Vegetable Risotto

A brown rice dish chocked full of veggies.  

Sounds like a healthy dinner to me!  We greatly enjoyed this recipe; using brown rice in place of the traditional Arborio rice used in risotto {because, hey, that's all we had in the pantry}.  

When we make it again, I'll either (a) increase the liquids and cooking time, (b) use Minute brown rice {as I do in my other risotto recipe}, or (c) actually use the recommended Arborio rice.  These simple changes will help to make sure that the rice is gooey and not still crunchy.     

Vegetable Risotto - Inspired by Pioneer Woman

6 C chicken broth*
1 C water*
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 C chopped carrots
1 C chopped broccoli
1 C chopped cauliflower
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 T minced onion flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C brown rice {Minute or Arborio Rice recommended}
1/2 C dry white cooking wine
1 C frozen peas
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
Sea salt, to taste


Begin by melting the butter in a large skillet. Add olive oil.

Add in the chopped carrots and cook about 5 minutes.

Add to the mix all the other yummy chopped veggies. I chopped these all in my food processor.

Cook for about 5 minutes, until zucchini is crisp-tender. Then, set the veggies aside {cover them to keep warm}.

In the same skillet, add in the risotto.

I used brown rice because that's what we had... and you can use it too, just know the cooking time is much longer than with risotto. *If you use risotto, use 5 C broth. If brown rice, up that to 6 C chicken broth + 1 C water.

Add in the white wine and cook rice over med-low heat until the wine is absorbed.

Meanwhile, bring the broth and water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Using a ladle, add in hot broth to the rice in the skillet and cook until almost all the liquid is absorbed... then add in about 1 more cup of broth.

This is a time consuming process -- taking about 1 hour to fully cook with brown rice -- but it's well worth it. If you wish, speed up the process by using mintue brown rice.

When the rice is just about done, add the veggies back into the pan.
Add in the peas, cooking until warmed throughout.

Mmmm.

Sprinkle on and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Allow the heat from the dish to melt the cheese. Trust me, it's better that way.

Season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm.

We enjoyed this as a stand-alone dish, but it would accompany grilled chicken wonderfully too.

Breakfast Quesadillas

Early in the morning, as the sun streams into my kitchen, we tried a new breakfast - ready in minutes.  

A scrambled egg with cheese inside two tortillas toasted until warm and crunchy.  A delicious start to the day.  

Breakfast Quesadillas - Adapted from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure
{Serves 1-2}

2 tortillas {we love homemade whole wheat}
2 eggs
1/4 C cheddar cheese
{fillings, as desired}

In a large skillet, scramble up the eggs; season with salt and pepper as they cook.  If you're have any additions, like bacon, peppers, mushrooms, etc., saute these first and then scramble the eggs.

Place the scrambled eggs in the center of a tortilla.  Place the tortilla on a hot griddle heated to 250-300 degrees.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with a second tortilla and cook until warmed throughout and the tortillas are slightly browned.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortilla into 6 wedges.  Serve warm.

Mexican Bake

If you've been a long time reader of Finding Joy in My Kitchen, you know that we don't eat very many Mexican recipes.  I love south-of-the-boarder dishes, but, Frog prince isn't a big fan.  I decided to give this dish a try because it was covered in cheese.  Frog Prince can't resist cheese!  

The original recipe is freezer-friendly and can easily be made in bulk.  I paired down the recipe to serve two, and also reduced the amount of meat in the dish.  We often reduce the meat in a recipe, allowing us to stretch our meat across more than one meal.  And, honestly, we didn't miss the extra half-pound of ground beef in the recipe.  It was a great recipe we both enjoyed.      

Mexican Bake - Adapted from Ecomomical Me

1/2 pound ground beef
1 T minced onion
1 (15-16 oz) tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) jar of salsa {spiciness of your choosing}
1 (14.5 oz) whole wheat rotini pasta
6 oz. cheddar jack cheese
~1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. oregano
salt, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the rotini until done.  Drain.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef in a large skillet; as you do - season with salt, pepper and minced onion.  Drain excess grease, if necessary.

Add in the tomato sauce and salsa to the ground beef.  Simmer for ~5 minutes.

Add in the seasoning, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Then, add in the pasta and stir to combine.

Pour the pasta mixture into a lightly greased 9x9 glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until warmed throughout and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Kitchen Tip Tuesday, What's On Your Plate? Works for Me Wednesday, Your Recipe, My Kitchen

Smokehouse Maple Fajitas

With all this wonderful weather, we're breaking in the grill!

These fajitas were delightful -- especially with the smokehouse maple seasoning.  Oh. My.

Smokehouse Maple Fajitas

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
~3 tsp. Smokehouse Maple Seasoning (from McCormick)
1 sweet vadallia onion, separated
3 colored bell peppers
1 green bell pepper
1 tsp. olive oil
4-6 whole wheat tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese, if desired

Directions

Season the uncooked {but thawed} chicken breasts with smokehouse maple.  Then, place the chicken breasts on the grill.

Grill on each side for ~10 minutes.  Check the internal temperature of the chicken breast, and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.

Meanwhile, slice up the onion and bell peppers into long strips.  Toss with olive oil.

Place the veggies in a grill basket.  Place on the grill and roast the veggies for 10-15 minutes, tossing the veggies every 4-5 minutes.

{Don't mind the zucchini slices in here... we often serve grilled zucchini as a side.}

When the chicken and veggies are done, remove them from the grill and cover to keep warm.

Slice the chicken breast and lay the chicken slices in the center of a whole wheat tortilla.

Top with peppers and onions.

If desired, add the cheddar cheese.  Place the tortillas then into the grill basket and set on the grill (that is now cooling down).  Close the lid to melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff, It's a Keeper, Tutorial Tuesday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mangia Monday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Ingredient Spotlight

DIY Cooking Creme

I have to admit, when I first saw the new cooking creme's on the market, I laughed.  I thought - why on earth do we need this product in our cooking?!  Can't we just make this on our own?  

So, that is what I set out to do.  I haven't tried the store bought variety, so I have no idea if this even comes close to the cooking creme sold for $3-$4, but we loved it.

The best part -- I can control the level of sodium and choose the spices to fit my recipe needs as they develop.  The possibilities seem endless... and all you need is some cream cheese and broth!


DIY Cooking Creme

Base
1/3 C cream cheese
1/2 C chicken {or veggie broth}

Seasoning
1 T spices

Begin by combining chicken broth with cream cheese in a saucepan.

Gently heat the cream cheese mixture over medium heat; stir constantly.

As the cream cheese becomes nice and smooth.

Then, add in your spices.  We used 1 T of minced onion, and 2 tsp. chives.

Other ideas include:

• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning and 1 T Parmesan cheese
• 4-5 minced garlic cloves 
• 2 tsp. Taco seasoning
• 2 tsp. Garlic and Herb 

Cook until warmed through, then spoon/drizzle over your dinner!

Liked to: Works for Me Wednesday, Friday Flair, Tutorial Tuesday