Hearty Chicken and Rice Bowl
1. t olive oil
1 Chicken breast, cubed
3/4 C. Cramini Mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch each salt and pepper
3/4 C. Cramini Mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 C. Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, sliced
3 T Cilantro, chopped
1 C. Cooked Brown Rice
1/2 C. Prepared Brown Gravy
salt and pepper to taste
Don’t forget to cook your rice (I seem to forget to do this more than I would like. I can’t count the times we ate stir-fry with no rice because I forgot to put it in to cook, rice can take a while.).
Prepare or heat gravy in a small pan while preparing the rest of the recipe. I just use a packet, but you could make it from scratch, use leftover from a previous meal or prepared in a jar. Doesn’t really matter what you use, just make sure it is hot before the meat and veggies are done.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
Add Chicken Breast and Mushrooms along with oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken and mushrooms are cooked through and nicely browned.
Add Onion and Carrot and continue to cook for another minute or two just until the cold crunchy rawness is gone, you want these crisp still.
For each serving, put 1/2 the rice in the bottom of a good sized bowl
You can season with a little more salt and pepper if needed.
I have to admit that I thought this recipe would be lower calorie than it is seeing as it is just rice and vegetables and chicken breast. I guess it’s not too bad and it does get a good grade (A-) for being low in fat and sugar and high in nutrients. It is a one bowl meal so for a hearty, warm and really satisfying bowl of food, the calories are pretty reasonable.
It is high in sodium so if you are watching that you may want to substitute reduced low sodium beef broth for the gravy as that is where the salt is concentrated. This would reduce the calories a bit as well. Not sure how good it will taste as I haven’t tried it, but it should be pretty good. I would reduce the broth down a little before serving to concentrate the flavor. I will give it a try and post an update sometime soon.
Nutritional Information for this recipe
I don’t worry terribly about the amount of fat my kids intake in a meal like this, because they are light eaters and eat a pretty healthy, well balanced diet so a little fat is still good for them and these meatballs are very tasty the way they are. But, if it looks a little fatty for you or your kids, then I would suggest cutting the sausage in half and upping the amount of lean meat. I wouldn’t suggest cutting the sausage all together though as it is integral to the flavor and really what makes them so palatable for the kids.
This is a good sized recipe and will make 20-40 meatballs, depending on size. This is the best part though. After cooking them, lay them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer and put them in the freezer for an hour to overnight and then put all the little meatballs in a gallon freezer bag. You can then take out the desired amount and heat them in the microwave. 30 seconds on high, turn, then another 30 seconds on high.
This is best made using a food processor
Hide-a-Veggie Meatball Recipe
1 lb. Very lean ground beef or ground turkey (both are equally good)
1 lb. ground pork sausage
1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
2 medium carrots or 2 handfuls of baby carrots, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut into chunks (about 1/2 cup or so)
2 cloves of garlic
2 slices of whole wheat bread (or any other kind of bread), regular sized slices not large – adjust for larger slices.
1 egg
1 t dry Italian seasoning (or a smidge each of oregan0, basil, thyme and/or rosemary, whatever you have is totally fine)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
Put everything but the meat into the food processor and blend until very small bits, but not too much. Add the meat and mix until everything is well incorporated.
Pinch off small balls, roll them a little in your palm and place them in a large frying pan (oven safe only) in a single layer. Depending on how big of pan you have, you may have to do two batches.
Preheat the oven to 400F
Place the pan over medium heat and cook the meatballs until they are nicely browned on one side. Turn each meatball over using a pair of
tongs
and brown on the other side.
Take the pan and place it in the oven. Bake the meatballs until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Remove and serve.
Remember to freeze any leftovers for an easy quick meal at a later time.
If you don’t have a food processor
The carrots, onions, garlic and zucchini need to be shredded and then use a knife to cut those shreds as small as you can. Use dried bread crumbs instead of the bread slices, about 1 cup.
Add all the ingredients in the bowl and then mix well with your hands.
Proceed as stated above.
Nutritional Information - Full Version
Nutritional Information – Light Version
Note: Although the total fat and saturated fat is significantly lower in the light version, the grade didn’t change. hmmm.
I have also always enjoyed tortilla soup, but had never really attempted to make it. I liked the idea of tortillas in soup but didn’t like how they got all mushy and I am always looking for ways to use left over roasted chicken. I also loved the idea of a basic soup base with all the acoutremonts served on the side like with Pozole.
So I decided to combine all the things I liked about both soups into one tasty bowl of goodness.
Tortilla Soup
Makes 2 meal size servings or 4 side servings
4 Cups of chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T fresh jalapeno, minced
5 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup chicken breast
1/4 cup onion, diced
cilantro, chopped
dried oregano
chili powder
hot sauce
minced jalapeno
chopped tomato
chopped avocado
Mix broth, garlic and 1 T jalapeno in a medium saucepan. Heat on med to med high heat. You want to bring it to a soft boil. Not too much, but more than a simmer. Let this go until the broth has reduced by almost half (15-20 min) and then turn to low and let simmer until ready to serve.
Before serving, taste the broth. If it is too bland, you can reduce some more or add a little chicken bouillon. Reduce more if there is still more broth than you need or add bouillon if not. If it is too rich, then add a little water or broth until it is to your liking.
While the broth is cooking, complete the rest of the soup.
To make the tortilla chips, heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until the oil is nice and hot. Add the corn tortilla strips and spread out evenly around the pad. Let cook for a few minutes and then use tongs to turn the strips. It should take 5-7 minutes to cook the chips to crisp and golden brown, turning more and more as the time goes by. At the end you are probably continuously turning.
When they are done, use the tongs to remove them to a plate lined with paper towels. Salt generously right away before they cool even a little, toss to coat salt and set aside.
Just don’t expect these to be perfect the first time, it can take a little practice to get them just right. It is so worth it to make your own chips though, they stay crisp in the soup and are so much tastier than any store bought you will find.
As a side note, you could make these chips in any shape for any purpose. They are awesome with guacamole. Yummm!
Get the soup bowls you will be serving out and place a couple of tablespoons of diced onion and 1 teaspoon of fresh minced jalapeno in the each bowl. If you don’t want it spicy, omit fresh jalapeno.
This is a great meal to use left over chicken with. Simply shred it up and put about 1/2 cup in the bottom of each bowl with the onion and jalapeno.
If you don’t have left over chicken, just cube the raw chicken breast and saute it with a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Then add to bowls as stated above.
Place the cilantro, tomato and avocado either separately in small serving dishes or together on a plate to be put on the table. You will also need to put the chili powder and dried oregano jars on the table along with your favorite Mexican hot sauce. These can then all be added by each individual to taste.
Remove the paper towels and place the tortillas on the table as well.
Fill each bowl with broth and serve with large soup spoons.
Each individual can add the condiments to their liking and add tortillas a little as you go so they stay nice and crisp.
My husband really likes a simple cheese quesadilla to dip in his soup. For me, the soup is plenty.
This can also be easily scaled for a larger crowd. You will need 2 cups of broth (reduced to 1 cup) and 1/2 cup of chicken for each person, plus enough of all the acoutremonts to go around.
I was really tired today, for some reason, so really wanted to stick with a one dish meal, so I proceeded with the doctoring.
This was a huge hit with both kids and Ian even at the veggies. Huge! He refuses almost all veggies.
A Better Can of Chicken Noodle Soup
1 can chicken noodle soup
1/4 cup small cubes of the meat of your choice*
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup finely diced carrots (I chopped up those new bagged shredded carrots and it worked great)
Put it all in a small pan or microwavable bowl. Heat and Serve.
* I used left over pork taco meat and it added just a little bit of Mexican flavor to the soup, which they loved. Any leftover meat with a little seasoning on it would work great for this, ground meat, chicken, pork, whatever. If the meat isn’t seasoned or you have to cook fresh, try adding just a pinch of taco seasoning or some Mrs dash or something.
But then I remembered the pesto. I always have pesto and I always have chicken in the freezer. So, I cut the chicken into slices, added some oil and salt and the defrosted frozen pesto and we were on our way. Pesto is great for more than just pasta and can be easily made in big batches in the late summer when basil is abundant and cheap and frozen to be used the rest of the year.
Whenever I grow my own basil, I seem to end up with bunches and bunches of it that I am never able to use up quickly enough. This is a great use for all that basil.
I figured out the trick for freezing pesto many years ago after having dinner with friends. When they pulled their pesto out of the freezer it was black. It still tasted great, but it totally lacked that fresh green color that is so indicative of a great pesto.
I knew that there must be a way to preserve the pesto’s freshness and still be able to freeze it long term. So, I started to experiment.
The key is to freeze it without the oil and salt. It then keeps its bright green color for a very long time. I make large batches of pesto in the summer and then we have fresh bright green pesto all winter long. I put it on pasta with chicken Italian sausages and veggies and also marinate chicken in it.
Anyone have other great ideas for how to use pesto?
My Pesto Recipe
I kept this recipe on the smaller side so that it is easily manageable. This should make about four pouches. It can be easily multiplied to create more.
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
3 cloves of garlic
Put all of the above ingredients into a food processor or blender and spin until well blended but not yet a paste.
Take four little plastic sandwich baggies and divide the pesto between the baggies. The pesto should be just less than an inch all along the bottom of the bag. If you have enough for five bags use five, or if there is only enough for three bags that is fine too.
Roll the bags up tight and put in the freezer.
When you want to use them, just take out a bag and throw it in the microwave on defrost for 30 seconds. Then you can add it to a bowl of cooked pasta or in a bag of chicken to marinate with oil and salt to taste.
The best part of making pesto this way is that you have complete control over the amount of oil and salt that you use. You would be amazed how little oil you need.
Chop Chop Salad Recipe
Makes 2 Servings
2 cups romaine lettuce, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup slice green onion
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
2 T sliced black olives
2 T Parmesan cheese, grated
3 oz chicken breast, grilled
1 oz dry salami, diced
2 T banana pepper, diced
2 T Vinegrette Dressing
everything in this salad should be pretty finely chopped to keep with the nature of a chop chop salad.
Other than that, just put it all in a bowl and toss. Serve and enjoy.
On one of these fitful missions, I was rummaging through the cheese/lunchmeat drawer (you know, the little one in the middle of the fridge) and saw I had salami and mozzerella, tortillas and right above on the shelf was a jar of marinara. Meanwhile, Ada is whining and moaning about how she didn’t get her pizza because we didn’t make it to the Towne Center that day (we do this a couple times a month, the library and slice at our amazing community meeting place)
And wallah! The invention of the Pizza Quesadilla.
This one is great for the kids. Ada loves to help me make these, makes her feel like such a big girl. Her favorite part is to spread the sauce, but eek, make sure you have a paper towel handy.
Pizza Quesadilla Recipe
2 soft taco/fajitas size flour tortillas
2 T Bottled pizza or marinara sauce
6 slices of salami or 10 slices of pepperoni
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon olive oil
Place one of the tortillas on a flat surface and spread the sauce over it evenly with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula
Spread 1/2 the cheese, then put the salami/pepperoni on, then top with the rest of the cheese.
Top with the other tortilla
drizzle just a bit of olive oil (1/2 teaspoon) in a medium skillet
Remove from pan onto cutting board and let sit for a minute or two. Cut into six pizza slice shaped wedges and serve.
Notes:
- This works just as well with corn tortillas if you or your kids prefer them. I think quesadillas are better with corn tortillas, but of course my kids prefer flour.
- I have a jar of marinara in the fridge at all times. It is oh so flexible. You can use it as a sauce on pasta and chicken of course, but you can also use it when a recipe calls for a couple of tablespoons of tomatoe sauce or to use as a tomato base for any other kind of sauce you may want to make. Kids love to dip pretty much anything in it and of course it makes great pizza sauce for this recipe.
- As far as toppings go, keep it minimal and flat as you will have to flip this in the pan. But other than those rules, you can use anything really. Whatever your kids like or you want to sneak in there. You could chop up some spinach. Thinly sliced mushrooms or onions would work great. Finely chopped chicken is also a good option.
- My daughter prefers orange cheese to white cheese (yes, she’s four) and so I add a little bit of cheddar to the mix, just for the color. Again, be creative, do what works for you.
- It’s important to put a little cheese on the bottom and a little on top. This helps to keep the tortillas from slipping and sliding apart.
In this post I have recommended the Oxo Good Grips Medium Silicone Spatula
Now, onto the skillet. I have three of these pans (two 10″ and one 8″) and they are by and far the best skillets I have ever owned. I love them and they have gone on my short list of things people get as gifts from me.
This recipe is a classic example of how to be creative and whimsical with food, especially with your kids. They will love this one.
I have been searching for years for a great mu shu recipe. I never did find the perfect one, but as with almost everything I cook, I took a recipe and tweaked and changed and tasted and tinkered until it was just perfect and I am happy to say that the mu shu recipe is ready for sharing.
This recipe is fresh and crisp, but not crunchy. It is flavorful and traditional in taste but lighter in weight and calories.
There are some compromises that I have made due to the availability of ingredients, family likes and dislikes and ease of making. I use flour tortillas instead of mandarin pancakes because I have two kids and no time to make them and I haven’t found them in any of the stores I shop at yet. I also leave out the traditional black mushrooms because my husband doesn’t like them and again they are a little tricky to find. Both of these could be found in an Asian grocery store and we have plenty of those in Seattle, but the extra trip just doesn’t seem worth it when it is just as yummy and a ton simpler without those things. I apologize to the traditionalists out there.
The work in this recipe is in the preparation. There are quite a few parts that need to be prepared and ready to go before cooking, but each is very simple.
Let’s get started…
Marinade the Meat
2 T. Soy sauce
1 T. white wine
1 T. Hosin Sauce
1 t. Sesame oil
1/2 pound of boneless chicken or pork in small strips or shredded*
Mix the marinade, add the meat, stir and let sit at room temp for 15-20 min or in the fridge for at least 1hr.
*This is a great way to use left over roasted chicken or pork roasts. Whether the meat is cooked or not does not really effect the recipe at all.
While the meat is marinating…
Veggies
2 cups Napa Cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup bean sprouts
prepare and collect all the veggies on a dinner plate, cutting board or bowl to ease dumping into the wok later
Cooking Sauce
3 T chicken broth
2 T soy sauce
1 T white wine
1 T toasted sesame oil
1 t. sugar
1 t. corn starch
Mix cooking sauce ingredients together and set aside.
Prepare Eggs
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 t olive oil
- beat the eggs in a small bowl with salt.
- Heat olive oil in wok on medium heat.
- Add egg and cook, lifting the sides to allow the uncooked egg to run underneath. When just a little runny is left, flip the egg patty over and then slide out of pan onto a cutting board.
- slice the egg into 1″ x 1/4″ strips
Set aside for later
Prepare garlic and ginger
3 large garlic cloves
1/2 in section of ginger
mince garlic and ginger and set aside
Prepare green onions for serving
4 green onions
Julienne the green onions into 1 inch thin strips and place in small serving bowl to place on the table.
Now, everything should be prepped. This can all be done in advance and held in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Cooking this takes only a couple of minutes so don’t start until you are ready to eat. You must be ready to move quickly and serve immediately.
This would be a good time to warm your tortillas. I recommend the fajita size flour tortillas and about 2-3 per person depending on appetites. A quick and easy way to warm your tortillas is to place them on a microwave safe plate, sprinkling each tortilla with water and microwaving on high for 30 seconds. Right before serving, flip the tortillas and microwave on high again for 30 seconds.
Ok, time to cook…
- Heat 1 T of olive oil in your wok on medium high heat.
- Add garlic and ginger and cook till aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add your meat that has been marinating and cook until heated through, stirring constantly – time will depend on whether your meat was previously cooked or not.
- Add all the veggies at once and mix them in. Cook for about 1 minute until cabbage begins to wilt slightly.
- Add cooking sauce and egg and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about another minute.
Remove from heat and pour into serving dish.
To serve…
Take one tortilla, spread a little hoisin sauce on the tortilla, spoon meat and veggie mix into tortilla, top with green onions.
Roll into a little burrito and enjoy
As with all my recipes, I recommend that you try it and customize it to your own liking. That is what cooking is all about. If there is an ingredient that you don’t like, or don’t have, omit it or substitute for it.
Since this is a kitchen cabinet meal, use what you have. No chicken? No problem, this would be good with any meat, no meat or tofu. Perfect use for leftover meat from last night’s dinner. Pretty much any vegetable would be great in this and any kind of rice will do just fine. The green olives and peperccinis are pretty integral to the flavor of the dish, but if you are strongly averted to one or the other, this dish will stand up just fine with just one of those. Don’t be afraid to get creative and make this dish your own.
Funky Chicken and Mediterranean Rice Salad
1 c. cooked cubed or shredded chicken
2 c. cooked brown rice
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1/2 c. roughly chopped mushrooms (I like cremini, but any kind will do)
1/2 c. finely chopped or shredded carrots
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion
1/4 c. chopped green olives (my favorite are the garlic stuffed ones, but any will do)
1/4 c. chopped peppercini peppers (you can find these by the olives)
1/4 c. Italian Salad Dressing (this is My Favorite
Putting this together is pretty simple. Mix it all together and serve. The chicken and rice should be pretty warm when added.
mmmmm, tasty!
This is a little bit of a diversion from the traditional french dip sandwich, but even my husband, who is a huge connoisseur of sandwiches dipped in au ju, said he doesn’t think that he has had anything this good in a restaurant. Now, that is a lot to live up to, so please don’t presume that this will be the best thing you have ever tasted. But, we think it is yummy. I hope you enjoy.
Roast Beef Dip Sandwiches
Makes 2 sandwiches. You will need around 1/3 of a pound of meat per sandwich and about 1/2 can consumme per adult sandwich. So that should give you an idea of how to scale the recipe.
Au Ju
1 can of beef consumme *
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. garlic powder
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper (a few turns)
In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium heat. Let simmer while you prepare the sandwich.
* Beef Consumme is usually located in the soup aisle and is widely available.
Sandwich
2/3 lb sliced roast beef **
2 onion hamburger buns
mayo
creamy horseradish (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Cut the roast beef into 1″ strips and place in a medium frying pan. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook over medium heat tossing with tongs
While meat is cooking, lightly toast the buns.
When buns are done toasting, spread with mayo and horseradish if desired.
Split the meat between the two buns, put the top bun on and cut in half.
Split the au ju between two small dishes (ramekins
Serve and enjoy.
** I usually just buy sliced roast beef from the deli for this. The quality and type of roast beef available at the grocery deli varies greatly, so you will have to try out what is available to you. A couple of recommendations would be to buy the best quality meat that you can and stay away from anything seasoned. You want to get as close to slices of a real beef roast that you can. Ask the deli counter employee at your supermarket for help deciding. You could also use left over beef roast or steak from a previous meal, both of these options would be excellent. Oh yeah, one more thing, don’t slice it too thin. Very thinly sliced meat will fall apart and fall out of your sandwich. It doesn’t need to be thick sliced, but stay away from very thin slices.
One more note: I mentioned tossing the meat with tongs. These tongs