Baked Chicken with Brown and Wild Rice

I adapted this from a recipe I found in a cooking magazine that called for white rice and chicken thighs. I found that chicken breasts and par-boiled brown and wild rice worked great! This is a sneaky way to get kids to eat veggies because the rice is made with carrots and mushrooms.

Serves 4

1/4 cup wild rice
3/4 cup brown rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small package button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1/4 cup sherry cooking wine, or regular wine
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp chicken broth, divided
Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan, combine the rices and 2 cups chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in an oven-proof skillet (one with a lid). Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown chicken on both sides, then set aside. Add the carrots, mushrooms, onions and 1/4 tsp salt to the pan. Sautee until all of the liquid is evaported from the veggies and browned bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the garlic and black pepper and cook one more minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add the half and half and the 1/2 cup chicken broth. Stir in the rice and mix well. Spread rice mixture evenly on bottom of pan. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice and drizzle the 3 tbsp chicken broth over the chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Cover with the lid of the pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cover again. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, to make sure rice doesn't stick in the pan.

Sneaky Whole Wheat Mac and Cheese with Teriyaki Chicken and Sauteed Carrots and Green Beans

I call the mac and cheese "sneaky" because it is lower in fat and contains one 10 oz package of butternut squash. You will NEVER be able to tell it's in there! It came out so creamy and delicious, yet it was lightened up from a traditional mac and cheese and made with whole wheat pasta. The chicken and veggies are so easy to make. This is a great meal that any kid would love! For my toddler, I placed the chicken and veggies in my mini food processor and pulsed it just until it was chopped (still quite chunky). Then, I stirred in a generous spoonful of the mac and cheese and it became chicken and veggie mac and cheese. He loved it!

4 FROZEN chicken breasts (or one breast per person)
bottled Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade, found in the asian food section of most grocery stores. It's a very simple, natural marinade that tastes AMAZING on salmon and chicken.
3 large organic carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks
2 cups whole green beans, rinsed and snipped of any stems
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 12 oz box whole wheat elbow macaroni
1/3 cup flour
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 1/4 cup skim milk or 1 % (I only buy skim, so sometimes I add a little half and half to bump up the fat content if needed for a sauce)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
1 10 oz bag of frozen butternut squash, thawed and mashed with a fork
4 oz shredded swiss cheese
6 oz 2% milk reduced fat cheddar (3/4 of a bar of cheese)
2 oz 2% milk reduced fat cheddar, reserved for topping
1/2 cup freshly toasted breadcrumbs, or store bought

For the chicken:
Place frozen chicken in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Pour a generous amount of the marinade over the chicken, turning it over to coat both sides. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Flip over the chicken breasts. Bake 20 minutes longer. Turn on the broiler setting in the oven. Broil chicken for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned on the top side.

For the veggies:
Place carrots in a 10 inch frying pan. Add the water. Simmer for 6 minutes. Add the green beans and cover. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow the rest of the water to evaporate. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and add 1 tbsp butter. Sautee until the carrots just begin to brown. Serves 4

For the mac and cheese:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the flour. Stir to form a smooth paste and cook about 1 minute. Add the milk, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper and mustard. Cook until thickened. Stir in the swiss cheese, 6 oz shredded lowfat cheddar cheese and squash. Stir until the cheese melts. Remove from the heat. Drain cooked pasta and place back into the pot you cooked it in. Pour the sauce over the pasta. Stir well. Pour into a greased 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer. Serves 8

Broiled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Mexican Style Brown Rice, Fresh Avocado Salsa and Baked Plantain Chips

This is a meal I put together for dinner this week. The chicken is full of flavor, but it's not spicy. So, it's a meal that kids should love! Growing up with a Cuban dad, I've learned to love plantains. They are usually fried, but this method makes them much lighter by baking them. They make great chips to serve with the rest of the salsa.

Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salsa:
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 ripe tomato (1 cup)
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1/4 cup diced red or green onion
1/8 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
sprinkle of black pepper

Rice:
1 cup brown rice
1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 of one cube Caldo de Pollo mexican chicken boullion cube (found in the mexican section of the grocery store)
water to make 2 cups when combined with the tomatoes

Baked Plantain chips:
1 green plantain, sliced into thin slices lengthwise into strips or into rings
1 tbsp canola oil
kosher salt



For the chicken, combine all of the ingredients. Place in a Ziploc bag and marinate for one hour or overnight.

For the salsa, combine all of the salsa ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the rice, heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and sautee about 4 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the rice. Cook 4 more minutes, stirring every minute. Add the garlic clove. Sautee one minute. Combine the tomatoes and boullion cube in a measuring cup. Add water to make 2 cups. Pour over the rice. Stir once. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 50 minutes.

For the plantain chips, drizzle with one tbsp canola oil. Toss to coat. Place in an even layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip over the pieces and bake about 5 minutes more, until golden on the second side. Place in a serving bowl or on a serving tray.

When the rice has 20 minutes left, cook the chicken. Preheat the broiler in the oven. Spray a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking spray. Broil the chicken for 6 minutes, then flip over and broil for 6 minutes on the other side, or until completely cooked through. Serve chicken topped with a spoonful of the avocado salsa, a handful of plantain chips and a side of rice. Serves 4.

Chicken Rice a Roni

When I was in high school, one of my favorite snacks was a bowl full of store bought Rice a Roni. My sisters and I would make a box and munch on it. This recipe is my version of a made from scratch Rice A Roni that is definitely more nutritious and isn't full of ingredients that you can't pronounce! It also reminds me of a recipe my best friend of 20 years, Dawn Stamp, gave me about 10 years ago for a rice pilaf that her mom often made for dinner. It required toasting pasta and rice in butter and then adding chicken broth. It's so tasty and the butter gives it so much flavor. This is definitely one recipe your family will love!I served it with a salad made with fresh spring mix and strawberries topped with balsalmic vinaigrette and my sauteed Brussels sprouts (recipe below).

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
salt, pepper and garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small package baby portabella mushrooms or button mushrooms, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 of a package of thin spaghetti broken into little pieces
1 cup white rice
1/4 cup red cooking wine or red wine
3 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Minced fresh flat leaf parsley
Options for adding extra veggies: stir in 1 cup thawed frozen peas before serving, add 1 large broccoli crown cut into small florets (about 2 cups of broccoli) when adding the chicken back to the pot before baking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan or dutch oven (oven proof). Brown chicken on both sides over medium heat. Remove from pan. Add the shrooms. Sautee until they begin to caramelize, about 7 minutes. Add the onions, the 1 tsp salt and pepper. Sautee 3 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and sautee 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Melt the butter. Add the pasta and turn the heat up to medium-high. Sautee until light brown and toaste, about 2-3 minutes. Add the rice. Sautee for one minute. Stir in the sauteed veggies. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping to incorporate all of the browned bits off the bottom. Pour in the chicken broth. Add the chicken breasts back to the pan. Bring to a boil, cover and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice) Cuban Style

My Abuelita makes this recipe and it's so fantastic! The canned peas and pimentos added at the end give it a really unique flavor. (for the non-pea lovers, you can't really taste them-just a hint of peaness :) ) I promise your house will smell fantastic when you make this dish. Mundo and I aren't wine drinkers, so I use sherry cooking wine and just don't add quite as much salt. I can't even express with words how fantastic the flavors are in this dish. You will love it!
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt, pepper and garlic powder
vegetable oil
1 large bellpepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced (use fresh garlic-it tastes SO much better!)
1/4 cup sherry wine or cooking wine
4 oz. tomato sauce (just pour in 1/2 of an 8 oz can)
1 32 oz. container of chicken broth
yellow food coloring- I use 1/2 tsp of Badia brand yellow food coloring (found in the hispanic section of the grocery store). You can also use regular liquid yellow food coloring. Just add a little and stir and keep adding more until the liquid has a nice deep yellow color to it.
2 cups white rice (authentic recipe uses short grain, but I prefer long. Its up to you)
1 can peas, drained
1 medium sized jar of diced pimentos drained

Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a large oven-safe pot. Brown the chicken thighs first, then the breasts and remove all of the meat from the pot. Add the diced bellpepper and onion to the pot and sautee until the onions are clear and tender. Add the garlic and sautee for one minute. Pour in the broth, wine, tomato sauce and food coloring (DO NOT ADD THE RICE YET!!). Add the chicken back to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and place in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and shredd the chicken. Pour in the rice, bring back up to a boil, cover and place back in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir in the drained peas and pimentos.

Greek Chicken Pitas

I envisioned a nice split pita sandwich until I realized that the pita bread I bought wasn't split! So, I ended up topping the pita bread with the chicken and cucumber/salad mix and then eating it with a knife and fork. It tasted great!

1 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breast
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
zest of one lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups torn romaine lettuce or bagged salad
1/4 c ranch dressing
1/2 cucumber, diced

Rub the chicken breast with the salt, pepper, lemon zest, garlic and drizzle of olive oil, making sure to rub under the skin as well as on top of the skin. Finish off with a final sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove meat from the bone and shred or cut into large cubes.

Mix the salad with the cucumbers. Toss with the ranch dressing. Stuff the inside of half a pita round with 1 cup of the salad mix and 1/4 of the chicken. Or, if not using split pita, lay half of a pita round on a plate. Top with 1 cup salad mix and 1/4 of the chicken. Enjoy! You can also drizzle a nice spoonful of hummus on top.

Chicken Lo Mein (Yes, another pasta dish, but it's fabulous!)

I've been making a lot of pasta dishes lately because I've been watching Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals pretty frequently and she works with pasta often. This dish was inspired by her Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe. I decided to leave out the meatballs and used sliced chicken instead that I seasoned with garlic powder, ground ginger, salt and pepper and sauteed before I cooked the veggies. You can definitely serve this over brown rice and leave out the noodles, if you're tired of pasta. But, the whole wheat noodles taste great!

Salt
1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
6 green onions sliced on a diagonal
1/3 cup tamari dark soy or regular soy sauce
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
2 inches ginger root, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
1 pound triple washed spinach, leaves stripped of larger stems, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, available on Asian foods aisle of market
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, available on Asian foods aisle of market

Place a pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet. Season the chicken breast with the garlic and ginger powders and the salt and pepper. Add to the oil and sautee over high heat until cooked through and nicely browned. Remove from pan. Pour in the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Add the snow peas, red pepper, remaining cut scallions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry 2 minutes add spinach and chicken and stir until spinach wilts. Add the soy sauce, about 1/3 cup, and the sesame oil. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Chicken (or Not) Poblano Casserole

I got this recipe from my Cooking Light magazine collection- I love this magazine! They always have great recipe ideas that are healthy and yummy. I made a few changes to the recipe. I didn't add any cilantro (because it can be so strong and tends to overpower the casserole. However, I've included it before and it tastes great either way.) I substituted cottage cheese for the ricotta, because I've never been a huge fan of the ricotta and the cottage cheese gives the casserole a creamy consistency. It is delicious with fresh corn. You could easily leave out the chicken and make it vegetarian. Here's the original recipe: Chicken Poblano Casserole


3 poblano chiles (about 12 ounces)
1 large red bell pepper (about 8 ounces)
3 ears shucked corn
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk
3 cups (12 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 (16-ounce) carton lowfat cottage cheese
Cooking spray
18 (6-inch) white corn tortillas
3 3/4 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (optional)
1 cup thinly sliced green onions, divided
Preheat broiler.

Cut poblanos and bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place poblanos and bell pepper, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Place corn on baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes or until poblanos and bell pepper are blackened and corn is lightly browned. Place poblanos and bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel and coarsely chop; set poblanos and bell pepper aside separately. Remove corn kernels from cobs.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a large saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook over medium heat until slightly thick (about 12 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine 1 cup milk mixture and poblanos in a blender; process until smooth. Stir pureed poblano mixture into remaining milk mixture.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine bell pepper, corn, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup Mexican cheese, red onion, eggs, and cottage cheese.

Coat bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in bottom of dish. Arrange 6 tortillas over sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread half of cottage cheese mixture over tortillas; top with half of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup green onions and 2/3 cup cheddar cheese. Pour about 1 cup sauce over cheese. Repeat layers with 6 tortillas, remaining cottage cheese mixture, remaining chicken, 1/3 cup green onions, 2/3 cup cheddar cheese, 1 cup sauce, and 6 tortillas. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Coat 1 side of foil with cooking spray. Place foil, coated side down, over casserole. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup green onions. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 15 minutes.

Yield

12 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 369(29% from fat); FAT 11.9g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.2g); IRON 1.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 98mg; CALCIUM 536mg; CARBOHYDRATE 33.8g; SODIUM 594mg; PROTEIN 33.1g; FIBER 3.6g

Skinny White Chicken Lasagna

I modified this recipe that I originally saw on Rachael Ray's website. It makes a TON of lasagna, so it would be great for entertaining. Mundo really liked it!

2 tbsp olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
1 lb sliced button mushrooms
2 medium sliced zuchini
salt and pepper
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 c. skim milk
2 c. chicken broth
1 box whole wheat lasagna or oven-ready white lasagna
2 1/2 cups shredded lowfat mozzarella
1 small container low fat cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrooms and sautee. Once they begin to turn golden brown, add the zuchini and garlic and sautee until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the shredded chicken. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir for one minute until it bubbles (you don't want a brown roux, just cook long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste). Add the milk and chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring up to a bubble, stirring constantly. Then, simmer 4-5 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/2 cup) of sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover with three noodles. Top with 1/3 of the chicken veggie mixture, 1/3 of the cottage cheese and about 1/2 cup of cheese. Pour 1 cup of sauce over the layer. Then, add two more layers. Top off the lasagna with the last three noodles, the remaining sauce and the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Serve with a fresh dinner salad and whole wheat french bread and you have a perfect weeknight dinner!