Tag Archives: rice

Zesty Mexican Pork Chops

January 16, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Cheesy, spicy without being hot, cheesy, filling, – oh, and did I say ‘cheesy’? 🙂 I don’t know what is better in this meal, the perfectly spiced pork chops with the cheesy sauce or the cheesy rice ! Why don’t you decide 🙂

4 servings
390 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless pork chops
2 t chili powder
1 1/2 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t oil
3/4 c white rice, uncooked
1 3/4 c water
1/2 c chunky salsa
3 oz. Velveeta 2 % cheese, cut into cubes
2 T chopped parsley

Sprinkle meat with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and cook chops 5 minutes or just until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add rice to skillet and cook 1 minute then add water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in half of the salsa and half of the cheese and place the chops on top. Simmer 5 minutes. Melt the rest of the salsa and cheese together with the parsley in the microwave for 30 seconds then pour over meat and serve.

Dinner, Sides

Rice Pilaf

January 9, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This rice dish adds in veggies and lots of extra flavor from the shallots and garlic – this is definitely not your boring rice side dish !

4 servings
167 calories per serving

½ c finely chopped shallots
½ c sliced mushrooms
¼ c chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
¾ c long grain rice
1 ½ t chicken or beef bouillon powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
1 ½ c water
2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Melt butter in a pan. Cook shallot, mushrooms, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in rice, flavoring, salt and pepper and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat., cover and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon just before serving.

Chicken, Dinner

Chicken Casserole with Wild Rice

November 8, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is one of those ‘all in one dishes’ that I love to make. You can make it ahead of time, refrigerate, and then do the baking right at the very end. Very convenient, very easy, very good !

8 servings
371 calories per serving

You can make this casserole ahead and refrigerate until you are ready – just bake longer (about an hour) to make sure it heats all the way through.

2 c water
1/2 c wild rice
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cooked (Perdue Shortcuts work great here !) and cut into bit sized pieces
2 T oil
3 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 c chicken broth
1/4 c flour
2 c skim milk
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 c low fat sour cream
1/3 c chopped parsley
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 c frozen French cut green beans
1/2 c sliced almonds

Mix water and rice and bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook 35-40 minutes. Drain and reserve. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot and cook mushrooms 12 minutes or so to release all the liquid and allow it to dry up. Add broth and scallions and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir then add milk and simmer 2 minutes. Add cheese, sour cream parsley, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with Pam and place the rice in as the bottom layer. Top with chicken and beans then pour over the mushroom sauce and sprinkle with nuts. Cook 30 minutes and let stand a bit to cool before serving.

Crock pot, Dinner, Turkey

Porcupine Meatballs (Crock Pot)

October 21, 2011 admin 2 Comments

Decadent tasting due to the creamy mushroom sauce, but low cal, low fat and a perfect weeknight dinner. This one gets filed with my ‘all time favs’ !

5 servings
142 calories per serving

¾ lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 c skim milk
½ c raw long grain rice
1 onion, chopped
1 c breadcrumbs
¼ t pepper
½ pack of dry onion soup mix
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
½ c skim milk

Mix meat, 1 c milk, rice, onion, crumbs, soup mix, and pepper. Shape into meatballs and place in crock. Mix soup and ½ c milk and pour over the meatballs. Cover and cook on low 5 hours.

Drinks, Sides

Spring Rice and Veggie Salad

August 20, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is very different from your typical mac salad ! Instead of pasta, this recipe uses rice and adds some nice fresh Spring veggies. What a great dish to serve at your next barbecue !

8 servings
150 calories per serving

4 c cooked minute rice (white or brown) – after cooking , cool to room temperature
1 c halved grape tomatoes
1 c fresh asparagus spears (cut into 1 inch pieces), boiled 3 minutes then rinsed in cold water
3/4 cup light mayo
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T chopped parsley
Juice of one lemon
Grated zest of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well and serve. (you could also chill this and then serve – but I like it best room temperature)

Dinner, Kid Friendly, Sides

Quick and Easy Mushroom Risotto

July 12, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto. Get creative with your mushrooms – mix it up, use some canned, some fresh, some baby bellas, some portobellos – have fun 🙂

4 servings
164 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 c mushrooms (your choice on type of mushroom) diced very small
Pam
½ t onion powder
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Heat butter and cook shallots until tender. Add rice and cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in water, flavoring, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Spray a small skillet with Pam and sauté mushrooms with onion powder for 3-4 minutes. Stir mushrooms into finished rice (it will still be quite moist) and let stand covered 5 minutes. If not a creamy texture, add in some hot water. Finally stir in parmesan cheese.

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Dinner, Italian, Sides

Quick Risotto

June 21, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This consistently turns out an awesome risotto textured dish yet takes so little time to make ! Be sure to use Arborio rice or it just won’t turn out tasting like risotto.

4 servings
179 calories per serving

1/3 c chopped shallots
1 T butter
2/3 c Arborio rice
2 c water
1 t chicken bouillon powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c frozen peas
¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Rice and Veggies – Very Cheesy !

May 24, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Another great dish where your veggies and your starch are all together in one place. This whips up quickly and is a great side to chicken and fish dishes.

6 servings
226 calories per serving

2 c hot cooked rice
¾ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
½ c egg beaters
¾ t garlic salt

10 oz. package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
4 oz. chopped mushrooms
½ c chopped green bell pepper
½ medium onion, chopped
1 c egg beaters
½ c skim milk
½ t onion salt
½ t pepper
½ t salt
4 oz. shredded low fat cheddar cheese
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first 4 ingredients and press into the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish sprayed with Pam. Steam the broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion for 5 minutes. Mix egg, milk, onion salt and pepper and stir into the veggies and pour it all over the rice crust. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Chicken, Kid Friendly, Lunch, Soups

Chicken and Rice Soup

May 5, 2011 admin Leave a comment

The egg in this soup makes for a super rich and creamy broth – this is kinda high cal for soup, but it is satisfying, filling and so worth it. Sometimes I just crave a soup rich with rice and chicken (and devoid of any veggies!) and this is it. It really hits the spot 🙂

4 servings
353 calories per serving

7 cups fat free chicken broth
¾ lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 c long grain white rice
3 large eggs
1/3 c lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix broth and chicken in a pot and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Lower heat a bit and continue cooking until chicken is done, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken to a plate and when cool, shred into bite sized pieces. Bring broth back to a good simmer and add rice and cook about 18 minutes and then put chicken back in the pot. Whisk eggs until frothy and then whisk in the lemon juice. While continuing to whisk, add 1 c hot broth to the egg mix. Then whisk the egg and lemon mix into the large pot. Add salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Dinner, Fish

Tilapia Piccata with Spinach

April 29, 2011 admin Leave a comment

Delicious ! Tilapia is one of my most favorite dinner dishes – it’s low cal and light but tasty and so versatile. In this piccata dish, the fillets sauté up perfectly and the sauce is great.

4 servings
322 calories per serving

2 c brown minute rice
Salt and pepper to taste
4 6 oz. tilapia fillets
2 T flour
2 t oil
1/3 c dry white wine
2 T lemon juice
2 T butter
4 c baby spinach

Cook rice according to package instructions, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper then dredge in flour and cook in hot oil 2 minutes each side or until done. Add wine and lemon to pan and cook a minute longer then add butter and stir until it melts. Remove fish (and any sauce) from pan and then add spinach and saute until wilted, about 1 minute. Put rice on plates and top with spinach, fish and sauce.