Sweet Potato and Bacon Risotto

Sweet potatoes are super autumnal, wintery, comforting, delicious... There is something about them that makes the perfect meal when it's chilly outside. No wonder they are used so much around the Christmas holidays. You can probably find thousands of recipes out there to put them into and every single one of them is amazing.

Bacon and Tomato Risotto

They say, if you can make risotto, you can make anything... Well honestly it's not that complicated :) I've perfected my way now and if you follow these steps, I promise you will end up with the creamiest, tastiest risotto you've ever had. So let's get going...

Rice & Chicken (Oriz so Kokoska)

I've been loving this meal ever since I was past the baby food stage. No kidding! :-) There is a rice and chicken meal in almost every culture around the world, but since I grew up with the one that's common in Macedonia, it would have to be my favourite. My grandma makes it, my mum makes it, so that's why I make it now :-) And every time it brings back memories and puts me into my comfort zone :-)

Eggless Vegetable Fried Rice

I decided to make fried rice without eggs. I think this way the dish is lighter :-) The secret to a perfect plate of fried rice for me is having the correct ratio of rice* to vegetables (1:2). So, I used that and it turned out just as I wanted it. I used the typical frozen vegetable mix (carrots, broccoli, peas, cauliflowers and celery), but you can use fresh vegetables, too.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 1 cup cooked rice

- 2 cups frozen vegetables, defrosted

- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped

- 3tbs olive oil

- 5tbs soy sauce

- 1tsp ground ginger
- 1tsp allspice (optional)

- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- In a hot skillet or wok, add the oil and when it's piping hot add the veggies, onion, salt, pepper, allspice and ginger. Keep stirring.

- When the onion has softened, start adding the rice little by little, while constantly stirring.

- Add the soy sauce and stir. Give it a try to check for seasoning, adjust and enjoy!

* If you have the time, make the rice one day or a few hours in advance and keep it in the fridge. The warmer the rice is, the more sticky the dish will be.

Sausage and Spanish Rice Burritos

Having spent years in California, I had Mexican food once or twice a week. It's one of the best comfort foods and the best part is that you can put pretty much anything in a crispy tortilla and enjoy it. So here is how my burrito dinner went...

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 6 flour tortillas
- 100g sausage, thinly sliced
- 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 chili pepper, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1tbs butter
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- On medium high heat melt the butter, add the cumin powder, stir and add the uncooked rice. Stir for about a minute until the rice is coated, and add the tomato sauce and water. Bring it to a boil, season with salt and pepper, then put the heat to as low as it can go, cover it and let it simmer for 20min. Fluff with a fork, set aside and keep it covered to stay warm.
- In a skillet dry fry the sausage on a high heat. When crispy set aside.
- In a food processor place the bell peppers, the chili pepper and blend until it becomes saucy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-  Warm up the tortillas in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some of the crispy sausage, rice and pepper sauce in the middle. Fold the sides and then roll it to get a burrito. Enjoy!

Chorizo Jambalaya

Great comfort food dinner :)

Living in California for years, I got to try different Jambalaya recipes. Each one of them was delicious. My recipe, however is with brown rice. I rarely use brown rice, but I believe in this case it makes the meal much tastier than white rice would do.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 150g chorizo sausage, diced (any smoked sausage works)
- 1 cup brown rice (any type of rice works)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 hot chilli peppers
- 2tbs butter
- 2tbs paprika
- 1tbs cumin
- 1tsp cajun seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g tomato sauce (fresh diced tomatoes work, too)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Place the butter in a pot and sauté the chorizo sausage on medium heat.
- Add paprika, cumin, and cajun seasoning and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes along with the bay leaf, onion, garlic, chillis, salt and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Add the rice and give it a stir.
- Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 55min.

Tip: I am using brown rice, hence cooking it for 55min. If you use regular white rice, it will take 15-20min.

Chorizo and Rice Enchiladas

Who doesn't like Mexican food? :)

I love enchiladas, but when I started making them I realized I didn't have any enchilada sauce. Luckily, I had 3 bell peppers in the fridge, so I decided to turn them into a sauce. I blended them together with some salt and poured them over the enchiladas. Once this sauce penetrated through the tortillas it made them super soft, delicious and comforting :)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 3 chorizo sausages, sliced (chicken, turkey, beef or fish works too)
- 100g rice
- 1 chicken/vegetable stock cube
- 200g water
- 3 bell peppers, seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 2 chilli peppers, seeds removed, roughly chopped
- cheddar cheese, grated
- 6 flour tortillas
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Cook the rice according to the package instructions, making sure you add the stock cube in the boiling water before adding the rice.
-  In a food processor (or a blender) add the bell peppers and chillies and blend until liquid. Season with salt and pepper. This will be your enchilada sauce.
- In a skillet, add the sausages and sauté over a medium high heat until they brown.*
- Add the rice to the chorizo and give it a good stir.
- Spoon a couple of table spoons of the pepper sauce in a casserole dish.
- Spoon the meat mixture on the tortillas, roll them and place in the casserole dish.
- Spoon the leftover pepper mix on top of the tortillas, then sprinkle the cheese.
- Bake in a preheated oven (190 degrees) for 20min and enjoy!

* If you are using leftover cooked meat, you can skip the browning process.

Chicken and rice casserole

I've loved this dish ever since I was a kid. It is a great one pot dinner, we love easy clean up :)

Serves 4

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken drumsticks or thighs
- 200g uncooked rice
- 400g water
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- salt and pepper to taste

Process:

- Preheat your oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- Wash and dry the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dissolve the chicken stock in water. If you have leftover gravy you could use that instead.
- In a casserole dish place the rice, chicken and chicken stock mixture.
- Cover with a lid or aluminium foil and bake for 45min to an hour.
- Uncover for the last 10min so the chicken crisps up.
- Serve with salad and enjoy!