Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

From my "Crock Pot: Incredibly Easy Recipes" cook book. Good tasty comforting meal.

2 slices bacon, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, trimmed of excess skin
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 cup converted long-grain white rice (we actually just used regular long grain white rice and it worked fine)
1 package (4 oz.) wild rice
6 ounces brown mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
3 cups hot chicken broth, or enough to cover chicken
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. chopped parsley, for garnish

Cook bacon, and transfer to slow cooker. Add olive oil and spread evenly on bottom. Place chicken in slow cooker, skin side down. Add remaining ingredients in order given, except parsley. Cover; cook on low 3-5 hours, or until rice is tender. Uncover and let stand 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Remove Skin before serving, if desired. (I usually shred the chicken off the bone and mix it in, more like a casserole). Garnish with chopped parsley.

Mediterranean Chicken (or Shrimp) Stew

Also from the Great Food Fast cookbook. Trying to put some of my favorites from random cookbooks on here for quick reference so I don't have to take my bulky cookbooks to Boston! Yummy Mediterranean flavor. We liked it best doing half chicken and half shrimp. You can also replace the chickpeas with cannellini beans.

"Creamy polenta provides a wonderful counterpoint to this hearty stew. (See previous post for recipe). To time everything right, brint the water to a boil while the chicken is browning, then add the polenta to the water when beginning step three of the chicken recipe."

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (or shrimp)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
3 tsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2 cups)
2 tbsp. chopped pitted kalamata olives (about 5)
1 tsp. white-wine vinegar
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
polenta (see previous post), for serving

Season the chicken with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the remaining tsp. oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the chickpeas and 1 c. water. Bring to a boil; cook until the liquic is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes; cook over medium heat until starting to break down, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the olives, vinegar, and chicken along with any accumulated juices to the pan; toss until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the parsley. Serve over polenta.

Soft Polenta

From my Martha Stewart "Great Food Fast" cookbook. In Romania this went by the name of mămăligă and was a staple side dish like potatoes or pasta, or served for breakfast (like grits). Yummy and satisfying.

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
4 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (not quick cooking)
1/4 cup finely grated cheese (calls for parmegan, asiago or sharp cheddar)
1 tbsp. butter

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper to a boil over high heat.  Whisking constantly, very gradually add cornmeal in a thin stream (so as not to let it clump).

Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in cheese and butter until smooth. Serve immediately.

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Bekah got me wanting to try veggie enchiladas. Don't know if these are the ones she used, but man were they delicious! We loved them, and I will definitely be making them again when I have the time. Might use a little less cauliflower next time. I also added summer squash. Great thing about these is you really can vary the veggies quite a bit and it will still be delicious! From http://www.perrysplate.com/2011/03/stacked-roasted-vegetable-enchiladas.html

Ingredients:

1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T heat-safe oil like grapeseed or coconut
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
9-10 corn tortillas, halved (try making homemade tortillas!)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Monterey Jack blend)
sour cream and thinly sliced scallions (green onions) for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.
Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.
Serves 4-5

adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup won the award for best soup two years in a row from the families at Harvard Business School. :)

1 cup uncooked quick-cooking wild rice
cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup Chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled baking potato
3 cups reduced fat milk
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or 10 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

More seasoning salt to taste 

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic; saute 3 minutes. Add broth and potato; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until potato is tender.

Combine milk and flour, stirring well with a whisk. Add the milk mixture to the potato mixture; cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in rice, chicken, pepper, and salt. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa

Delicious. I actually didn't make the salsa the way they said, I just did a simpler mango avacado salsa (mangos, avacado, little red onion, little jalapeno, lime juice, salt/pepper). From http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/spicy-coconut-shrimp-with-spicy-mango-basil-salsa-and-lime-jasmine-rice-recipe/index.html.

Ingredients

Salsa:

• 1 mango, peeled and finely diced
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 5 basil leaves, julienned
• 1 lime, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp:

• 2 fresh jalapenos, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2--inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 lime, zested
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• Small handful basil leaves, torn
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 15 grinds pepper
• 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
• Lime Jasmine Rice, recipe follows

Directions

For the salsa: Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make up to a day in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

For the shrimp: In a mixing bowl, combine jalapenos, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, basil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours, refridgerated.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Use tongs or a fork to remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in an even layer in the pan, reserving the marinade.

Cook the shrimp until well browned on each side, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked shrimp to a serving plate.

Add reserved marinade to pan, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Pour over the cooked shrimp and serve with Lime Jasmine Rice and Mango Salsa.

Lime Jasmine Rice:

1 cup jasmine rice
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
Pinch salt
1/2 lime, zested

Put the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the lime zest. Serve immediately.

 

I also added cilantro to my rice at the end!

Karla's Double Brownies

Karla's yummy brownies from the beach. :)

3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cream together bnutter and sugar.  Add eggs. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Add to creamed mixture 1 cup chocolate chips. Spread on top another 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Grandpa Wood's Hot Fudge Sauce

Man, this stuff is to DIE for. Whenever grandpa brings it to an event, people rave about it. Who even needs ice cream with this stuff? :)

2 sq (2 oz) semi-sweet chocolate
½ cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
¾ cup evaporated milk

Slowly melt the butter and chocolate. Remove; add sugar and milk alternating.  Whip until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes as thickens.