Showing posts with label Rice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rice. Show all posts
I wanted to cook us something quick and light today . . . fresh, and healthy. I remembered seeing this recipe in the June issue of Food to Love and I had everything in the house to make it and so I put it on the menu!
Not only was it incredibly easy to make, but very quick to make also, using a minimum of ingredients
Courgettes (zucchini), asparagus, chicken stock and brown rice. Oh, and a bit of Parmesan cheese and some fresh parsley. Not a lot really!
I used the pre-cooked brown rice that comes in pouches that you can keep in your store cupboard. I always have some of that stored away. It always comes in very handy!
I prepped all of my ingredients . . . cleaning and chopping the vegetables, grating the cheese, and it went together very quickly. I am sure I had it ready and on the table in less than 15 minutes!
I used a gel pot stock, the kind you get from Knorr, and I used the vegetable one which meant that the dish was completely vegetarian. Well, except for the cheese. I know a lot of veggies don't use cheese because it is a milk product and they don't even use anything produced by an animal.
I've never quite understood that myself. I get the not wanting to eat meat bit, but not the not using anything that is produced by animals. Surely there is not a lot wrong with that, but I might not be seeing it in quite the same way as they do.
In any case this is delicious. With lots of colour and crunch along with a bit of nuttiness from the brown rice.
I love courgettes and I love asparagus, but if you didn't like those I am sure you could create another combination that would be equally as tasty . . . like green beans and peas . . . or, well, just use your imagination. I think almost any vegetable combination would work . . .
Except for maybe beetroot, that is not unless you want to be eating pink rice!
Some people don't mind eating pink food. I am quite fond of beetroot myself! I hope you will give it a go! It would make a lovely quick and tasty mid-week supper!
*Asparagus and Courgette Rice*
Serves 4
Extra Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on the finished dish
For the die hard protein fans in your life you could add some leftover chopped meat of course, but a lovely fried egg also goes very nicely on top. Just saying! Scrumpdiddlyumptious!! Bon Appetit!
I am a huge fan of one an suppers. The less washing up the better! Less mess, less stress. I recently came across this recipe for Turkey Meatballs and Lemon Rice and thought it sounded delicious and the fact that it was a one an supper made it even more appealing. Adapted from the Cookbook entitled One-Pan Wonders from Cooks Country.
I love chicken and rice. They are the ultimate combination, especially when combined with two of my favourite vegetables, peas and carrots!
This is such a simple dish to prepare also. Everything gets cooked all in the one dish. You will want a fairly large skillet for this with straight sides, if possible, and a lid that fits snuggly.
You can use fresh garlic if you wish, but I like the garlic powder. Lately I haven't liked the flavour of the fresh garlic which is available.
It tastes mildewed or moldy to me. Very yucky. I think I am going to have to grow my own.
The chicken is first browned and then you make a vegetable pilaf with chicken stock, rice, onions, and carrots.
You nestle the browned chicken into the rice to finish cooking . . .
Frozen petit pois, parsley and lemon juice complete the dish.
The Chicken is sliced on the diagonal and placed on top in an attractive manner.
Altogether you are treated to a pleasant dish, well flavoured, colourful, and delicious. Everyone loves this, and it's so simple to make, and I think quite healthy.
You can also very easily cut the quantities in half to serve only two people. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, you may even be able to serve three with the recipe cut in half.
*Chicken & Rice*
Serves 4
Heat the oil in a large skillet with a lid. Season the chicken with
salt and pepper. Add to the skillet, presentation side down, and brown,
about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add the onion and 1/2 tp
of salt to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently in the drippings, until
softened.
Add the rice and garlic powder. Cook and stir for about a
minute.
Add the carrots and stir in the chicken stock, scraping up any
bits.
Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the rice without
covering it. Cover and reduce the heat to low.
Cook, for 10 to 15
minutes, until the chicken tests done and the juices run clear. Remove
the chicken and set aside, keeping it warm.
Stir though the rice to
recombine, then cover and cook until all of the liquid has been
absorbed, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Stir in the peas.
Cover and let stand for a few minutes to thaw and heat through the
peas. Fork through the lemon juice and parsley.
Slice the chicken
breasts through on the diagonal and return to the top of the rice in a
decorative fashion. Sprinkle with paprika and more parsley if desired.
Serve immediately.
All you really need to serve in addition to this is possibly a nice tossed salad. You could also add some different herbs if you wanted to. Lemon Thyme leaves, Chives or tarragon are lovely. Bon Appetit!
My Todd is an old fashioned guy. There is nothing fancy smancy about him. He likes simple things, which is probably why he likes me so much. 😉 There is nothing fancy smancy about me either! And I, too, like simple things. Things like thie simple baked rice pudding please us both on many levels.
Not only is it delicious, but it is very easy to make and well suited to using up that little bit of leftover rice from last night's dinner.
It is just the right size for just two people, which means it is just the right size for our wee family, or for a very hungry Todd.
No, it is not pretty, but you could certainly dress it u with a dab of jam if you wished or a dollop of softly whipped cream. It is very comforting . . .
Almost nursery food . . . warm hug food. Little nuggets of rice encircled by rich milky custard. I love the skin on top. It's my favourire bit. This is perfect food for the winter blues. Enjoy . . .
*Baked Rice Pudding For Two*
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a small 5 inch square baking dish. Set aside.
Whisk together the egg and sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Whisk in the milk and vanilla. Stir in the milk and rice. Pour into the prepared dish.
Place the dish with the pudding in it into a larger pan and pour hot water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the dish holding the rice pudding. Bake in the preheated oven for 55 minutes or until golden and set. Serve warm with or without whipped cream.
There were years when I had a hard time cooking for just two people, especially having had to cook for a large family and then my employers etc. for a number of years. I am getting used to it now, and am becoming very good at it. You could of course double this if you wished, but if you are only two, then this is the perfect winter pud for you. Bon Appetit!
I bet you have everything in your house to make these right now! Or maybe not. I always have fish sticks in the freezer. I like the cod ones. They are really handy to have on hand, even if all you are going to make is a fish finger butty.
I also keep packs of ready cooked rice in the cupboards, for those times when I need rice at the last minute. Sometimes I have the flavoured packs but mostly I just have plain and brown basamati. We also feed our dog rice (along with poached chicken and vegetables) every day. She loves it. And she thrives on it along with a multi-vitamin just for pooches.
But I digress . . . I also keep packs of frozen vegetables in the freezer. Usually green beans, broccoli and cauliflower, petit pois and then some mixed vegetables. They are the closest thing to fresh picked. I only buy fresh veg from the shops if I am going to cook them right on the day. They seem to always go off within a few days of me bringing them home. (Other than root vegetables, they seem to be alright.)
*Cheesy Fish Sticks and Rice Supper*
Serves 4 (I use two single serving pouches of mixed frozen steam vegetables with
carrots, broccoli and cauliflower in them, and it is just perfect. Cook them for 2 minutes first in the microwave)
Simple. Delicious. Quick. Easy and nutritious. Economical and family pleasing. You can't ask for better than that!
Bon Appetit!
We've had some really nice weather this week, a bit cool, but the sun has been shining and that's always a plus in my book! The other day I made us a delicious rice salad to go with some grilled chicken for our supper. We had spent a bit of time working in the garden, so quick and easy was the order of the day!
This may not look like much . . . its just rice after all, but don't let the simplicity of it fool you into thinking it isn't very special! This is a fabulous side dish!
We love broccoli in this house (Shut up Todd! You know you do!) We also love rice! When you throw both of them together and add cheese, well . . . we are in Cheesy Broccoli Rice heaven! This is so easy and so quick to make!
It goes together in very short order. Your family will absolutely adore it. What is it about the combination of broccoli and cheese that just has people begging for more?? I am not sure, but it's very popular!
And in all honesty this is so simple to make, you won't mind putting it onto your supper menu fairly often. I think I make it about once a week. You can use brown rice if you wish, but do take into consideration that if you use brown rice the cook time will be quite a bit longer. It is substantially healthier though with brown rice.
I like to use a low fat cheddar also. It works perfectly well in this. Using a full head of broccoli ensures that the broccoli and rice ratio is about half and half, but nobody minds.
The broccoli is cooked until crispy tender prior to stirring it into the cheese/rice mixture, and then served. It stays a brilliant green and has a lovely consistency that goes well with the rice. Altogether this makes a perfect side dish.
It goes well with chicken or fish. In fact I have been known to sit down and just sit down and eat a bowl of this all on it's own. Know what I like best about it? Besides the fact that it is super easy and super tasty??? I know exactly what is in it. Nothing artificial. Just plain good, natural ingredients.
*Cheesy Broccoli Rice*
Serves 4 - 6
If your family doesn't label this recipe as a winner/winner, I would be most surprised!
Bon Appetit!
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