Daddy's Chicken

Tonight my husband cooked dinner with just a hodgepodge of things we already had on hand.  Grocery day is tomorrow, so he looked around and the dish just sort of presented itself!  Our daughter called it "Daddy's Chicken" while we were eating.  :)

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

broccoli

green beans

onion

soy sauce

garlic (powder, fresh - whatever is on hand)

oil

pepper

rice

Season chicken with pepper and bake at 375 degrees until fully cooked.  While chicken is cooking, saute broccoli, green beans, garlic, and onion in a bit of oil.  Season with some soy sauce.  When chicken is done baking, mix with the vegetables.  Cook rice according to package directions, and mix with chicken and veggies.

*any of the ingredients could be substituted for whatever you have on hand.  It's a good dish to make when you're running low on supplies before grocery shopping!*

Rice. It's what's for a side dish

My sister gave me this recipe in a cookbook she made me for a wedding shower. If you like rice as a side dish this one is a must try.

Ingredients:
1 T Butter (I used EVOO)
1/2 cup long-grain cooking rice
1 T Onion, minced (I put a little more)
1/4 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. dried tarragon, thyme, basil, parsley
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:
Melt butter in saucepan. Cook & stir rice and onion until onions are translucent. Stir in seasonings; cook for 1-2 more mins. Add broth; bring to a boil. Simmer covered until rice is tender & liquid is absorbed. Serves 2

Her notes and I agree: Check your rice's directions as far as how long to cook & how much liquid to use. I used marjoram instead of tarragon

Garlic Chicken

Here is a homemade Chinese recipe that will knock your socks off. I never would of thought I could make good Chinese food. Now obviously this is an Americanized recipe, but it fits the bill when it came to me craving take-out. I used a wok, but if you don't have one, no worries; just use the biggest skillet you have.

I got this recipe from "Fast Fix Family Food" by BHG.


Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup water
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable)
10 green onions, bias sliced
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
12 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts (I didn't put these in)
Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a resealable plastic bag. For marinade, mix water, soy sauce, and broth. Pour marinade over chicken in bag and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove chicken;reserve marinade. Stir cornstarch into marinade; set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wok. Add green onions, mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Remove vegetables from wok.
   
3. Add chicken to wok; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Push chicken to the center of the wok.
4. Stir marinade mixture; add to the center of the wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. (this took about 8-10 minutes for me)
   
5. Return cooked vegetables to wok. Add water chestnuts. Cook and stir until combined. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Servings: 4

Pork, Beans and Rice....Cuban Style

I've been trying to cook out of my comfort zone lately, since we aren't eating out anymore. This is the perfect example of something different, yet easy to cook. This is a great recipe to entertain with, because it does make a lot (about 6 servings) or you can just enjoy it a couple more times (like we did).

There are a couple things (the Adobo seasoning and the Mojo Criollo) I could not find in my local grocery, so I had to get them on the Internet. So if you decide to make this, look for the spices about a week before you want to, so you have time to order them if need be.

I got this recipe from another cooking blog, but for the life of me I can not find it again! So if by chance the fellow blogger reads this, I want to give you credit for this recipe.

ROAST PORK WITH BLACK BEANS AND YELLOW RICE

PORK
4-5 pound Pork Rump Roast
Adobo Seasoning (Goya Brand)
3/4 cup Mojo Criollo marinade

1. Preheat over to 350
2. Generously season meat with Adobo Seasoning. Place in a dutch oven(or oven safe large pot with lid) along with the mojo criollo.
3. Cover and cook about 25 minutes per pound. Until the pork reaches 140 degrees internal temperature.

YELLOW RICE
1 package Vigo Yellow Rice (16 oz.)
mojo criollo

1. Cook according to the package, but instead of using only water, use 1/2 water and 1/2 Mojo criollo.
   

**The package doesn't tell you to stir the rice at all. You need to stir it 2 or 3 times during it's cooking process.

BLACK BEANS
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minces
2 tablespoons cumin
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup mojo criollo

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, saute onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add cumin, and stir.
3. Add beans, bay leaves and mojo criollo.
4. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until beans are soft and warmed through.

**You will need to buy 3 bottles of the mojo criollo for this entire meal.

And there you have it! It's very good with a couple shakes of the hot sauce as well. If you think this is a lot of pork, I have a recipe coming to use the leftovers. :)

Healthy, Meatless Meal

Does anyone else get pure joy and pleasure from watching their kids eat good and healthy meals? Is it a mother thing? I love it when Charles eats and enjoys meal that are nothing but good for him. I feel like I'm doing my job, I guess. It's nice when I like it, too!

This is a meatless meal from my Gooseberry Patch cookbook called What's for Dinner? I made it Friday. And then added leftover cooked chicken to this meal's leftovers just to pack even more punch! I adapted the recipe slightly...for example I prefer all of my veggies diced, but you can just chop them any size you want.

Rice, Lentils, & Veggies

1 T oil

1 c carrots, diced

2-3 celery stalks, diced

1 onion, diced

1 c long-cooking rice, uncooked

1 c dried lentils, rinsed

2 cans 10 3/4 oz vegetable broth

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t basil

2 cloves garlic minced

pepper to taste

2 T catsup

1 can tomatoes

10 oz package frozen spinach

Heat oil in skillet; add carrots, celery, onion, rice and lentils. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until veggies are softening. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 -45 minutes or until everything is tender. Serves 8-10.

Note: Watch the liquid. I think I used 3 cups broth and it worked out nicely for me, but add more as needed to softened everything up. Also this makes a ton of food!!! Just so you know! Oh yes, and I definitely added salt to taste when eating it.

15-Minute Chicken and Rice

1 T oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 1/2 c water
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c minute rice, uncooked
2 c broccoli florets, frzn or fresh

Heat oil in skillet, add chicken and cook until browned. Remove chicken and add soup, water and spices, stir. Heat to a boil. Stir in rice and Broccoli. Top with chicken. Season chicken with more paprika and pepper as desired. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes or until rice and broccoli is tender.

Tips after cooking: Cut chicken into 1 inch cubs - chicken can come out dry and this will help. The rice will probably take longer than 5 minutes to cook.

Recipe from Campbell's

Louisiana-Style Picadillo

It's been so long since I've posted-- partly because I didn't have a kitchen to cook in while I lived in Rome. We had an amazing cook, Anna, who fed us very well. But now I'm back to cooking for myself. And to honor my new Southern dwelling, I give you a dish that calls for okra. Hey, I have to fit in around here...

I'm not sure what makes this "Louisiana-Style." Picadillo usually comes from Spanish-speaking countries, and it's usually ground beef, tomatoes, and a variety of other ingredients. The mom of one of my friends, Marisa, makes an amazing picadillo, so when I was browsing through a cookbook and saw this, I decided to try it.

Prep-time: 30 minutes

2 c uncooked instant white rice
2 1/2 c water
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c sliced okra (or 1 10 oz pkg frozen cut okra, thawed)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 t pepper
1 (15 or 15.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes seasoned with green peppers and onion, undrained

1. Cook rice in 2 cups of water as directed on packaged. Cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain.

3. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup of water and all remaining ingredients except rice. Cover; simmer 10 minutes or until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Serve okra mixture over rice. If desired, sprinkle with sliced green onions.

**Of course, I didn't follow directions (what's new?). When I was at the grocery store, all I saw on my list was "red pepper." I didn't remember what recipe I needed it for, so I thought it was a red pepper... like the vegetable. Well, for some reason, the grocery store didn't have red peppers, so I bought an orange one. When I got home and realized my mistake, I just decided to dice to orange pepper and throw it in when I was cooking the meat, onions, and garlic. And you know what? It was really good!! This is one of those dishes you can throw anything in! And, I'm sure it's one of those dishes that will be great leftover, as the flavors mesh together... mmmm....

Chicken Casserole

We had my grandparents over for dinner yesterday to celebrate Grandma's 74th birthday. I foolishly decided to try a new dish, but as I suspected from the recipe, it was simple enough that everything turned out fine.
Campbell's Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
1 can cream of chicken
1 1/3 cup water
3/4 c uncooked regular long-grain rice
1/2 tsp onion powder*
1/4 t black pepper
2 c frozen mixed veggies
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Stir everything but chicken and cheese together in a 11x8 (or 2 qt) shallow baking dish.
2. Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired**. Cover.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Top with cheese. Let casserole stand for a few minutes before serving. Remove chicken and stir rice before serving.

*I used garlic powder because I didn't have any onion.
**I used poultry seasoning, which I had never used before, but was quite tasty.

Oh, P.S. that's not my photo. It's campbell's. I'm sure you all guessed that. But mine looked pretty good, too. Honest. ;o)

Twofer

Two recipes for you tonight.

Squash Puff (from my MIL)
3 cups cooked squash
1/4 cup milk (evap, cream, milk, whatever)
2 T flour
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 T orange rind, grated
2 beaten eggs
2 T melted butter
1 T brown sugar

Mix all together. Place in buttered 1 qt casserole dish. Place casserole dish inside another pan with hot water. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until firm in center.

I add extra brown sugar because we like things sweet around here. I even put some on top.

Next up, also meat-free:

Herbed Rice Pilaf from Gooseberry Patch: What's For Dinner?
1 T butter
1/2 c long-cooking rice, uncooked
1 T onions, diced or minced
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
1/8 t each dried tarragon, thyme, basil, parsely
1/2 liquid (broth of some sort)

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Cook and stire rice and onion until onion is translucent. Stir in seasonings and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Serves 2.

I would recommend following the directions on the rice that you're using for the liquid to rice ratio. For example, I used to 1 cup of liquid to 1/2 cup rice. Also the rice directions should give you some idea of how long your rice will simmer. This was my first time making this. It's so simple and really quite tasty.

Dinner

This was dinner tonight (and a couple weeks ago, too). We really like this stuff. It’s called Bounty Rice and I think it’s similar in taste to Hamburger Helpers meals…except better and better for you, too.

Bounty Rice from Simply in Season
½ - 1 pound ground beef or pork
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, chopped
Sauté in large fry pan until meat is browned and veggies are soft.

4 cups canned tomatoes (I used diced)
4 cups cabbage (we don’t use this ingredient)
3 cups cooked rice
1 t salt
½ t dried oregano
½ t dried basil
½ t garlic powder
Stir in, cover and continue cooking until cabbage is crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes.

½ cup sour cream
1 cup mozzarella cheese (the first time we used cheddar, totally different taste, still delicious)
Stir in sour cream. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover until cheese is melted. Serve.

Oh that’s funny. I guess I never did read this recipe all the way through until just now. I always stirred the cheese in also instead of leaving it on top. Interesting. I hope you ladies try this one. It’s good.
We also had brownies for our Sunday dessert. But I'm not sharing that recipe because, though they were better than the last brownies I made, they were not dense like good brownies are supposed to be. And they definitely would've benefitted from some chocolate chips in the mix, but really what wouldn't be better with more chocolate?

Obviously, we managed to choke a few down!

More zoup!

My grandma loves to tell this story: when she came down to help my mom after Laura was born during a blizzard in February, Grandma made a pot of soup for dinner. I guess I enjoyed it because when I was finished I held out my bowl to my grandma and said: More zoup!

Anyway, I didn't find this particular soup that delicious, but it fit the diet and Laura (and Peter) found it post -worthy. So here ya go...

Chicken and Rice Soup
1 2/3 pounds chicken (I used drumsticks. Peter prefers dark meat.)
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
parsely, dried - a dash (fresh 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped
Place these ingredients in the crockpot on low for four hours. Remove chicken from broth. Cut into bite size pieces. Discard bay leaf. Pour broth into a pot on the stove.
1 cup carrot, chopped
3/4 cup rice
Add these ingredients to broth on the stove. Add the chicken to the broth. Simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes, until rice is tender.

How could I forget?! Salt and pepper! And plenty of it!

Chicken Cacciatore Skillet

Okay, Anne - I've been searching for a recipe for you, and I think I've got one. You can eat chicken, right? I hope so. I found this one once during one of my stints of creatively cleaning the cupboards. I had some chicken, spaghetti sauce and a can of mushrooms that I needed to use up. Most of this stuff should be in your pantry anyway, I would think...and you don't even have to make the rice:

Chicken Cacciatore Skillet

1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 of an onion, chopped up
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (make it with boullion and boiling water instead of from a can)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 4oz. can mushrooms, drained (or fresh)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper (or to taste)
3/4 c. long grain rice (brown or white)
1 c. meatless spaghetti sauce (I use Classico, which is my favorite)

In a large skillet, cook the chicken, onion and garlic in 3 tbsp. of broth until chicken juices run clear. Stir in the green pepper, mushrooms, bay leaf, oregano, basil, pepper, and remaining broth. Bring to a boil. Add the rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add the spaghetti sauce; heat through. Discard bay leaf before serving.

This dinner is so simple (only one dirty pan!!) and so fast, but it is REALLY tasty. Hopefully it meets your diet criteria.....no eggs, no dairy, no pasta.