Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

October 8, 2010

I love potatoes, baked, fried, boiled, diced, sliced, and mashed. They are one of my favorite foods. When I was given a Nakano rice vinegar cookbook I took one look at the tangy pan-fried potato recipe and knew I needed to try it and share it with you all. I changed it up a little, but I think you will love it!

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

Tangy Pan-Fried Potatoes

  • 3 lbs peeled and diced potatoes
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 jalapenos chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon paprika
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 3/4 cup Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons water

Peel potatoes.

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

Dice potatoes and mix with onion, garlic, jalapenos, salt, and paprika.

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

Fry on the stove with butter for 15 minutes. Stir frequently and don’t overload your pan. You might need two pans depending on how big of a pan you are using.

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

After 15 minutes add Nakano Rice Vinegar and water. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

Sprinkle with paprika and serve. I added some chopped chicken to the potatoes when I added the rice vinegar and water because we were eating it as a meal and not a side.

Tangy Potatoes and Nakano Rice Vinegar Giveaway

I loved the flavor the rice vinegar added to the potatoes. It was delicious and everyone who tried it loved this tangy dish. I don’t cook with vinegar very often, but I really loved the taste and think I’ll start using it in more of my recipes. Nakano Rice Vinegar is all natural, low calorie, non fat, gluten free and has no preservatives. I love that I have another gluten free product to use when my gluten free friends come over to eat.

I think using vinegar as a dressing on vegetables is a great way to get picky eaters to try something new as well. Even one of my non-potato loving kids tried these potatoes and liked them. You can find many other great Nakano vinegar recipes on their website as well as other healthy cooking tips.

The folks at Nakano would like for one of you to try their rice vinegar too. I have a Nakano prize package to giveaway which includes a $25 Visa gift card, one bottle of Nakano Seasoned Vinegar, and a Coupon booklet with $1 off coupon and recipe cards. To enter to win the prize package please do one or all of the following:

1.     Sign up for the NAKANO SPLASH Recipe Club to receive a free monthly e-newsletter featuring great recipes and tips.

2.     Visit the NAKANO website then come back and tell us your favorite Splash tip. (My favorite tip: use it in BBQ for a tangy taste!)

3.     Post a link to your favorite NAKANO recipe.

Leave a comment for each entry. Giveaway ends Wednesday, October 13, 2010.

Disclaimer: I also received a bottle of Rice Vinegar and a gift card for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are 100% mine.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Stuffed Tomatoes

September 13, 2010

Stuffed tomatoes are easy, quick and cheap if you have a garden full of tomatoes. I put together this dish using leftovers and fresh veggies. This recipe can also be adapted to use whatever is in your kitchen. You can substitute ground beef or venison for steak and use whatever vegetables are in season. Also, I used white rice because I had some already made, but you could use long grain and wild, brown rice, or even Spanish rice for a Mexican twist. Yum!

Ingredients

  • Steak
  • Large Tomatoes
  • Squash (chopped)
  • Rice (cooked according to directions)
  • Peppers (chopped)
  • Onions (diced)
  • Butter
  • Minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Take a cheap cut of steak Stuffed Tomatoes and marinate for a few hours. Slice the steak very thin. Cook in a wok or frying pan in butter and minced garlic.

Once steak is cooked to your liking, remove from the frying pan. Saute the onions, squash and peppers in the juices from the steak. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes then add the steak back in the pan as well as the cooked rice. Heat through.

Cut out the center of the tomato, start by cutting around the stem, then cut down in a “v” shape. Scoop out most of the insides, without piercing the skin.

Fill the tomato with the steak and rice mixture then place in a hot oven (350 degrees) for 5 to  7 minutes.

Serve.
Stuffed Tomatoes

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

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Homemade Pickles

August 31, 2010

There are two types of people in this world, those who love pickles and those who don’t. Homemade Pickles I fall into the first group. My dad loves pickles and as a kid I remember eating pickles with everything. (Including our famous peanut butter and pickle sandwich, but I don’t want you to lose your appetite)

A few weeks ago when my friend gave me all those vegetables there were several cucumbers in the box. I am not a huge fan of cucumbers so I decided to try making my own pickles. I was going to try the Sun Dills recipe that someone left in the comments but several days of rain made me wary of doing it that way. Problem Solvin’ Mom gave me her recipe for Cold Crock Pickles and the experiment began. I say experiment because I didn’t really think it would work- could making pickles be so easy?

Homemade Pickles

After following the directions exactly, we put the pickle jar in the fridge and waited. After about a week I decided it was time to try the pickles. To my surprise they were delicious! So much better than store bought pickles and it only took a few minutes to make!

In my excitement I shared this with my mother and sister, and they in turn informed me that they had been making pickles for years. What?!?! Where have I been? My mom told me that she buys a jar of pickles and when they are gone she cuts up cucumbers and puts them in the pickle juice. In a few days she has her own pickles.

I am not really sure how I spent my whole life not knowing this, but now I do. I don’t think I will ever buy pickles again now that I have tasted the delicious homemade version. If you have a few cucumbers lying around you should really try this recipe. It is easy, cheap, and delicious!

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Homemade Salsa

August 30, 2010

Tomatoes and peppers are some of the easiest things to grow and can thrive in pots if you don’t have a yard. You will also find that in August, you will have more tomatoes and peppers than you could ever eat on a BLT or fajita, so what I usually do is make my own salsa.

I LOVE making my own salsa because it is so very hard to mess up! The ingredients are also very flexible and you can tailor it to your family’s likes or dislikes. Here is my basic recipe, it’s easy, comes together in less than 5 minutes, and tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge.

5 Minute Homemade Salsa

  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • salt, pepper, and garlic (to taste)

Combine all ingredients and add salt, pepper and garlic until you get the desired taste. Serve.

Homemade Salsa

Find more great recipes at Tasty Tuesday.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.