Spanish Rice

adapted ever so slightly from Lil' Luna.  Love her!

This is probably the BEST recipe for Spanish Rice I've ever come across, and I've tried lots and lots trying to find "the one".  I often double this and just eat the leftovers for days with tortillas or chips.

1/3 oil
2 cups Basmati rice
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon  minced garlic
4 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
dash cumin
1 large can diced green chiles

Two ways to do this:

1. In a pressure cooker pan, bring water to a boil (I've found you can use 3 cups of water instead of 4 if using the pressure cooker).  Add rice, then bring to a boil again.  Add remaining ingredients except chiles and place lid on pressure cooker.  After you have reached the first red ring, cook for five minutes, then use the natural release method to release pressure.  Dump in chiles, fluff and serve!

2. Heat oil in large sauce or fry pan, then add rice, stirring until lightly browned.  Add remaining ingredients except chiles, stir to combine, then cover and cook on low for 30-40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Add chiles, stir and serve.

I prefer the first method.  Much faster, and no oil!

One-Pot Rice

(I will say I'm not certain the saffron in this recipe is worth the price - $20 per Tablespoon! - though we did really enjoy it.  I will make it again without the saffron, just to test.  Luckily for me, the saffron was on sale 50% off when I went to purchase it; otherwise, I probably wouldn't have bought it.)

adapted slightly from Picky Palate

2 Cups uncooked basmati rice

3 Tablespoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic

1 lb ground beef

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

2 15-ounce cans green beans, drained

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Tablespoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

1 heaping Tablespoon Spanish Saffron threads

Cook rice according to package directions.  (I use the pressure cooker: bring water to boil, pour in rice and stir.  Cover with pressure cooker lid and bring to boil at the first red ring.  Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool using natural release method.)  Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté  garlic and stir for 1 minute.  Add beef, salt and pepper and cook until cooked through and crumbled.  Stir in green beans, rice, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, paprika and saffron threads.  Stir until well combined.  Taste and season according to your liking.  Reduce heat to low until ready to serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala

adapted from two recipes (one from Pastor Ryan on PW's site, and one from a book).

Chicken:
1 cup Fagé yogurt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 pounds thawed chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Seal and knead together in bag. Marinate at least an hour; preferably overnight or all day. After marinating, removed chicken from bag. Grill or broil chicken until cooked through. Try to remove as much marinade as possible before cooking (feel free to give it a QUICK rinse if needed), in order to cook chicken evenly. No need to save marinade.

Sauce:
1 Tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Add tomato sauce and cover skillet. Simmer 15 minutes, then add cream and simmer until sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Add cooked chicken to sauce; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice (below).

Rice:
2 cups Basmati rice
4 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon turmeric
4 cups water
1-2 cups frozen peas

Add all ingredients except peas to a rice cooker, turn on and walk away (or go make your sauce!). When cooked, stir in your frozen peas and re-cover, allowing the hot rice to cook the peas.

Serve with naan bread, if accessible!

Cheesy Mexican Rice

10 ounces chicken broth
1 cup salsa
2 cups instant brown rice (or white), uncooked
4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut up

Mix broth and salsa in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Stir in rice and cheese; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until cheese is melted.

Tortilla Soup

4-5 chicken breast halves, cooked in crockpot and shredded
2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
2 cans black beans, not drained
2 cans diced tomatoes, not drained
2 small cans diced green chiles
2 cups frozen corn
4-6 cups chicken broth, depending on how soupy you like it

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, heat til boiling, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Top with your pick (shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, guacamole, etc.).

Chinese Takeout Lemon Chicken

altered from Kraft

½ Tablespoon oil
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and cut into strips
2 cups snow peas, trimmed
1 large red pepper, cut into strips
1 large green pepper, cut into strips
4-serving size package lemon jell-o
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon grated ginger

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken, snow peas and peppers. Cook and stir two minutes.

Mix dry jell-o and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add broth, dressing, garlic and ginger; stir until jell-o is dissolved. Add to skillet; reduce heat to medium and cook three minutes or until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently.

Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.

Serves 4.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 bag frozen meatballs
½ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup each chunked red & green bell pepper

Mix brown sugar & cornstarch. Add water, salt, vinegar, and ketchup and heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cook & stir until thick. Add meatballs & simmer 15 minutes. Add peppers. Remove from heat and let cool. When cooled, place in freezer bag. When ready to eat, thaw, heat in crockpot and serve over rice.

Orange Chicken

adapted from Blog Chef

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1½ cups water
¼ cup plus 3 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2½ Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons green onion
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup water

Heat oven to 350ºF. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melted butter) in a shallow baking dish large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350ºF.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce and orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger and garlic and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water, let it dissolve and add it to the sauce, stirring until thickened.

After chicken has baked for30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour half of the sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes, basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

Bourbon Chicken

adapted from Blog Chef


2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons oil, for frying
cornstarch, for dusting

Sauce:
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoon ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok or pan and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Creamy Chicken and Cranberry-Pecan Wild Rice

½ teaspoon each dried thyme leaves and black pepper
6 small chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp. oil
½ cup dried cranberries
1 package (6 oz.) long grain & wild rice side dish, prepared as directed on package
1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, cubed

Directions:
MIX thyme and pepper; sprinkle over chicken. Place chicken in crockpot and cook until it falls apart easily (4-5 hours on High or 8-10 hours on Low).

STIR cranberries into cooked rice; spoon onto serving platter. Remove chicken from crockpot, reserving drippings. Place chicken over rice mixture; cover to keep warm.

POUR broth into large skillet; add some drippings from crockpot if desired. Add cream cheese; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Spoon some of sauce over chicken; serve remaining sauce on the side.

Brown & Wild Rice Italian Chicken Salad

adapted from Picky Palate

2 cups uncooked brown rice
8 ounces cooked wild rice (buy pre-cooked at Trader Joe’s)
1½ cups cooked shredded chicken breasts
3½ ounces feta cheese
10 ounces grape tomatoes, quartered
10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
½ cup Italian dressing
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Fresh baby spinach leaves

Cook brown rice according to package directions (use rice cooker, if available – much quicker). Let cool or refrigerate. Once cool, place all ingredients except spinach into a large bowl. Lightly toss to coat. Season with salt/pepper to taste. Serve over a bed of fresh baby spinach leaves. Drizzle with additional dressing if desired.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
6 tablespoons flour seasoned with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper
¼ cup olive oil

1/8 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
1 20 oz. can pineapple tidbits (reserve juice)
¼ pineapple juice (use reserved juice)
¼ cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 red bell pepper, sliced
¼ cup onion, sliced

Coat chicken in flour and fry in olive oil until browned. Drain and set aside. In same skillet, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, pineapple juice, and soy sauce. Cook and stir until boiling. Reduce heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken, peppers, onions, and pineapple. Cook until heated through. Serve over rice. Enjoy!