Chicken and Wild Rice

I had a lot of leftover shredded chicken from making chicken soup last night and I needed to make dinner tonight without going to the store today. So, I pulled together this chicken and rice casserole type dish, sans the canned cream-of-chemicals-and-who-knows-what-else-soup. Wild rice is lower glycemic than regular white rice and possibly more so than brown rice, too. This came out really tasty, but the picture not so much. Sorry!

Chicken and Wild Rice Recipe
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs EVOO
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups uncooked wild rice blend
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp dried marjoram
fresh cracked black pepper
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
4 cups cooked cubed or shredded chicken
1½ cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
½ cups dry white wine
¼ cup sour cream

Heat dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add butter and olive oil and heat through. Add onion and saute until beginning to soften. Add garlic and saute another minute. Add rice and saute a few minutes until beginning to brown, stirring frequently. Add salt, marjoram and pepper. Add mushrooms, chicken and stock. Stir to deglaze bottom of pot. Pour in cream, stirring. Add wine and sour cream. Bring to a simmer and then cover and transfer to preheated 375°F oven. Cook one hour or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Serve with green salad or another green veggie of choice :)

Week 14

Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini and Chickpeas (Vegetarian)
From Epicurious.com


Slow Cooker Jambalaya (adapted from Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook)
1 large onion, chopped
1 med green bell pepper, chopped
2 med celery stalks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped, cooked Andouille sausage
1 Tbs parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dried dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper sauce
hot cooked rice, for serving

Mix all ingredients except rice in 4 qt or larger slow cooker. Cover and cool on low 7-8 hours. Serve over rice.

Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash (adapted from Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook)
2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1" pices
1 large onion, sliced
15 oz beef broth
6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs paprika
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp caraway seed (or more, to taste. I like 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
-------------
1/4 cup cold water
3 Tbs flour
1 med bell pepper, cut into strips
8 cups hot cooked wide noodles
butter and poppy seeds, optional

Mix all ingredients above line in 4 qt or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours until beef is very tender.

Mix water and flour and gradually stir into slow cooker. Stir in bell pepper. Cover and cook on high 30 mins longer. Serve over hot buttered noodles tossed w/poppy seeds.

Zesty Beef (salad one night, soup another)
From Recipe.com

Myka's Mac N Cheese (this recipe comes from my neighbor Myka who so graciously brought this dish to me after my daughter was born 4 years ago. We didn't know each other at all but that meal was the start of a wonderful friendship!)
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
3 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 (1 lb) package rigatoni pasta
24 oz shredded cheese (any mix you like, I like sharp cheddar), divided
5 Tbs A-1 or other steak sauce

Preheat oven to 400 F. Saute onion in large skillet with butter until translucent. Add diced tomatoes w/their juice. Bring to boil. Add steak sauce and simmer about 10 mins. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package, draining when al dente. Combine pasta, tomato mixture, and 2/3 of cheese. Pour into 9x13" baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 10 mins, reduce oven to 375 and continue baking about 20 mins or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown.