4 cup cooked brown rice
1 T canola oil
8 oz fresh green beans, halved diagonally
1 lg white onion, thinly sliced
1 lg red pepper, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cup shredded cooked chicken
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 T chopped toasted walnuts
Heat oil in deep skillet on high. Add beans and onions, and cook stirring frequently ~5 minutes or until onions lightly browned. Add peppers and 1/2 t salt and cook 3 minutes until peppers are just tender. Add broth and stir up any brown bits. Stir in chicken, rice, cinnamon and 1/2 t salt. Simmer until no liquid left, ~1 minute. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with parsley and nuts.
This is a really quick after work dinner. I often buy a rotisserie chicken and pull all the meat off and keep it in the fridge. Most of the time, it gets eaten at cold right out of the fridge, but I also can use it for lunch wraps or quick soups. For the cooked rice I used the Minute Rice pre-cooked cups. These are intended to be heated in the microwave, but just a little heating is necessary. These are also great to have on hand for soups.
If you have time a day or two before, you can slice all the vegetables and keep them in airtight containers.
Hubby liked this, although he said he wouldn't want to eat it too often. With the cinnamon smell, he said he kept expecting oatmeal. Really this mix is fairly neutral, and if you wanted to replace the cinnamon with your favorite spice scheme it would work very well. Adobo comes to mind as a good replacement.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Chicken Stew with Beans
3 chicken breasts
3/4 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 4oz can chopped green chilis
Cut chicken into 3/4 inch chunks and salt. In small stock pot heat 1 T oil on high. Cook chicken completely and remove from pot. Reduce heat to medium and heat remaining 1 T oil. Saute onion, garlic and spices until onion is soft. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil Reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer another 5 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.
3 T of chopped cilantro can be stirred in at the same time the chicken is re-added if desired.
Our normal dinner on a week night had been pretty much chicken breast with some kind of seasoning pan fried, and a frozen vegetable and sometimes a starch. This was mostly because I get home late-ish and it is easy to put together. Ian was getting tired of the "fork & knife" chicken, so we were looking into different things that could be done for dinner. He doesn't like soup, but stews were not out of the question, and can be made ahead of time. This is the first stew we tried. So far so good.
It freezes well, and I think we need a mini-freezer. One the size of the freezer that comes with our fridge, but just the freezer.
3/4 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 4oz can chopped green chilis
Cut chicken into 3/4 inch chunks and salt. In small stock pot heat 1 T oil on high. Cook chicken completely and remove from pot. Reduce heat to medium and heat remaining 1 T oil. Saute onion, garlic and spices until onion is soft. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil Reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer another 5 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.
3 T of chopped cilantro can be stirred in at the same time the chicken is re-added if desired.
Our normal dinner on a week night had been pretty much chicken breast with some kind of seasoning pan fried, and a frozen vegetable and sometimes a starch. This was mostly because I get home late-ish and it is easy to put together. Ian was getting tired of the "fork & knife" chicken, so we were looking into different things that could be done for dinner. He doesn't like soup, but stews were not out of the question, and can be made ahead of time. This is the first stew we tried. So far so good.
It freezes well, and I think we need a mini-freezer. One the size of the freezer that comes with our fridge, but just the freezer.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Green Tomato Rice
4 slices bacon, diced
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 medium green tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup long-grain rice
dash thyme
salt/pepper
Tobasco
1/4 cup grated Parm
Saute bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan onto paper towels. Save 1 T drippings. Saute onions 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook 1 more minute; add garlic and jalepeno and stir 30 seconds. Add broth, rice, thyme, salt/pepper, and Tobasco and bring to boil. Stir, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered 20-25 minutes until rice is done. Stir in Parm just before serving and sprinkle with bacon.
I'm always looking for something to do with green tomatoes. My tomato plants always seem to make a big fruit push at the end of the summer, just when it starts to get too cool for them to ripen. Some of them I pluck as soon as they reach decent size so the plant can concentrate on ripening, other just won't make it to ripe. I really only have patience for 1 round of fried green tomatoes, so I have been trying other things.
The nice thing about peeling green tomatoes is that it can be done with a peeler; the scalding method you need to use for ripe tomatoes is not necessary. Just be sure that your peeler is sharp.
This was delicious. It made 4 big servings, and I think could easily be cut in half; no need to use a half clove of garlic.
1 bunch green onion, chopped
4 medium green tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 jalepeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cup chicken broth
1 cup long-grain rice
dash thyme
salt/pepper
Tobasco
1/4 cup grated Parm
Saute bacon in medium saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Remove from pan onto paper towels. Save 1 T drippings. Saute onions 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook 1 more minute; add garlic and jalepeno and stir 30 seconds. Add broth, rice, thyme, salt/pepper, and Tobasco and bring to boil. Stir, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered 20-25 minutes until rice is done. Stir in Parm just before serving and sprinkle with bacon.
I'm always looking for something to do with green tomatoes. My tomato plants always seem to make a big fruit push at the end of the summer, just when it starts to get too cool for them to ripen. Some of them I pluck as soon as they reach decent size so the plant can concentrate on ripening, other just won't make it to ripe. I really only have patience for 1 round of fried green tomatoes, so I have been trying other things.
The nice thing about peeling green tomatoes is that it can be done with a peeler; the scalding method you need to use for ripe tomatoes is not necessary. Just be sure that your peeler is sharp.
This was delicious. It made 4 big servings, and I think could easily be cut in half; no need to use a half clove of garlic.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Spinach and Chickpeas
2 T olive oil
1 lg onion, thinly sliced
1 15 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
2 lemons, juiced
salt/pepper
Heat oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft. Add chickpeas and toss until coated. Cut large stems off spinach leaves and loosely shred and rinse. Add undrained to pot with dill and cook until the spinach is tender. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt/pepper.
This was a fairly tasty side dish. I made it for a family gathering, and we decided to eat it room temp, which was pretty good. It was also tasty when I reheated the leftovers. It looked the most vibrant right away, then the acid in the lemon started to brown out the spinach.
1 lg onion, thinly sliced
1 15 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
2 lemons, juiced
salt/pepper
Heat oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft. Add chickpeas and toss until coated. Cut large stems off spinach leaves and loosely shred and rinse. Add undrained to pot with dill and cook until the spinach is tender. Stir in lemon juice and season with salt/pepper.
This was a fairly tasty side dish. I made it for a family gathering, and we decided to eat it room temp, which was pretty good. It was also tasty when I reheated the leftovers. It looked the most vibrant right away, then the acid in the lemon started to brown out the spinach.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Sweet & Sour Beef-Cabbage Soup
1 T canola oil
1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 t caraway seeds
1 t thyme
2 1/2 cup frozen green bell peppers/onions
1 medium Golden Delicious apple - unpeeled & diced
6 cup beef broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 T honey
1 T paprika
3 cup coarsely chopped Savoy cabbage
1-2 T cider vinegar
1/4 t salt
fresh ground black pepper
Heat oil over medium heat. Add beef, caraway and thyme; cook until beef is mostly browned. Add peppers, onions and apples and stir 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, honey, and paprika and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 8-10 minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook 3-4 minutes until just tender. Season with vinegar and salt/pepper.
This is a recipe from Eating Well on a Budget. This was less beefy than I'd like, although I did substitute 2 of the cups of broth with water because that's what I had, and I should have added some beef soup base to make up for it. Also it was too astringent for me. I added both tablespoons of vinegar without tasting a smaller amount. I couldn't eat it as was, so I strained out all the chunky stuff and saved the broth. I used the broth as the liquid to make rice and mixed it in Texas Hash style (I should post that recipe sometime). It turned out pretty edible, as the starch soaked up some of the acidic tang. There's a good chance I'll try this again, following more closely.
This is the sort of thing I do often, especially since I like to try new recipes. Sometimes, it's not something you really like, but you can eat the one batch and never make it again. Sometimes you can salvage part of it. I hate throwing out food since there are lots of people who would love to have it, so I only do so if I truly cannot find a way to make the dish edible to me.
1 lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 t caraway seeds
1 t thyme
2 1/2 cup frozen green bell peppers/onions
1 medium Golden Delicious apple - unpeeled & diced
6 cup beef broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 T honey
1 T paprika
3 cup coarsely chopped Savoy cabbage
1-2 T cider vinegar
1/4 t salt
fresh ground black pepper
Heat oil over medium heat. Add beef, caraway and thyme; cook until beef is mostly browned. Add peppers, onions and apples and stir 2-3 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, honey, and paprika and bring to a gentle boil. Cook 8-10 minutes. Stir in cabbage and cook 3-4 minutes until just tender. Season with vinegar and salt/pepper.
This is a recipe from Eating Well on a Budget. This was less beefy than I'd like, although I did substitute 2 of the cups of broth with water because that's what I had, and I should have added some beef soup base to make up for it. Also it was too astringent for me. I added both tablespoons of vinegar without tasting a smaller amount. I couldn't eat it as was, so I strained out all the chunky stuff and saved the broth. I used the broth as the liquid to make rice and mixed it in Texas Hash style (I should post that recipe sometime). It turned out pretty edible, as the starch soaked up some of the acidic tang. There's a good chance I'll try this again, following more closely.
This is the sort of thing I do often, especially since I like to try new recipes. Sometimes, it's not something you really like, but you can eat the one batch and never make it again. Sometimes you can salvage part of it. I hate throwing out food since there are lots of people who would love to have it, so I only do so if I truly cannot find a way to make the dish edible to me.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Apple Pear Cucumber Salad
2 T whole grain mustard
2 t dill
4 T cider vinegar
pinch brown sugar
4 T olive oil
2 crisp apples, unpeeled
1 firm pear, unpeeled
1 English cucumber
1 small or 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
Combine mustard, dill, vinegar, sugar, and olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Slice apples, pears and cucumber into thin slices. Combine all and toss well.
This is probably best after about 30 minutes of making and storing in the fridge, but it did hold over well for about 3 days. Much longer and it might have become soggy. For the apples and pear I quartered them and cut off the core, then cut the slices crosswise.
2 t dill
4 T cider vinegar
pinch brown sugar
4 T olive oil
2 crisp apples, unpeeled
1 firm pear, unpeeled
1 English cucumber
1 small or 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
Combine mustard, dill, vinegar, sugar, and olive oil and whisk until emulsified. Slice apples, pears and cucumber into thin slices. Combine all and toss well.
This is probably best after about 30 minutes of making and storing in the fridge, but it did hold over well for about 3 days. Much longer and it might have become soggy. For the apples and pear I quartered them and cut off the core, then cut the slices crosswise.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Sugared Pecans
2 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 dash salt
4 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in sugar and salt, then fold in pecans. Pour butter into 9x12 baking pan and spread in nut mixture. Bake 350 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
I brought this to Christmas this past year, and it was a huge hit. I made it again to bring to a work potluck, and since I made it a day early I seriously had to keep myself from eating it all.
If you are unfamiliar with beating egg whites here are some tips. To separate from yolks either use the shell or your fingers; I prefer fingers. This is easiest to do when they are cold, but they whip better when room temperature. Use a metal or glass bowl, and make sure there is absolutely no fat (including the yolk) mixed in. This will prevent them from whipping. To be sure, I separate the egg into a small bowl and if yolk-free pour it in the mixing bowl before going on to the next egg. For the stiff peaks, use an electric beater, and you can go on high until you start to see trails in the foam, then slow down. A stiff peak is when you dip the beater straight in and out, and the tip doesn't curl over. Don't overbeat past this point, or you will get a gloppy mess.
1 cup sugar
1 dash salt
4 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in sugar and salt, then fold in pecans. Pour butter into 9x12 baking pan and spread in nut mixture. Bake 350 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes. Set on wire rack to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
I brought this to Christmas this past year, and it was a huge hit. I made it again to bring to a work potluck, and since I made it a day early I seriously had to keep myself from eating it all.
If you are unfamiliar with beating egg whites here are some tips. To separate from yolks either use the shell or your fingers; I prefer fingers. This is easiest to do when they are cold, but they whip better when room temperature. Use a metal or glass bowl, and make sure there is absolutely no fat (including the yolk) mixed in. This will prevent them from whipping. To be sure, I separate the egg into a small bowl and if yolk-free pour it in the mixing bowl before going on to the next egg. For the stiff peaks, use an electric beater, and you can go on high until you start to see trails in the foam, then slow down. A stiff peak is when you dip the beater straight in and out, and the tip doesn't curl over. Don't overbeat past this point, or you will get a gloppy mess.
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