gadgets, and she can do 0 to 60 words per minute with no mistakes.  Now that I’ve settled in behind the wheel it feels quite comfy and the view of the road ahead is open and wide!

I’m itching to get out there on the information superhighway and feel the wind in my fingertips as the megabytes fly by.  I’ve been hearing lots about blogs for several years now and I’ve visited quite a few, but I never imagined I’d actually have one of my very own.  It’s a new world and a new life with adventures untold awaiting me.

My strategy guru Rachel is the one that got me interested in this as she is one of the original bloggers on the planet and she’s been tooling around in one of her many blogs, www.rachelsdatingdiary.com for years.  She told me to just start in and let it rip. So I’m taking her advice and here goes!

I’m using my new blog to pimp my business Mucho Gusto Inc., and my new cookbook, To Cook is To Love, that I just completed and that will be published soon. To Cook is To Love is a combination cookbook and memoir that the captures the essence, flavors and magic of old world Cuba, and brings new techniques and ingredients into the kitchens of adventurous home chefs!  Going forward I’ll be sharing tidbits of info about Mucho Gusto, Inc. — we get to do lots of interesting things — a fabulous personal party chef service for your next event and a small business consulting practice centered on coaching and management support services and delivered in a low-key, casual manner.

I also be sharing my favorite recipes, cooking techniques, my podcasts, stories about my volunteer work, and updates on my culinary adventures and international travels to places like Cuba and Puerto Rico.  And, as I’m an avid reader of anything I can get my hands on I’ll also be recommending books that you might be interested in.

Muchas Gracias, Mucho Gusto y Buen Provecho!!!

John