Category: grains

Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Skillet Green Beans and Rice with Pine Nuts

Chicken, grains, Side dishes...veggies

Hello! Tonight I made a family favorite that I have done in many variations on the blog before. I had some beautiful green beans freshly picked from my garden and some pine nuts leftover that needed to be used up. I made enough to have for leftovers for another night!

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken fillets
1 onion, diced
1 carton mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of crushed and diced garlic
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 container of reduced sodium chicken stock
add salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken pieces to hot oil in a single layer without crowding. Cook 4-5 minutes per side or until chicken is browned; remove from pans.
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Add in your veggies. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the stock. Cook down about 5 minutes.
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Add your chicken back in the pan. Cook for 30 more minutes with the chicken in the sauce. Take out the chicken and add in the cream cheese and heavy cream. Stir and let them all melt together. If you want a thicker sauce (to dunk bread), add in more cream cheese. If you want a thinner sauce (to add to pasta) add in more cream. Add your chicken back in. Cook for just a few more minutes… Again…Perfection.

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Rice with Pine Nuts-

Ingredients
1/2 stick of butter
1 small bag of rice
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1 container of low sodium chicken or veggie stock

Directions
Toast some pine nuts in a pan for a few minutes on low heat. Watch these; they burn quickly.
In a large round pot or pan, heat butter on med heat until it melts. Add in your rice and cook for a few minutes. This toasts the rice and helps give it a nice nutty flavor. Then I added all of the stock in the pan, mixed well, and put on the lid. Every 5 minutes or so, I stirred it to make sure the bottom didn’t burn or stick. Near the 20 minute mark, I felt mine needed a little more liquid, so I added a few more tablespoons of water. I mixed well and added in my pine nuts. Delicious!

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Skillet Green Beans

I had these beauties from my garden.
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So I threw them in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (butter or olive oil would be fine). I cooked them about 15 minutes. stirring them occasionally. In the end, I threw in a handful of the toasted pine nuts.

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Spicy Veggie Couscous

Asian, grains, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Hello again! So I was thinking about what I wanted to take for lunch tomorrow. Today I ate a  whole wheat wrap with spicy chicken, spinach, and hummus  from my school.  I added a bit of  Light Ranch (the only kind they have) to the mix. It was actually pretty tasty. I would get that again! The menu tomorrow is not very promising, although they do have a veggie burger. Unfortunately, by the time I get to the veggie burger, it is  pretty cold and stale. I don’t think many middle school kiddos choose it. Who can blame them…

So tonight I had some couscous left over at dinner. I also had half of both a yellow and orange sweet pepper, 1 jalapeno, 1 sweet onion, 1 small head of broccoli, and 2 cloves of garlic leftover from last weeks groceries. I chopped up all the veggies and cooked them in a bit of peanut oil for about 10 minutes. Then I added the couscous and a bit of soy sauce and pepper to add a bit of flavor. I stirred well, and cooked for another 5 minutes. Now I have a yummy lunch for tomorrow! =)

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Spicy Chicken and Veggie Risotto

grains, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

It seems lately I have been on a spicy kick. I have been adding hot sauce, red chili flakes, and jalapenos on just about everything. Maybe it is the cool weather rolling in that makes me want to spice it up? In any case, I felt like adding a punch to my dinner last night. Everyone was doing their own thing and going in different directions, so it was either have straight up leftovers or create something out of the leftovers from the fridge. I decided to create something new from something old.

Spicy Chicken and Veggie Risotto

Ingredients

1/2 rotisserie chicken, finely chopped or shredded
3 tablespoons butter or oil
half a can of tomato paste
3/4 opened stock in a box
half an onion, chopped
handful of mushrooms, quartered
can of green chilies
about 1/2 cup rice
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup parm cheese

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium sized pot over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté until beginning to soften and brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add in tomato paste and green chilies. Mix together well. Add 1 cup broth and simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining broth by 1/2 cupfuls, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Continue to cook until rice is just tender but still very creamy, stirring gently and often, about 10 minutes longer (about 25 minutes total cooking time). Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and chicken. Stir to warm the chicken through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl and serve with additional Parmesan cheese. You could make this vegetarian by leaving out the chicken and using veggie stock or water.

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Baked Enchilada Farro with Beans and Corn

grains, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Mexican, One pot meal, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Happy Tuesday, ya’ll! So the other day I made this.
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/08/30/enchilada-farro-with-beans-and-corn/

It is super healthy and delicious, but after a few servings, I needed to find a way to change it up. So, I made it into tacos. Yum. Then I made it into this cheesy bake. All I did was add a another small can of enchilada sauce and 1 jar of salsa to the mix. Then I spread it into a sprayed casserole dish and topped it with shredded cheese. I baked it at 350 until all the cheese was melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Freezing half of this for my future. 

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Enchilada Farro with Beans and Corn

grains, One pot meal, Pantry Raid, potatoes, Side dishes...veggies, Vegetarian

Hey guys! I know that it has been awhile. It has been a pretty busy week and there has not been a lot of innovative cooking. Mostly old stand bys…BBQ chicken, pasta, and a few more quick dinners out and clean out the fridge nights than normal. This week there will probably be more of the same. 3 kids equals a lot of busy nights…

We have been trying to avoid going to the store and spending money, so I raided the pantry for this meal. It will serve as a quick lunch and dinner for the next week. Since I have a whole pot of it, I may try different things with it throughout the week; thinking of topping it with shredded cheese and bake it or even make it into veggie enchiladas. For tonight, I found it super satisfying the way it is. Look for more variations coming soon. I hope you give it a try!

Enchilada Farro with Beans and Corn

Ingredients
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can black beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 can corn
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup farro (or quinoa)
2 cups veggie stock (or water or chicken)

Directions

Using a large heavy pot, cook your onions down in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on med/low heat for about 5 minutes. Add in your garlic. Cook down for 3 more minutes. Add in your farro. Cook for a few minutes then add all your canned ingredients. Mix together well. Add in your stock and mix well. Cover and cook until farro is tender; about 25 minutes.

I can’t stop eating this. It is SO good! I have a whole pot to much on throughout the week!
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