Embracing Him

I’m in the process of revising the meals I prepare for my family to ensure we’re not consuming too much saturated fat. In addition to revamping our favorite recipes, I’ve purchased two lowfat cookbooks from the American Heart Association and found some promising lowfat recipes online.

The newest recipe I’ve discovered is for a wonderful lemon rice. We’re big fans of rice, so I made this dish last week. This simple recipe was fresh and fragrant and JT and I both enjoyed it. The lemon zest and fresh parsley brighten the dish and heighten the flavor.

To make sure the recipe was healthy, I used low fat, low sodium chicken broth. Since I didn’t have any fresh garlic bulbs, I used jarred minced garlic which worked just fine. I plan to serve this rice again next week along side Orange Chicken, but I plan to use jasmine rice and add chopped broccolini for additional flavor complexity.

Fragrant Lemon Rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup long grain white rice
2 teaspoons fresh crushed garlic
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
zest of one lemon

Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in rice and immediately reduce heat to low. Cover pan and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes, covered. Add the remaining ingredients and fluff with a fork before serving.

Photo: Courtesy of Laundry Broad (Flickr)

A few weeks ago the community newspaper featured a variety of recipes showcasing cherries. One recipe was for fresh Cherry Lemonade. I made some on Memorial Day and it was wonderful: bright, sweet, and tangy! JT and I agreed that we will definitely keep a pitcher of this in our refrigerator all summer long!

Cherry Lemonade

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 pound fresh cherries, washed and pitted (about 2 cups)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5-6 lemons)
6 cups cold water

Heat sugar and water in a small pot until sugar dissolves.

Add cherries and bring to a boil. Boil until cherries begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

Strain cooled cherry syrup into a large pitcher, pressing on the cherries to release the juice.

Add lemon juice and cold water.

Pour over ice and garnish with fresh mint.

Though this recipe is delicious as is, it has a very subtle cherry flavor. We would have preferred to taste more cherry in the lemonade, so next time I make it, I will double the amount of cherries.

Photo: Courtesy of jfrasse