Risotto primavera

Oh snap, this is good.  I will admit that it requires a little attention, so prep beforehand and do not try to multitask while you are cooking it.  Even if you screw it up, and it is mushy, it still tastes amazing. This recipe is from Cooking Light, with some hints and adaptations from me.  

2 1/2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. water
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T minced garlic
1 T chopped thyme
4 oz. sliced button mushrooms (which, if you are not a mushroom person, are the little white ones, just the regular old mushrooms.  Get them fresh and slice them because you will feel fancy if you do)
1 c. uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. frozen green peas (thawed but not cooked)
1/4 c. chopped parsley
2 T cream cheese
1 tsp sherry vinegar (which is really hard to find, so I used red wine vinegar instead and it was great)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (I didn't measure the pepper or salt because that is not how I roll)
2 T grated parmesan cheese

Make sure your chopping is finished before you start anything (onions, mushrooms, etc.)
Bring veggie broth and water to a simmer in a small pan, and then turn the heat to low
Heat a big pan to medium high and add oil.  Swirl it around to coat the pan.  Add in onion and sautee for 2 minutes.  Add garlick, thyme, mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes.  Add rice, and cook 1 minute.  Add wine, cook 30 seconds.

Reduce heat to medium low and add in 1/2 c. of the veggie broth mixture from the small pan.  Cook until absorbed, so about 4 minutes.  Repeat this in 1/2 c. increments until all the broth is in the pan.

Remove from heat, stir in peas, parsley, cream cheese, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle with a little more thyme and parmesan cheese.

Skillet chicken and mozarella

I found this in Cooking Light and adapted it a little.  And cleaned up the very confusing directions. (you're welcome) This is easy and was a hit at our house.

1/3 c. panko
2 T grated parmesan
2 tsp butter (melted)
1 T olive oil
4 chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 c chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 c. chopped tomato
3/4 c. marinara
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T chopped oregano
2 oz. mozarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400
Chop the tomatoes and onions, and have the minced garlic ready to go (so peel and chop now if you need to).
In a small bowl, put the grated parmesan cheese and butter.  
Heat a large skillet to medium, and add panko.  Saute for 3 minutes - it will start to turn brown.
Add the panko to the bowl is parmesan and butter.

In the hot pan you just dumped the panko out of, add olive oil, and swirl it around until the bottom of the pan is coated.  Put chicken in the pan and salt/pepper it.  Cook 5 minutes, turn and cook 2 minutes on the other side.  Remove the chicken from the pan and put it on a plate.

In the same hot pan that the chicken just came out of, add a little more oil, onion, and garlic.  Saute for 2 minutes, and then add tomato, marinara, chicken broth, some salt and pepper, and oregano.  Put the chicken back in the pan with this mixture and bring it all to a boil.

Pour all the mixture in the pan into a corning ware dish, and sprinkle the panko mixture over the top.  Bake in th eoven on 400 for 10 minutes or so, until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Cowboy Soup adapted from the Pioneer Woman

• 2-1/2 pounds Ground Chuck (I used one pound)
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (14.5 Ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 3 cups Beef Stock Or Beef Broth, Plus More As Needed (I used four cups)
• 1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Diced
• 4 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced On The Diagonal
• 5 whole Red Potatoes, Cut Into Chunks
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, More To Taste
• 2 teaspoons Dried Parsley Flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (more To Taste)

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the onion, celery, and garlic. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off as much fat as you can. (Discard the fat once it cools.)

Return the pot to the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the soup for 15-20 more minutes, until potatoes are tender but not overly mushy.

Soup should be somewhat thick, but if you'd like it to be more "soupy," add 1 to 2 cups more broth OR hot water and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.

My adaptation is that I browned the meat with the onion, celery and garlic.  I added it to the crock pot with all the other ingredients and let it cook on low all day.  Served with thinly sliced sourdough, a little cheddar on top of the soup.  

Dinners for January 2014

Seared steaks	Chicken tetrazzini	Cheeseburger soup	Chicken pot pie	Chicken enchiladas (we have these frozen) – Shauna’s recipe from Bread & Wine	Spaghetti and pita pizzas
Taco Soup	Chili (chili pie!)	Chicken broccoli casserole	Chicken enchilada chicken (Homemade Gourmet) with beans and rice	Meatloaf with mashed potatoes	Pizza rolls
BBQ Sausage with mac & cheese	Crunchy chicken casserole	Sloppy joe sliders on Hawaiian bread	Shake and Bake/onion Pork chops with mashed potatoes	Egg salad sandwiches	Chicken & Dumplins
Beef Fajitas	Meatball soup	Shake and Bake/onion chicken with rice	Chicken spaghetti	3 Envelope Roast	Tomatillo chicken

Greek Chicken

8 chicken breasts

4 shakes of olive oil (about 4 Tablespoons)

8 oz. kalamata olives

3.5 oz capers (almost all the way drained)

5 cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

2 ½ c. white wine (I used Grape Creek Sauvignon Blanc)

 

Hammer the chicken breasts out so they are a little bit thinner.  Heat a skillet with olive oil and add the chicken.  Add salt and pepper on the top, and brown until the chicken is all cooked (about 10 minutes?).  Add the olives, capers, garlic and white wine.  Let that simmer until you are ready to eat, or until the wine is almost cooked off.  I simmered it covered and uncovered a little, alternating, until the rest of the dinner was finished.  So yummy and so healthy. 

 

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

12 oz. bag frozen broccoli

1 Onion – chopped

1 T olive oil

8 oz. of mushrooms – sliced

1 ½ c. fat free milk

3 T. whole wheat flour

4 chicken breasts – cooked and shredded

½ c. plain Greek yogurt

¼ c. light mayonnaise

Ground pepper

Kosher salt

½ c. sharp cheddar cheese

¼ c. parmesan cheese

 

Microwave the broccoli until it is cooked. 

Sautee the onions and mushrooms in a skillet.  Sprinkle the flour on the mushrooms and cook for another minute.  Stir in milk and bring to a boil.  Cook until thick and bubbly.  Stir in the broccoli and chicken and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat and stir in yogurt, mayonnaise, pepper, salt and top with cheeses.  Broil in the oven for two minutes.  Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe

 

Chicken tetrazzini

10 oz. linguini (whole wheat)

2 T butter

¼ c. whole wheat four

2 ½ c. chicken broth

12 oz. evaporated milk

½ c. parmesan cheese

1 oz. fat free cream cheese

Kosher salt, black pepper

4 T olive oil

8 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 small chopped onion

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsp. fresh thyme

½ c. white wine

4 chicken breasts, shredded and cooked

1 package of frozen green peas

 

Cook the pasta and drain.  Melt the butter in a skillet, and whisk in flour.  Cook for two minutes, stirring the whole time.  Add chicken broth and milk and bring to a boil.  Simmer for five minutes.  Remove from heat and add in the cheese, cream cheese, salt and pepper.

 

Sautee mushrooms, onion and thyme in oolive oil.  Cook for three minutes.  Add in wine and cook for another minute.  Combine all the ingredients/mixtures together in a 9x13 pan.  Top with breadcrumbs (if you want) and bake on 350 until browned.    Adapted from Cooking Light.