Tag Archives: rice

Lime Chicken Rice Bake

Posted on
5

Maybe it’s because I’m from Indiana, maybe it’s because I’m sorta lazy and am not always the biggest fan of making a main dish and several sides to complete a meal, but the truth is… I’m a big fan of casseroles and other one-dish meals. Not the kind with random cream-of …. soups or mystery meat or canned vegetables drowning in salt water. But the kind with fresh ingredients and tons of flavor from herbs and spices. Like this Lime Chicken Rice Bake that I created on a whim one night when I was trying to use up some leftover rice and black beans.

The punch of flavor in this dish comes from limes and chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, which I keep in a small container in my freezer. An unexpected ingredient–pumpkin–gives this dish a bit of creaminess without adding tons of fat and calories. We enjoyed this for dinner several times on it’s own and also remade into nachos another night. Any way you serve it, Lime Chicken Rice Bake is a warm, comforting dish that is healthy, sure to please, and will certainly make you rethink your opinion of casseroles for good!

Lime Chicken Rice Bake
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked brown rice
  • 1 3/4 cup black beans/15 ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, rinsed and drained
  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobe sauce, chopped and 1-2 tablespoon adobe sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 1 tablespoon lime balm, chopped [or zest of 1 lime]

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spay. In a large bowl, stir together rice, beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, chicken, corn, and 1/2 cup cheese. In a smaller bowl, whisk together chipotle peppers and adobe sauce, garlic, oregano, lime juice, milk, and lime balm/zest. Stir this mixture into the rice mixture then spread into casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until hot. Then remove from oven and top with last 1/2 cup of cheese. Return to oven and cook for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Time: 35 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 8 servings.

Saturday Dinner: Football Style

Posted on
3

when you can't have Chipotle... make your own!

Dinner: Homemade Chipotle Bowls

  • Spinach
  • Chipotle Lime Rice
  • Black Beans [recipe forthcoming]
  • Spicy Rubbed Chicken [boneless, skinless chicken breast rubbed with chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, cumin, freshly ground lemon pepper, and garlic... drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and baked at 325 for about 30 minutes]
  • Fresh Tomatoes
  • Fresh Avocado
  • Sour Cream
  • Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
  • Trader Joe’s Smoky Peach Salsa <— the best jarred salsa I’ve ever had!
  • Cilantro
  • with green Tabasco sauce for Ben!

yum!

Dessert: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

recipe to come… but pretty similar to these delicious treats :)

Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend!

Healthy “Fried” Rice

Posted on
6

Wednesday night pop quiz. What makes fried rice the color of… fried rice? Any guesses?

Soy sauce!

Seriously. Soy sauce. What?

For years, I always ordered fried rice at Asian restaurants because I just love the flavors, the crisp texture, and the itty bitty pieces of egg scattered throughout the rice. But what I don’t love is the lack of vegetables. Usually, the pieces are miniscule, and I’ve all but given up on ordering chicken or shrimp fried rice because most places are pretty skimpy on the good stuff.

However, I always thought that there was some secret “special ingredient” that restaurants added to fried rice that was so complicated and mysterious that I could never recreate it at home. Boy, was I wrong. Soy sauce is all that’s needed to create delicious, restaurant-style fried rice at home. My world was rocked the day I learned I could make a healthier, lighter version of fried rice, full of the good stuff, whenever I pleased. It’s so easy, and I typically have many of the ingredients already so it’s just a snap to make for a quick weeknight dinner. I’m excited to play around with this recipe more and find some new variations. But for now… here’s the classic!

What are your favorite additions to fried rice?

Healthy “Fried” Rice [from About.com and Daily Garnish]
printable version

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cold cooked brown rice [prepared the day before from 1 cup dry brown rice]
  • 2-4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 2-4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 medium carrots, diced small
  • 1/2 cup shelled edamame [I used frozen]
  • 1/2 cup peas [I used frozen]
  • 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add rice to skillet and stir frequently to coat, approximately 4-6 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a small bowl.

After rice is warm and has incorporated the sesame oil, mix in the vegetables. Cook thoroughly, until carrots are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Then, add sesame-soy mixture and stir quickly to mix in. The sauce should steam.

Push rice to sides of the pan, leaving a hole in the center of the pan. Pour egg into the hole and quickly scramble it, breaking the egg apart. Then mix egg with rice and vegetables, taste, and season with additional soy sauce and sesame oil to taste.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Posted on
9
chicken and wild rice soup

soup's up!

So, Panera’s Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice has always been one of my favorite soups. In fact, I would plan my Panera trips based around the soup schedule as much as possible. Considering that I’ve traditionally been iffy about soups, that’s saying a lot. And my senior year of college, I spent a lot of time at Panera working on my thesis so I ate this soup all. the. time. I don’t even want to think about how much moolah I invested in the growth of Panera and Coffee Expressions that year… I blame my thesis. 100%.

Now that I’m a married grad student who has a little more self-restraint and a little more care as to her budget, I have had to make some changes. Instead of $4 lattes during a busy school session, I make my own coffee at home. Instead of Panera’s smooth, rich, and creamy soup, I make my own Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. And let me say… I think it is just as good, if not better than Panera’s version since it is lighter and less salty without compromising on the flavor at all. Next time I make this I think I’ll plan ahead and get some extra veggies–maybe carrots?–to add to the mix, and perhaps some fresh herbs for texture too. But even without, this soup is phenomenal… this was one recipe that I didn’t pawn all the leftovers off on Ben!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup [adapted from Whole Foods and Taste of Home]

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1/2 cup wild rice
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • olive oil
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon sage
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 ounces fat free evaporated milk
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

In a saucepan, cook brown and wild rice according to package directions. I didn’t want to use two separate pots even though the cooking directions varied slightly so I just added 3 cups of water to the rices, brought everything to a boil, and then simmered for about 45 minutes until all the water absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat up a little olive oil and then saute the chicken, mushrooms, onions and garlic until the chicken is cooked through and everything else is soft. Remove mixture from heat.

In a large stockpot, combine the chicken broth, parsley, thyme, sage, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Gently stir in chicken mixture, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, stir together evaporated milk and cornstarch until smooth.

By this point, the rice should be about done. When it is, add the rice and milk to the stockpot and stir until fully incorporated. Return to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until soup is thickened to desired consistency. Enjoy!

Click here for the printable version: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Question of the Day: What are some restaurant foods you like to recreate at home?