21 posts tagged “rice and grains”
I think those Yes We Can(dy) Cupcakes worked, y'all. Obama is our president-elect! I won't subject you to my political drivel on a food blog, though. But I did want to document my thoughts on the whole thing so if you are so inclined to read said drivel, you can do so here.
So yeah, smoking stinks, right? Right. UNLESS we are talking about cheeses. Because, holy crap, smoked cheeses are good. (Yes, Kate, they are!)
As you know, smoked gouda is my favorite cheese, but I have a special place in my heart for smoked mozzarella and fontina, too. I once had a smoked mozzarella risotto with wagyu at a restaurant and this is sort of a (cheaper) twist on that because I added some thinly sliced flank steak to the top.
This was meant to be a smoked mozzarella and roasted tomato risotto, but I ran into a bit of a snafu with that. I kinda sorta *maybe* completely forgot the tomatoes were roasting in the oven. And it's possible they burnt and stuck to the pan because they were so thinly sliced. Maybe.
Thankfully, I always have a jar of sundried tomatoes around, so I chopped a couple of those up and stirred them in at the end. Crisis averted. This is a simple but great twist on a classic risotto. The smoked mozzarella just adds so much goodness.
I know I've been a horrible blogger lately and I wish I could promise I'll get better, but I won't. At least not until the year is over. We have been out of town a lot, and will continue to be out of town through the holidays. On Monday, we are actually going to Las Vegas, which is really exciting because neither of us has been. Though, like any gastronome, I am looking more forward to eating well than anything else. :) But you can still wish me luck to win millions. Or hell, even hundreds.
I'm hoping to have one last blog entry before we leave for Vegas, but I make no promises. It's not that I don't have time to make the post, it's just that I worry about what I'm making actually turning out somewhat attractively. Here is a hint: it's pancakes. Oh, wait, I guess that's the answer, not a hint. But anyway, I notoriously suck at flipping things without them falling apart or sticking or what have you. But it's been a LONG time since I've made pancakes and my skills have improved, so I think we'll be good.
Of course now that I've given so much away you'll know that if this is indeed my last post before Vegas, I have failed miserably in my pancake adventures.
Smoked Mozzarella and Sundried Tomato Risotto
Serves 2 as a side
1 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, diced, or about 1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup arborio rice
scant 1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, kept warm on the stove
1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
2 oz. smoked mozzarella, shredded or cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
Heat the butter over medium heat until melted and then add the shallot and garlic. Cook until the shallot (or onion) is translucent.
Add the rice, and stir to coat it with the fat, and toast it a little. Add the wine and cook it off almost entirely.
Start adding the warm broth, a ladel at a time. Stir the risotto frequently, and once the broth is almost all absorbed, add another ladel. Continue doing this until the rice has cooked (it should still have bite to it, and should be a little runny, not like regular rice). Stir in the sundried tomatoes during your last broth addition.
Off the heat, add the mozzarella and the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
I've been wanting to try farro for quite a while now but my Whole Foods always seems to be out of it. I finally found some the other day (when I was there for something entirely different of course. It is a fact you cannot leave WF with less than 5 items. I have tried. Many times.), so I picked it up.
I had actually planned on making some sort of chicken/spinach/whole wheat pasta bake last night because I wanted to make something that would yield leftovers for lunches. But, I was not feeling pasta at all and, silly me, I ate a chicken pasta for lunch. D'oh. So for the last half hour of work, my mind kept wandering to what I could make tonight. I still wanted something one-dish that would yield leftovers. And then I remembered the farro. And THEN, I realized that farro ended in an O which meant I could submit this over to Jenn, Sara, and Michelle, who are hosting O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Phew. I was racking my brain trying to think of something to make for this over the weekend with what I had on hand and came up with nada. So I was pretty happy to discover something on accident, since I really wanted to participate in this event. More details about Ovarian Cancer Awareness at the end of this post.
Now, I have never cooked with farro before so I'm not sure about the whole soaking thing. Some websites called for soaking the farro in cold water for 8 hours or more before baking. Other recipes just had you jump right into the boiling. I decided to soak the farro for about 45 minutes. Seemed to work just fine.
There is a very small amount of chicken in this recipe which is great for people trying to eat less meat, or simply cut down on costs. Of course, you can always add more chicken if you are not one of those people. Or, take it out entirely and make this a great vegetarian meal. I might add an extra egg or a little more cheese next time for added creaminess, but otherwise this was very tasty and filling. And wait till you see the nutritional information. You definitely won't feel bad adding an extra egg or some cheese if you want. :)
I really liked the farro. I would say it's very similar to barley in both taste and texture, but it's still a nice change of pace. I will probably stick with barley and other grains, though, because, while this is a whole grain, it is lower in fiber and protein than barley.
Farro Bake
Serves 6
1 cup farro (soaked or not. whatev.)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 chicken breast (about 8-10 oz.), cooked and shredded
a couple dashes crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
3 oz. goat cheese, softened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. grated parmesan or romano cheese
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and add the farro. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent, and then add the mushrooms and garlic. Add a little salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms have browned and lost most of their moisture. Stir in the chicken, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, and Italian seasoning and cook a few extra minutes to marry the flavors. Stir in the sundried tomatoes.
Preheat the oven to 375. Whisk the goat cheese and eggs together in a large bowl. Add a couple grinds of pepper. Allow the farro and chicken mixture to cool slightly before adding them both to the goat cheese mixture. Combine well and then pour into a casserole dish or pie pan that is lightly greased. Sprinkle with the romano cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes.
Nutritional Information Per Serving - Calories: 267 / Fat: 8.8 / Saturated: 3.6 / Carbs: 29g / Protein: 21.2g
O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy, Jenn of The Leftover Queen, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are asking you to donate to the:
and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the OFoods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:
- Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;
OR
- If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
AND
- Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you’ve made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.
We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.
Prizes:
- 1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
- 1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.
———
From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:
- Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
- The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
- The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
- In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
- When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
and help spread the word!
To know me is to know I love cheese. In fact, my friend Renea sent me this mug a while back and it pretty much sums up my daily life:
So, when I got an email regarding sampling Ile de France cheese, I was all over it. I had my choice between camembert, brie, and goat. Now, even though goat is my favorite of the bunch, I decided to go with the camembert because it's a cheese I don't really eat all that often and, come to think of it, I don't think I have ever bought.
Camembert is a very mild cheese and it has some nuttiness to it. I would say it is similar to brie in taste and texture (though it has some more punch than brie). It's creamy and, while it's probably "better" to just eat it at room temperature and not necessarily cook with it, there are few things I like better than a nice, melty cheese. Mmm. So, I decided to use it in one uncooked application and 2 cooked dishes (and, of course, I ate some on its own).
This Ile de France camembert was delicious! It's got a fabulous texture and just enough flavor that it lends itself to many pairings, but can stand on its own, too. I'm hoping to order some of the goat cheese next!
Now, onto the dishes!
First, I used it in a porcini risotto. I think the slight nutiness of the cheese pairs well with the earthiness of the mushrooms. Plus, I will take any chance I get to make risotto since we don't eat it all that often. This was so good that I think I may make it again next week!
Porcini and Camembert Risotto
Serves 2 as a main dish
1 (1.5 oz.) package dried porcini mushrooms
1.25 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup arborio rice
2 sprigs thyme
1/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, kept warm on the stove
2 oz. Camembert
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and then add the boiling water. Allow the porcinis to reconstitute for about 15 minutes. Strain them, reserving the water you used, and chop the mushrooms.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before stirring in the rice, chopped porcini, and thyme. Stir the mixture so that the rice is coated with the oil and begins to toast slightly.
Add the wine and deglaze, allowing nearly all the wine to evaporate. A ladle or so at a time, add the porcini liquid and the broth, alternately, stirring continuously and allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding the next ladle.
Continue adding the porcini liquid and broth a ladle or so at a time, stirring, until the rice is cooked al dente. It should still be slightly firm to the bite, and it should be a little "loose." You're not looking for a rice type dish that has absorbed ALL its liquid. There should be some liquid still in the pan.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the camembert and the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary and serve immediately (as if you could wait!).
Next, I made a simple salad. This is an endive salad with toasted walnuts, room-temp camembert, sliced apples (use your favorite kind) and cider vinaigrette. I like my dressings more acid-y than most, so I do equal parts apple cider vinegar & olive oil. (I also added pressed garlic and salt and pepper, of course.) As you know, I am working on having the love for fruits with savory dishes and this one won me over. Delicious! To let the apples absorb the flavor, and to keep them from browning, add the sliced apples to the dressing as you prep the rest of the salad.
And, finally, I made some camembert and maple bacon cups because the only thing better than cheese is cheese and bacon. For this I just chopped and cooked some bacon. I mixed just a tiny bit of maple syrup into the cooked/drained bacon and filled pre-made phyllo cups with that and the camembert. Easy and delicious!
If you cook for two frequently, you may be able to pull a bunch of things out of your fridge that look a little like this:
Yep, that would be a random assortment of things leftover from meals this week. There's some chicken broth, about a half can of diced tomatoes, half an onion, half a can of black beans and 2 bell pepper halves--red and green--which I had the smarts to dice the first time I used them so that the next meal they went into would become even easier.
I really hate wasting food. I used to be a card-carrying member of the Oops-I-forgot-to-use-this-so-I-guess-I'll-just-pitch-it Club, but that was when I didn't cook as often and it was definitely before groceries were so damn expensive.
So about once a week or so, I end up peering into my fridge and making use of what's in those little tupperware containers. Tonight, with the help of some shrimp that I always keep in the freezer, this dish came about. I'm not really sure what to call it, so I'll just call it Tupperware Shrimp. It's reminiscent of a jambalaya but it's missing some key ingredients and it has the addition of a few others. Whatever you call it, it's a tasty, healthy way to use up leftovers. Now, I am mindful of the fact that most people don't have this exact combination of ingredients sitting in their fridge, nor do they want to end up with this random assortment of ingredients in their fridge by making a recipe using odd halved measurements. So, in the interest of a cleaner recipe, I have doubled what we ate for dinner below.
Tupperware Shrimp
Serves 4
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
a few good dashes of hot sauce
2/3 cup rice
1-1/3 cup chicken broth
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
In a large saute pan with a lid, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, & garlic and saute until the onions are translucent. Add the diced tomatoes and spices and simmer for a couple of minutes to combine the flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil before stirring in the rice. Cover and simmer until the rice is almost done. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. About 2 minutes before the rice is done, stir in the shrimp and simmer until shrimp and rice are cooked.
Nutritional Info Per Serving: Calories: 405 / Fat: 5.7g / Saturated Fat: .8g / Carbs: 55g / Fiber: 9g / Protein: 31g
I saw this recipe for zucchini rice gratin a couple weeks ago and it sounded so good. How can you go wrong with roasted vegetables, cheese, and rice? Answer: you can't.
I'm always looking for new sides and if they do double-duty (starch and veg), even better. I stayed pretty true to the recipe, but cut the amount of oil. I felt like 6.5 Tbsp. was just unecessary so I basically ended up using less than 1/3 of the oil and it was still great and tasty. I modified a few other ingredients slightly, and the process a little, too, to make for a little less pots/cleanup.
The eggs make this really creamy and also set really well. If I weren't so excited to eat it, I might have actually been able to remove something that resembled more of a slice than a pile of rice and vegetables. :) Tom and I both loved this. The roasted vegetables are so flavorful and the rice is full of creamy, cheesy goodness.
This claims to serve 4-6 but I would definitely lean toward 4. Six would be pushing it. I made this in a round 2 qt. casserole but as you can see I should have used a shallower pan. I think a deep dish pie plate would be a perfect size for something like this. It's also a little time-consuming for a side, but in my opinion, it's worth it, especially since most of the time is inactive.
I served this with a simply seasoned pan-fried pork chop. Gourmet says you can eat this as a main course, and I would tend to agree. I did have the leftovers (and only the leftovers) for lunch the next day. But, if I were serving this as a vegetarian main, I'd probably increase both the amount of rice and maybe add some roasted eggplant.
Zucchini Rice Gratin
adapted from Gourmet
Serves 4 as a side
2 large zucchinis, sliced
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 onion, cut in half and then sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup uncooked rice
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pecorino romano, divided
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 450. In a large bowl, toss the sliced zucchini with 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place the slices on a baking sheet. Then, in the same bowl (why not?), toss the sliced tomatoes with 1 tsp. olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast the zucchini on the upper rack in the oven for about 20 minutes and the tomatoes on the lower rack for 10 minutes. Flip them once during roasting. Leave the oven on.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onions and some salt and cook over low heat for a couple minutes before adding the minced garlic. Cover and cook on low heat for about 20 minutes until the onions are soft and slightly caramelized.
Add the rice to the onion mixture and stir a few times. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the rice is cooked.
Beat your 2 eggs lightly (hey, why not use the same bowl as before?) and then add the rice. Be sure the rice has cooled slightly so you don't get scrambled eggs. Stir in 1/4 cup of the romano, 1.5 tsp. oil, and the thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place half the rice mixture in a shallow baking dish or pie pan. Place half of the roasted zucchini over the rice. Top with the remaining rice and then finish off with the remaning zuchini, the roasted tomatoes, and the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake until set and cheese has melted, about 20 minutes.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 248 / Fat: 13g / Saturated Fat: 4g / Carbs: 22g / Fiber: 2.8g / Protein: 11g
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not terribly big on fruit in my dinners. I like salty-sweet combos but something about cooked fruit, especially, turns me off. But, I'm trying to ease my way into more dishes that incorporate fruit and I've been successful a few times so far. I'm still not a pork and cinnamon apples kinda gal, but who knows? Maybe one day I will be.
What better way to include fruit in a dish than with Jamaican jerk shrimp we had last week? Island food often has fruit flavors fused into everything from the main course to the dessert. I decided that pineapples would complement the meal nicely and, as a bonus, pineapples are one of my favorite fruits. I thought the pineapples, spice, and black beans went nicely with this rice side, and paired well with the shrimp. The pineapples definitely don't stay as sweet as they would be if you were eating them alone, even with the addition of the brown sugar. But, I like that because it's more of a mellow sweetness than an overpowering acidic taste. I think I can add this to the fruit-in-a-dish success pile.
Now, the problem with not using a recipe and then not updating your blog for a few days after the meal is that you tend to forget what actually went into the dish. So, in other words, I make no guarantees that these are the exact ingredients and amounts that I used on that fateful fruity day, but they are close enough and of course you can play around with the ingredients and amounts to your liking.
Pineapple and Black Bean Rice
Serves 2
2 tsp. canola or olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup long grain white rice
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup diced pineapple, and a couple Tbsp. pineapple juice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
Heat the oil in a saucepan until shimmering and then saute the onion until translucent. Stir in the garlic, just until fragrant, and then add the rice, stirring it to coat it in the oil and toast it up a bit.
Add the water, black beans, pineapples and juice, cloves, chili powder and brown sugar and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until rice is cooked. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 152.5 / Fat: 4.9g / Carbs: 24g / Fiber: 3.7g / Protein: 3.6g
Or, a fancy schmancy Greek way of saying spinach-'n-rice. In Greek, "spanaki" is spinach and "rizi" is rice. I hope you're paying attention to some of the Greek tidbits you're learning from my blog because you never know when you may need them. Maybe your next Cranium question is going to ask what a spanakophobe is, and of course you're going to know right away that, obviously, it's someone who fears spinach.
[Okay, I just did about 20 seconds of googling and was not able to confirm that a person who is scared of spinach is called a spanakophobe or anything remotely close to that. So let's not use that example, but it could come into play somewhere, I promise. Maybe not with spanakophobe or rizophile, but some time.]
At any rate, spanakorizo is a very common Greek side dish. The flavors are very typical of other Greek dishes and they taste great when combined. The bonus is that this can double as your vegetable and your starch side. Normally, I am not one to do that (veggies are important and most veggies incorporated into starches tend to be in very small quantities), but here I am giving you the go ahead. About 1.5-2 lbs. of spinach are put into this rice, and the amount of rice you eat is actually less than the serving (how often can you say that about a starch?) but don't worry, the portion is still plenty.
Traditionally, spanakorizo has quite a bit more olive oil to start, but I like to make a healthier version. I suppose using brown rice would make it even healthier but for some things, even I just say no to brown rice. Some Greeks add tomato paste or fresh tomatoes to their spanakorizo but I am not one of them. I don't believe that there's anything wrong with that, but I like the combo of the dill, spinach and lemon as it stands.
In case you're wondering, we had this with a very Greek-flavored pork tenderloin that I quick marinated in fresh lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and oregano and then seared and roasted.
Spanakorizo
Serves 4
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2/3 cup long grain white rice
1-1/3 cup water
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 bunches or about 1.5-2 lbs. fresh spinach, chopped (and remove any stems that don't seem very tender)
1/3 cup fresh dill, chopped (or about 1 T dried)
salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Once heated, add the onions and saute until tender. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the olive oil, "toasting" it for a minute or two. Add the water and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
Add the spinach, dill and some salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture down to a simmer. Cover tightly and simmer about 15 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 205 / Fat: 6g / Carbs: 33g / Fiber: 4.5g / Protein: 7.3g
I'm a bit of a Kashi fanatic. At about 10:50 nearly every weekday morning, I eat a Kashi granola bar. I love the TLC crackers and I especially love the party crackers. Go Lean Crunch with fruit and Greek yogurt is a fantasic snack. Even the frozen dinners are good, and I hate most frozen dinners (though it's rare for me to buy a Kashi dinner because they are really expensive). The only thing I haven't really been enamored with are the cookies, but then, who wants a healthy cookie? If I am going to eat a packaged cookie, sign me up for Oreos or Girl Scout cookies.
I'm sure you already know, but Kashi products all contain their 7 whole grain blend, plus sesame seeds. One of my favorite Kashi products is the pilaf--the 7 grains in their simplest form. "Pilaf" is a little misleading because you'd think it had some sort of flavoring in it, but it doesn't. It's just the grains. I love it but for some reason, I have a really hard time finding it. It's been ages since we've had it and when I finally saw it in the store the other day, I knew I had to pick up a box.
Like rice or any other grain, you can jazz Kashi pilaf up any way you want, of course. I will say that I increase both the cooking time and the amount of liquid slightly from the box instructions. I don't think brown rice can cook in 25 minutes. At any rate, this application of the pilaf was basically just to use up some swiss chard and mushrooms that were on the verge of going bad. Combined with the sage and the nuttiness of the pilaf, this is a really earthy, yummy side.
Kashi Pilaf
Serves 4
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 envelope (1 cup) Kashi pilaf
2.5 cups (scant) chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cups swiss chard, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook an aditional 2 minutes or so, so they mushrooms begin to lose their moisture. Stir in the pilaf and coat it with the butter.
Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until the grains are just about cooked. Stir in the swiss chard and finish cooking, uncovered, an additional couple minutes until the grains are tender and the chard has wilted. Stir in the sage and salt & pepper to taste, if necessary.
I love risotto but I don't make it too often because I try to limit my intake of "whites" and, well, I'm pretty sure that whole grain risotto doesn't exist. Even if it did, it would be an abomination! I've been wanting to try Giada's dirty risotto for a while now because it's a very hearty risotto, fit for a main course serving. Since it has a protein, veggies and a starch it's pretty much a meal in itself...but I did pair our dinner tonight with a baby spinach salad.
I did adapt the recipe (of course). I bulked up the veggies and the sausage a little bit, but used chicken sausage to lighten it up. I'm pretty certain you can find leaner chicken sausage but the spicy Italian from Trader Joe's I had on hand (which is SO good) was 190 calories a link. I added garlic, too (a Giada recipe without garlic? Almost as preposterous as an Elly recipe without it!). I was a little nervous about adding this into SparkPeople. Even with my modifications I thought it was going to be a calorie bomb. But, it's really not that bad at around 450 calories. It is slightly high in fat, but you can modify that by using leaner sausage, something in place of the pancetta, etc.
Tom and I both really liked this dish. I mean, what's not to like about a creamy, comforting meal like this? Definitely one to make again.
Dirty Risotto
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 2
2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp. butter
1 link (4 oz.) spicy Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
1 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
4 oz. mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup pecorino romano
Add the chicken broth to a small saucepan and bring to a light simmer. Keep it on the stove, simmering, as you prepare the risotto.
Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pan. Add the chicken sausage, crumbling it as you stir it in, and the pancetta and cook for a few minutes until browned. Add the onions, red pepper and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes before adding the minced garlic. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the rice and stir to coat, "toasting" it a little. Add the wine and cook it off until it's almost completely evaporated.
Add a ladel of the simmering chicken broth to the pan and stir continiously until almost absorbed. Continue adding chicken broth by the ladel, every time the rice has nearly absorbed it, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite. Remove from heat and stir in the romano.
Nutritional Information, Per Serving, using Trader Joe's Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage: Calories: 451.5 / Fat: 19.5g / Carbs: 39.5g / Dietary Fiber: 2g / Protein: 24.8g
Tonight's dinner came together in no time. In fact, if I hadn't marinated the chicken (which honestly isn't really necessary, but does help), dinner would have been on the table in well under 20 minutes.
A while back I made some za'atar mix, a popular Lebanese spice mixture made of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. I decided to use the leftovers on some chicken thighs. I always have chicken thighs in my freezer. I LOVE dark meat chicken. It is so much more moist and flavorful than white meat and it holds up so well in braising and in broiling. And, if you skin the chicken, it's really not a whole lot worse for you than chicken breasts, just a little higher in fat.
I was planning on serving this with couscous until I realized right before dinner that we were out of couscous. D'oh! Luckily, I did have some quinoa on hand so I used that instead. Quinoa is a very healthy seed, though it's treated as a grain in cooking. It's a little larger than couscous in size with a nutty flavor somewhat similar to brown rice. Thankfully, it takes a lot less time to cook than brown rice, too, so I wasn't scrambling TOO much when I realized we were out of couscous. Plus, Tom prefers quinoa to couscous, so that's a bonus.
In addition to the quinoa, I served these with a simple cucumber and feta salad. This was a really simple, easy meal that turned out great. The chicken was so moist and flavorful, especially considering the extremely short list of ingredients.
Broiled Za'atar Chicken Thighs
Serves 2
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 lemon, juiced
1 heaping Tbsp. za'atar
salt and pepper (optional)
Mix lemon juice with za'atar mix. Rub the mixture onto the chicken thighs and refrigerate for half an hour.
Preheat the broiler and spray the broiler pan with some cooking spray. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and pepper if desired. Broil for approximately 6 minutes per side, or until done.
Nutritional Information per serving (2 thighs); note: I found a few different calorie counts for boneless/skinless chicken thighs. I went with the higher amount, just to be on the safe side. Calories: 233 / Fat: 11g / Carbs: 2g / Protein: 27.5g
Simple Quinoa with Pine Nuts
Serves 2
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. pine nuts, toasted
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for about one minute. Add the quinoa and the broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is cooked, about 12-15 minutes. Top with toasted pine nuts.
You can make this with couscous the same way but of course couscous only takes a couple minutes to cook.
