Greek Style Chicken and Rice

 1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken, thighs are the most flavorful, cut into bite sized cubes

2 lemons, zested, juiced and juice strained

1/2 tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups rice

about 1/4 cup good olive oil

1 bunch green onions, washed, trimmed and chopped, divided in two parts

1 medium sized onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic, use a lesser amount if you are not a garlic nut like I am!

3 cups chicken broth or water

a bag of baby spinach, torn in pieces

(if you happen to have a jar of Better Than Bouillon in your fridge, a heaping tablespoon of that, if you don't have it, don't worry about it.)

Place the chicken in a large bowl, then sprinkle with half of the lemon juice and grated zest, the oregano, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, as well as a tablespoon of olive oil, toss well and allow to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.     Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy dutch oven and then brown the chicken in two batches, remove from the pan and set it aside.   In the pan add the onion, half of the green onions and the rice.   Fry until the onion and garlic are wilted and starting to brown a bit, adding more olive oil if needed.    When it reaches that point, add the broth and stir well (if you have some Better Than Bouillion, add now and dissolve in the broth, it will add a bit of extra richness and flavor)  scraping up any of the brown stuff on the bottom of the pan.  Add the chicken and any juices back into the pan and mix well.   Bring broth to a full boil, then reduce heat to where it just barely bubbles.  Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes.   When done, remove from the heat and allow to sit a couple of minutes, then add the spinach, stir it in, recover and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.   Pour the reserved lemon juice and zest, the remaining green onions and another couple tablespoons of olive oil, stir it in and and then serve.   All you really need with it is some crusty bread.   

If you are needing something lower carb, omit the rice and most of the chicken broth, brown about 4-5 cups of cauliflower rice with the onion and garlic, then add about a cup of chicken broth, along with the chicken and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until it is nearly dry.    I have even made this using both the rice and cauliflower rice and it was very tasty.  

Southwest Cheesy Chicken and Rice

I came up with this one evening when I needed something quick to take to a dinner at work some years back.  I made it with odds and ends in the fridge, along with things I had in my cupboard.  Turned out so good I started making it on purpose.  You can use leftovers or buy things especially for it.  It will always be good. 

1 jar queso, I like 505 Roasted Hatch Chile queso, slightly warmed  or a couple cups of melted Velveeta
4-5 cups cooked rice
4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey or cooked ground beef or roast pork or beef roast, whatever you have or like
1 small jar chunky picante sauce, I like Pace the best
1 pkg. taco seasoning or 2 tbsp chili powder or your own Mexican spice mix

Mix all together and place in a greased baking dish, top with grated cheese if you wish and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and the cheese is browned.   You can also put in a crockpot, top with some grated cheese and then heat on low until bubbly.    This is also very good for filling burritos.  As always, enjoy!!!

Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

1 cup arborio rice
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 can coconut cream
sprinkle cinnamon

Mix the milk, rice and brown sugar in a large dutch oven and bring to a simmer.   Keep the heat to the lowest heat that will keep it bubbling, stirring every so often, cook until the milk is very creamy and thickened, and the rice is tender.    Takes about 30 minutes.   Stirring more often the thicker it gets.   Then add the can of coconut cream and continue to simmer until very thick, creamy and the rice is very tender.   Sprinkle in some cinnamon to taste.    Serve either warm or chilled.   

Fried Rice

I love Chinese food, but it is something I just have not had much luck making at home.   Even the simple fried rice has eluded me, until now.   I recently came across a recipe for a homestyle fried rice (which I adapted to what I had on hand) that turned out just the way I had imagined it would and how I dreamed it would.   I like to pair this with the honey glazed pork I posted earlier in the blog.   I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

2 ½ tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 in. piece ginger root, peeled and chopped

2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp. sesame oil

¼ tsp soy sauce

1 cup peas

1 cup carrots

1/2 onion, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced on the diagonal

4 cups cooked rice, cooled

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Pour 1 tbsp. oil in a nonstick pan, then add the finely chopped celery, chopped onions, ginger and garlic then cook until starting to brown a bit.  Remove from pan and set aside.   Let the pan cool a bit and while it does so, combine the following:  the egg, ¼ tsp. sesame oil and ¼ tsp. soy sauce.   Add ½ tsp of the oil to the pan and then pour in the egg mixture, spreading it thinly over the bottom of the pan.   Scramble until done.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and return the onions, garlic and ginger to the pan, with the sliced onion, sliced celery, peas and carrots.   Stir fry for a minute or two, then add the remaining ingredients and cook for another 3 minutes.   Add the cooked eggs and toss for another minute, allow to sit covered for 5-10 minutes, then serve.

For the peas and carrots, I just use a small bag of frozen peas and carrots, thawing in warm water, then draining well.   If you want to add some chicken, just stir fry some chopped fresh chicken when you stir fry the sliced onion, celery, peas and carrots.   For beef or pork, chop some leftover cooked beef or pork and add when you would add the vegetables.   For shrimp, add them at the very last, when you add the rice.   Cook until the shrimp are just pink, they will continue to cook when the fried rice is resting. 

Ground Beef Rice Casserole

When I was a kid our grade school served something called Texas Hash, which was a rice and ground beef dish.   It didn't have much seasoning to it, so I didn't care much for it.   This is a variation on that dish, but it has plenty of seasoning and flavor!   This particular recipe makes enough for 2-3 people, but can easily be doubled or tripled.

1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
dash of salt

Add the rice to the water and bring to a boil.   Lower the heat as low as possible, cover and allow to cook about 20 minutes.   Remove from heat and allow to sit a few minutes to steam or use 1 1/2 cups leftover rice.

While the rice is cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet.   Peel and chop a small onion, then saute in the hot oil.   Allow to brown, then add a pound of ground beef or veal or pork.   Fry until the meat is no longer pink.    Add 1 tbsp. of chili powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, a sprinkle of crushed red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.   Finally, add a can of diced tomatoes and mix well.    Remove from the heat.     When the rice is cooked, add to the skillet of meat and tomatoes.   Spoon into an 8X8 inch baking dish, then cover with about 1 1/2-2 cups grated cheddar cheese.    Bake at 350 degrees about 30-45 minutes, until nicely browned and bubbly.   Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Rice Pudding

I am a fan of creamy, old fashioned desserts.   I love tapioca pudding, vanilla custards or puddings, banana pudding with vanilla wafers and thick homemade custard, trifle, bread pudding you name it.  One that we ate a lot of when I was a kid, was rice pudding with raisins.   My dad loved it!   My mom's rice pudding was usually baked, but I preferred it cooked on top of the stove and without the raisins.     I have also discovered that for a subtle caramel flavor, to substitute dark brown sugar for white sugar.   Either way, it is some tasty stuff!

Creamy Rice Pudding

3/4 cup uncooked white rice

2 cups milk, divided

1/3 cup white sugar (for a caramel like flavor, use dark brown sugar in place of the white)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup golden raisins (optional, I leave them out)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.    In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg for a bit of different flavor.   Eat warm or chilled

Baked Rice Pudding

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar (for a caramel flavor, use dark brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a 1-quart glass baking dish.  In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and spices.   Stir in the rice and raisins.   Pour into the baking dish and place it in large baking pan, then pour hot water in the bottom pan about an inch deep.   Bake for about 1 1/2 hours,  or until set and lightly browned on top.   Cool before cutting into squares.   Serve warm or chilled.

To make maple flavored rice pudding, to either recipe add about 1/4 cup real maple syrup when adding the sugar and use dark brown sugar in place of the white sugar.

Onion Rice

When I make Indian food I often make this rice.   It is very tasty and easy to make.   Try it sometime!

1 onion, peeled, halved and then thinly sliced
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup basmati rice
1-3/4 cup chicken broth or water
1/2 tsp. garam masala

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion.   Fry the onion until nicely browned, then add the garam masala and fry until fragrant.    Meanwhile, rinse the rice and then drain well.    Add the broth and rice to the fried onion.   Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat until it just barely simmers.   Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes.   Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.   Fluff with a fork and serve, garnished with a bit of chopped cilantro if you like.   Enjoy!

For a bit more flavor, you can fry a chopped green chile with the onion.