Broccoli and Rice with Chicken

Inspiration for Broccoli and Rice with FriChik came from this thread on the Garden Web Cooking Forum:   Anyone have a good broccoli-rice casserole recipe?

Ingredients

6-8 large broccoli florets
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 Tbs sour cream
1/2 tsp dill
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked rice (optional)*
3 pieces Worthington canned FriChik, small dice, reserve liquid

Directions

1. Clean broccoli florets and cut into small stems.  Boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
2. Saute onions and celery in butter until clear but not browned.  Add garlic and saute 30 seconds.
3. In a measuring cup combine water, reserved liquid from the chicken, powdered milk and sour cream. Mix well.
4. Coat skillet mixture with flour.  Cook and stir 1 minute.  
5. Add liquids to the skillet all at once and stir until combined.
6. Sprinkle dill, salt and pepper (to taste) over the sauce.
7. Add chopped FriChik, cooled broccoli and rice*.  Combine well.
8. Can be served over a variety of things: whipped potatoes, biscuits, english muffins...
   We had it over buttery fresh herb croutons.  

Recipe made enough for supper. We also had carrot and raisin salad.

*If not using cooked rice, I would increase the amount of chicken and broccoli by half.

Gift of Wild Rice

Just after Thanksgiving a GardenWeb cooking forum member generously sent hand harvested Minnesota lake wild rice to a few lucky members. I was thrilled to learn my name had been drawn because I had not eaten wild rice before (Uncle Ben's Original doesn't count).  I thought wild rice was as thin, hard and black as no. 5 pencil led.  This wild rice is brown and  larger diameter.

Along with the rice, Teresa sent her recipe for wild rice soup and instructions on how to prepare the rice: it is baked.  One cup raw rice yields 4 cups cooked rice.

The cooked wild rice resembles little wiggly, damp creatures straight out of a sci-fi movie. The luscious flavor quickly trumped any hesitation to eat creepy crawlies. 

Mr. C was not up to eating just anything after a post-Thanksgiving bout with a virus, so I did not add the cream. Anyone who know me will be surprised I passed up this opportunity to use cream! The soup was delicious without the cream. It had nice body and yummy flavor.

Teresa's Wild Rice Soup
Yield: about 6 cups

• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter 
• 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups cooked wild rice 
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (I use more) 
• 1 cup minced ham or leftover cooked chicken 
• 3 tablespoons (or more!) chopped slivered almonds (you can put them in the soup OR toast and top as a garnish) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup half and half (I used Fat Free. I have also used low fat evaporated milk) 
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (I used Holland House cooking sherry) 

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. 
2. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. 
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. 
5. Blend in half and half and sherry; 
6. heat to serving temperature. 
7. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives. 

 

Vegetables over Rice

1 small eggplant, small dice

2 small zucchini, small dice

2 carrots, grated

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

1/4 cup onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 orange pepper, thinly sliced

Saute until vegetables are tender. 


Season to taste:

basil

thyme

salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

tomato paste

Serve over rice with cheese sauce.


Cotehele's Recipe

Lima Bean Soup

1/4 c onion, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 serrano pepper, minced
Simmer in butter until softened. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste.

2 small sweet potatoes, small dice

1/2 cup frozen lima beans
1/2 cup frozen corn
In a sauce pan add (in succession so all are done at the same time) enough water to cover. And 1 cube veggie broth.   Simmer until done.

Add skillet vegetables to sauce pan.

Serve with sour cream and pita bread cut into small cubes and warmed in butter.

Yield: 2 servings and about 1 cup left over.

Cotehele's Recipe