This is a hearty and tasty dinner and perfect for everyone to customize to their liking. Add in your favorite in-season vegetables and make it your own. We used Jasmine rice but it would also be great with brown rice or quinoa. Topped with fresh, bright, cilantro and creamy avocado this dish is filled with great flavor. It was fun to eat with a corn tortilla as our spoon. Enjoy!
Recipe: Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa, prepared per package instructions
olive oil
8-10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 organic zucchini, cubed
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup organic frozen corn kernals (or of course fresh corn if it's in season)
Garnish options:
fresh cilantro, chopped
avocado
jack cheese, shredded
your favorite spicy taco sauce
corn tortillas
Directions:
1. Prepare rice or quinoa with water per package instructions
2. Add a light drizzle of olive oil or vegetable broth around a large saute pan, add in mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper and saute over medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add in garlic, cumin and chili powder, still until well combined and saute another 2-3 minutes until all vegetables are tender and fragrant.
4. Add in beans and corn, stir to combine and lower heat to low.
5. Once rice is cooked through, add rice to bean and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Serve hot in shallow bowls topped with cilantro, avocado slices, jack cheese and taco sauce with a warm corn tortilla to scoop and dip with.
...click here for the recipe!
I just love the flavors in this dish and so does my family! Beans and rice and crunchy corn are so tasty and the addition of seasoned ground turkey helps to bump up the protein and round this out for an entree! Pair it with a giant green salad for a delicious summer dinner. Click over to
type2diabetes.com to see my recipe. Enjoy!
...click here for the recipe!
We were in the mood for soup tonight and this one is so easy. It's hearty and tasty too. You can add whatever kind of rice you like, just adjust the cooking time. Or if you prefer, this is great with pasta too, add in your favorite small pasta instead of the rice during the last 15 minutes of cooking. We had some awesome corn bread to mop up our soup, Mmmm, I'll share that recipe with you tomorrow! Enjoy.
Recipe (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
8 chicken breast tenders
olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 medium carrots, sliced on an angle
5 celery stalks, diced
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)
1 bay leaf
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup black rice (or brown rice or small pasta)
salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large soup pot add 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, saute 2 minutes until translucent. Add carrots and celery and saute 2 minutes longer.
2. Pour in broth and water and turn heat up to medium high. Add chicken tenders, lemon juice, bay leaf and rice* (if you are using a quicker cooking rice such as jasmine or pasta, hold off and add it during the last 15-20 minutes.
3. Adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer, let simmer 35-45 minutes until black rice is cooked through. Pull chicken tenders out and and cube then return to the soup.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove bay leaf and serve hot.
...click here for the recipe!
This is a quick and easy stir-fry I put together. This is similar to other stir-fry dishes I've blogged but this one has bok choy in it and I've gotten some questions about the best way to cook it. Bok choy tastes great with mild seasoning and light cooking as in this recipe. I served it up with some fluffy jasmine rice, since it's so quick cooking, but you can also try brown rice or
wild rice. The chicken is coated in a garlicy hoisin sauce {from the bottle}, a quick and easy dinner tonight!
Recipe (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
7-8 chicken breast tenders
~1/4 cup of your favorite Asian stir-fry sauce
2 cups rice of your choice, prepared and set aside
4 medium carrots, sliced on an angle
1 cup snow peas
4-5 baby bok choy
1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
4 green onions, sliced for garnish
1/4 red onion sliced in thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
sesame seeds for garnish
Directions:
1. Start by preparing the bok choy, cut off the stem.
Leave the inner bok choy 'baby' intact. Wash all leaves thoroughly under cool water
2. Coat chicken in stir-fry sauce and grill until it reaches an internal temperature of 165'F, ~3-5 minutes, set aside on a plate covered with foil to keep warm. *I used our panini press for the chicken!
3. In a wok or large saute pan over medium heat add 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, garlic and ginger and stir constantly until fragrant about 1 minute.
Add in sliced carrots, bell peppers, onion and snow peas, stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add in bok choy leaves, toss to coat. Pour in 1/4 cup chicken broth and cover.
Simmer for 3-5 minutes until vegetables are tender but colors are still vibrant.
5. Drizzle with a few drops of toasted sesame oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Serve with steamed rice and grilled chicken. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.
...click here for the recipe!
My hubby set out to make this delicious risotto as a pre-Valentine's Day treat for me! How sweet. Not much is more romantic to me than my hubby creating a thoughtful homemade meal, and risotto no less. It was fantastic! See it's amazing color? That's from the saffron infused broth he added. The best was the finish of Pecorino Romano cheese melted in at the end. Definitely a tasty and indulgent treat of a dinner. We had it along side some flavorful garlic-thyme chicken and some fresh grilled asparagus. What are you cooking for your sweetheart?
Saffron Risotto Recipe: (serves 6)
* 1 small onion, minced
* 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* 4 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
* 2 cups water
* 1/4 teaspoon Saffron
* 2 1/4 cups Arborio Rice (or Italian Risotto Rice)
* 3 ounces grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (or Parmesan cheese)
* freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Pour chicken broth and water into a pot and warm over medium heat. Add the saffron and allow it to infuse into the warm broth. In a large flat bottom saute pan over medium high heat add the olive oil and onion, saute until tender (~3 minutes). Add the rice and stir until coated.
2. Keeping the mixture at a simmer, add 2 cups of the chicken broth; stir continuously {don't leave the kitchen}. As the broth is absorbed, add another 1 cup of the saffron infused broth and continue stirring. Gently shake the pan between stirs to allow the rice to settle.
3. As the liquid is absorbed add more broth, 1 cup at a time. The rice is done when it's al dente, or firm to the bite but tender ~30-35 minutes. Stir in the Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, season to taste and serve immediately.
*recipe adapted from the Delallo Rice box
Garlic-Thyme Chicken (Serves 4)
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
* 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
* salt and pepper
* 4 chicken breasts (pounded to equal thickness)
Directions
1. for your marinade: Whisk together olive oil, minced garlic, white-wine vinegar, thyme leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken and spoon marinade over it to coat. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes.
2. Remove chicken from dish and cook on a hot grill until cooked through (to an internal temperature of 160-165'F), about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside on a plate, you can cover it to keep it warm.
Grilled Asparagus Recipe: (serves 4)
* one bunch of asparagus
* salt, pepper, olive oil
Directions:
1. Wash asparagus, snap off tough end of stems. Coat lightly in olive oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and grill, rotating often, about 10 minutes until al dente or the tip of a knife pierces easily. Serve hot.
...click here for the recipe!
This is a tasty and slightly healthier version of a take out dinner. It's a MYOTO meal. I haven't done one these in awhile, it's a Rachael Ray acronym that stands for
Make
Your
Own
Take
Out. It's fun to recreate your favorite take out meals at home and be able to control what's in them. See the category link on the right for some other tasty {MYOTO} recipes. We had this rice along side some teriyaki chicken and a fresh green salad. I marinated the chicken for about 10 minutes in this homemade sauce then threw it on the grill pan and because I used chicken breast tenders, they were ready in no time. Instead of going out tonight...stay in and enjoy!
Recipe: Stir-Fried Brown Rice (Serves 6)
Ingredients:
* 2 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice
* 3‑1/2 cups water
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
* 2 medium carrots, diced
* 1 cup frozen green peas
* 1 to 2 tablespoons Reduced Sodium Tamari or soy sauce *there are Gluten Free varieties available*
* 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
* Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
Directions:
1. Bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil, add 2 cups brown rice, reduce heat to low and simmer 40-45 minutes until tender and all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. {This is slightly less water than most packages recommend, that's so that your rice turns out slightly drier, while still be cooked completely, to make toastier fried rice, yum}
2. Heat wok over medium heat about 30 seconds or until hot. Drizzle 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil into wok and heat 15 seconds. Add onions and carrots; stir-fry over medium-high heat about 3 minutes or until tender, remove and set aside.
3. Add eggs to wok and cook 1 minute or just until set on bottom. Turn eggs over and stir to scramble until cooked but not dry. Remove eggs to bowl; set aside.
4. Add cooked rice, peas, Tamari (or soy sauce) 1-2 tablespoons to taste and sesame oil; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in eggs, carrots and onions and cook until heated through, stirring often. Transfer to warm serving dish. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.
Recipe: Teriyaki Sauce {Gluten Free}
* 1/4 cup Low Sodium Tamari (or soy sauce) *there are Gluten Free varieties available*
* 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
* 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 2 Tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
* 1/2 teaspoon ginger (fresh or powder)
* 2 cloves garlic (minced)
Mix well and enjoy
This makes a great marinade. I like to reserve a small amount {that hasn't touched the raw chicken} to use at the table as a sauce. For teriyaki chicken; marinate meat for ~10 minutes in teriyaki sauce then place on a grill over medium high heat until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 160'F, remove to a plate, the meat will continue cooking to 165'F after you pull it off the grill. Serve hot with Stir-Fried Brown Rice.
This teriyaki sauce also works great for pork, vegetable kabobs, beef and tofu.
...click here for the recipe!
We had our first taste of Saltimbocca back in college at a tiny little Italian restaurant we went to when we were dating. The first time my hubby ordered it we thought it was raw, actually it was just the Prosciutto that was wrapped around the chicken. After the first bite we were hooked, delicious. Saltimbocca means "jumps in the mouth" in Italian and it does. We served it up tonight with some sautéed asparagus and my new favorite wild rice blend! The rice does take awhile to cook but it's very simple, just get it started in advance and you'll be in for a treat. It's nutty, fluffy, full of fiber and delicious.
Chicken Saltibocca Recipe: (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
10-12 fresh sage leaves
8 strips sliced prosciutto
olive oil
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon wedges for garnish
Directions
1. Lay a few sage leaves on each chicken breast, wrap 2 slices of the prosciutto around each chicken breast.
2. Cook chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil (~1 tablespoon) for 2-4 minutes on each side or until done and prosciutto is rendered. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165'F, we typically use our instant read thermometer and pull it off the heat around 160'F as it will continue to cook once removed from the heat. Once chicken is cooked through set aside and keep warm with foil.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Add cornstarch mixture and 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan and simmer, stirring often, about 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
Wild Rice Recipe: (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup Brown Rice
2/3 cup Wild Rice (also called black rice)
3 cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
Directions:
1. Combine the brown rice, wild rice and broth in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 45-50 minutes, or until all the liquid is evaporated and the rice is fully cooked. Remove from the heat, fluff with a fork and serve.
Sautéed Asparagus:
Wash thoroughly. Snap the bottom 1-2 inches of the stems off, they will break naturally with gentle pressure, discard tough ends. Lightly toss the asparagus with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes until crisp tender and still bright green. I like to use our cast iron grill pan for these!
...click here for the recipe!
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