Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

 Courtesy of: Our Best Bites

*Note: Make a Half Batch for our Family of 6 in Pie Plate

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

• 2 29 oz cans sweet potatoes drained or 4 cups mashed fresh, 4 cooked sweet potatoes
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter very soft, or melted
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• ½ of a 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milkabout 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping (If you're feeling extra you can double or 1.5x this part…)

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups sweetened coconut flakes
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13" pan with cooking spray or a little butter.
• Add drained sweet potatoes to mixing bowl and mash with a fork. It's okay if it's not completely smooth.
• Add sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to bowl and mix with an electric mixer until creamy. It's okay for it to still have chunks of sweet potatoes. Add mixture to prepared pan and spread out evenly. 
• Mix topping ingredients together until everything is incorporated and sprinkle over sweet potatoes.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes until topping is golden brown. and potatoes are bubbly and hot. 

Notes

• If you’d like, you can add 1/2 cup chopped pecans to the topping mix before baking. 
• MAKE AHEAD: Place potato mixture in pan, cover well, and store in fridge for 1-2 days before baking.  Place topping in a separate container, assemble right before cooking. 
• FREEZE AHEAD: Place potato mixture in pan and freeze before baking.  Mix topping and store in a separate container or zip top bag.  Thaw everything in fridge 1-2 days before baking and add topping before you place it in the oven. I’ve also tested assembling completely and placing the pan frozen into the oven.  You’ll want to cover for the first 30 minutes of cooking and then uncover and cook a little extra.  I prefer thawing first, but this also worked!
• STORE: store leftover, cooled sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
• FYI, if you only want to make a half-batch, I like to put in an 8×8 pan or pie plate then those mini cans of sweetened condensed milk are the exact amount you need- just one mini can.

Classic Green Bean Casserole

 Courtsey of: Campbell's Recipes

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 Cup 2% Milk

1 tsp Soy Sauce

4 Cups (16-20 oz) Cut Green Beans, slightly cooked 

1. For the cooked green beans, use about 1 1/2 pounds of fresh green beans. We recommend you prepare the fresh green beans to be just slightly cooked or “blanched”. To do this boil the trimmed beans for 2-4 minutes until they are crisp-tender, then immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color. You could also use 16-20 ounces of thawed frozen green beans or 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) green beans, drained.

2. Heat the oven to 350°F.  Fold in the soup, milk, soy sauce, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart oven safe casserole until all ingredients are combined.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling.  Stir the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining 2/3 cup onions.

4. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.  Let green beans rest a few minutes before serving to help the flavors meld and the casserole settle.  Store leftovers in an oven safe dish for easy reheating.

Note: Can be made the day before up until step 3 

Polynesian Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 c. white rice + 4 c. water (OR 4 c. cold, leftover rice, which is actually better)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced red onion
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of coleslaw mix
3-4 generous Tbsp. soy sauce

SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried onion
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. celery salt
1 ½ tsp. sugar

Instructions:

Boil water and add rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. This step can be done even up to 2-3 days in advance (and for some reason, fried rice tastes better when the rice is cold). Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won’t even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)

OPTIONAL ADD-INS:

–Peas, snap peas, or pea pods
–Ham
–Shrimp

Toss a few chopped green onion tops over your serving dish for pretty presentation.

Our Best Bites adapted by Disneyworld’s Ohana Restaurant

Orange Cashew Rice

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped yellow peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped red peppers
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1 (8-ounce) can mandarin orange segments, drained well

Note: If your cashews are untoasted/unroasted, simply scatter them in a skillet and toast them for a few minutes on the stovetop for a few minutes until golden.

DIRECTIONS

1. For the rice, in a 2-quart saucepan, bring the water, orange juice, orange zest, olive oil and salt to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover the saucepan and lower the heat to a gentle simmer, simmering the rice for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the liquid has totally evaporated. Let stand, covered, off the heat for 5-10 minutes. Scrape the rice into a large bowl. Add the cashew pieces, peppers and green onions. Season with salt and pepper and add the drained orange segments to the rice, folding them in gently to prevent the oranges from breaking.
2. For the tilapia, while the rice simmers, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and coat a 9-10 inch cast iron pan with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse the tilapia and pat dry. Place the fish in the cast iron pan in a single layer. Season each fillet on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lime zest over the fish and drizzle with lime juice. Place a pat of butter on each fillet. Bake in the oven for 8-12 minutes until cooked through. Serve rice and fish immediately, spooning pan juices over fish, if desired.

Fresh Green Beans

Courtesy of: PW

Ingredients

• 1 pound Green Beans
• 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease (can Substitute 1 Tablespoon Butter And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 cup Chopped Onion
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• ½ cups Chopped Red Bell Pepper
• ½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Kosher Salt (can Substitute Regular Table Salt; Use 1/4 To 1/2 Teaspoon)
• Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Snap the stem ends of the green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Just don’t tell Granny.

Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green.

Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp.

You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

Have a wooden spoon handy to protect your fair share.

Cafe Rio Black Beans

Courtesy of: Ruth Boswell

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 Cup tomato juice

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs. fresh chopped cilantro.

In a non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil on medium heat. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continuously stir until heated through. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

Courtesy of: Ruth Boswell

1 Cup uncooked Rice

1 tsp Butter

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 can (15 oz) Chicken Broth

1 Cup water

1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp. Sugar

3 Tbs. freshly chopped Cilantro

In a sauce pan combine; rice, butter, garlic, lime juice, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil and cover. Cook on low for 15-20 or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix and you fluff with fork.

Basic Mexican Rice

Courtesy of: PW

I serve this rice with my White Chicken Enchiladas and they really are the perfect complement. It’s a very basic Mexican rice recipe, and you can customize it with whatever ingredients or spices make you happy—diced jalapenos, chopped black olives, Cotija cheese, turmeric…anything goes!

• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• ½ whole Large Onion, Chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cups Long Grain Rice
• 1 can Rotel (10 Ounce)
• 1 can Whole Tomatoes (14.5 Ounce)
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If Needed)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.

Just before serving, sprinkle lots of freshly chopped cilantro over the top. Serve immediately.