Leftover Rice...

...makes the BEST Rice Pudding!  So, it's probably not surprising that my blog is about food.  I'm a total "foodie" and I love trying new recipes.  Today I searched foodnetwork.com for a yummy looking recipe, but I think I modified it enough to have made my own recipe.  The inspiration recipe was Alton Brown's Indian Rice Pudding.  My recipe is below...

Indian Inspired Rice Pudding

2 c cooked rice
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/3 c sugar
3 T sweetened shredded coconut ( I would have used coconut milk like Alton if I had it, but I didn't, so I threw in some coconut instead)
1/2 c golden raisins
pistachios for garnishing

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine rice and evaporated milk.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Add half and half, cardamom, nutmeg, sugar and coconut.  Cook until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and add raisins.  Transfer mixture to ramekins or other serving dish.  Cover the tops with plastic wrap to avoid a "skin" forming on top of pudding while cooling.  Serve chilled or at room temp.  Top with pistachios before serving.  YUM!

Spicy Tortilla Soup with Shrimp and Avocado

Make that:  Spicy Tortilla Soup with Shrimp and Avocado Scallops

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light magazine (one of my FAVORITES, btw) and I had to make it!  Reece and I love spicy food and I especially love Mexican spices, especially cumin.  So, of course I always change my recipe according to what I have on hand, and I only had about 4 oz. of shrimp instead of the 12 oz. that was called for.  I did, however, have some bay scallops in the freezer, so I ended up throwing them into the pot.  Much to my dismay, my avocado was extremely UNripe...and I couldn't have the avocado tonight.  So, here's the recipe straight from Cooking Light.  It was delicious, quick and easy.  I'd like to try it with chicken sometime too.  Anyway, here it is!  Enjoy!

Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups soup, 2 tablespoons chips, and 1/4 cup avocado)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  cup  prechopped onion
• 1/3  cup  prechopped celery
• 1/3  cup  chopped carrot
• 1  tablespoon  minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce (I also added 1 tsp of the adobo sauce for extra spice)
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  chili powder
• 2  teaspoons  minced garlic
• 4  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (15-ounce) can white hominy, rinsed and drained (I think sweet corn would be good too)
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (I think it's worth it to get the fire-roasted, you can taste the difference I think)
• 12  ounces  peeled and deveined medium shrimp (I added scallops too)
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  cup  lightly crushed baked tortilla chips (about 1 ounce)
• 1  cup  diced avocado (about 1/2 pound)
• 2  tablespoons  fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); cook 6 minutes or until carrot is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover and cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp; cook 2 minutes or until shrimp are done.
2. Remove from heat; stir in juice and salt. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among 4 bowls; top evenly with chips and avocado. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.