Greek-ish Brown Rice Salad

My love for brown rice is a recent development. I’ve never been much of a rice eater, so growing up, I usually just kind of picked at the pile of rice pilaf hanging out on my plate.

However, when I started college, I suddenly found the tastiness that is brown rice. I love the earthy flavor, hearty texture, chewiness… it’s so much more complex than white rice. It reminds me almost of an oat.

Where did I make this discovery? At the build-your-own burrito place in the student union. They offer two rice varieties: brown and cilantro-lime. Well, anyone that’s read my blog regularly knows that I am one of those people born without a taste for cilantro. I won’t go into what it tastes like because this is a food blog, but I’ll leave it up to your imagination.

So, brown rice entered my life by default. I am obsessed. I am always looking for ways to use it.

This salad was born out of a love for brown rice, a garden full of mint, and a need for a side dish. We were having ribs and honeyed carrots, so I needed something bright and acidic. With mint, feta cheese, and red wine vinegar, the flavors in this salad remind me of a Greek restaurant. However, it’s not exactly authentic Greek cooking, so I’m calling it Greek-ish. It reminds me most of the filling in a stuffed grape leaf!

It’s also good cold, warm, or at room temperature, so it’s perfect for a potluck. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 cups instant brown rice
• 3 cups low sodium chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted in a dry pan for a few minutes until smelly
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, thinly sliced
• 3 ounces feta cheese chunks

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Add shallot and saute’ over medium-high heat until transparent. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes until toasted. Pour in the chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes (or according to package directions). Let sit, COVERED, for ten minutes so the rice can absorb the the liquid.

Combine vinegar, oil, and salt/pepper to taste. Pour over the hot rice. Let rice cool to desired temperature (can be hot, warm, or even chilled).

Toss rice with walnuts, raisins, mint, and feta. Serve!

Skinny Springfield Cashew Chicken

How many of my readers out there know that Cashew Chicken was not invented in any Asian country? It was, in fact, invented by a Chinese-American chef in Springfield, Missouri. Don’t worry- I didn’t know either.

So, when I moved to Springfield, I was surprised to see that cashew chicken was a real part of the culture. Every Chinese/Japanese-style restaurant has their own version. Even American-style restaurants feature it on the menu. The local food magazine does a “Best Cashew Chicken” category every year. Tourism magazines feature the Chef that invented the stuff (whose son is now serving it up in their own diner). I’m not kidding here- if you google the history of this deep-fried deliciousness, you’ll find it traced back to Springy.

I have probably seen the words “Cashew Chicken” more often in the past two years than I had in my entire life.

That’s not to say I’d never eaten it. My parents made a version at home using chicken thighs and jarred chicken gravy. Not exactly authentic, though perfectly yummy.

The real version in Springfield is deep-fried chicken chunks in a sticky sauce with cashews and some veggies, usually served over rice. Not exactly the kind of thing I can eat every day if I like my jeans to fit!

So, I made it a mission to invent a skinnier version of the classic that would make even the most discerning Missourian happy. I use powdered peanut butter to cut back on fat and calories in the sauce. I cook the chicken in very little oil without any breading. I eliminate the rice and load it up with all of these fresh vegetables. It’s nutritious, filling, and full of flavor.

It also just happens to be a one-skillet meal, so like, why wouldn’t you make this??

Here goes!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper,
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups broccoli florets- cut them pretty small
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup unsalted cashews
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons powdered peanut butter, such as PB2
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons water

To prepare:

Make the sauce: whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, sesame oil, ginger, and water. Taste and add salt or pepper to your preference.

Heat olive oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan and cook until browned on the outside, but not fully cooked in the middle.

Add the garlic, broccoli, bell pepper, peas, carrots, and zucchini. Cook, stirring, until veggies are tender and chicken is fully cooked. Add the cashews and stir to toast.

Pour the sauce over the top and garnish with green onions.

Serve and enjoy!

Soy Brown Sugar Chicken with Cauliflower Rice Fry

I do not know the actual history of the slow cooker. I do not know for whom it was invented. However, I think the overall divine plan was to provide a way for college students to avoid starvation.

Think about it: You’re in class from say, 9am to 3pm. Then you have to go to the gym, go to work, go to a study session, a club, church, etc. When you finally crawl up 8 flights of stairs into your crappy, overpriced apartment that you share with four strangers, facing a frozen-70-cent dinner is just insult to injury.

Sure, you can whip up a grilled cheese or scrambled egg. But in the midst of homesickness, an actual meal like real adults prepare is essential to establish a form of stasis. If you can at least find a sense of home in the food you eat, you can face another day

And, so, the slow cooker was clearly invented for college students.

Slow cookers are great for countless things, but I personally have always loved a slow cooked chicken leg or thigh. They stay so moist and flavorful and provide a healthy protein.

After drenching these in brown sugar, I felt like I needed a lowcarb side dish to balance it out. The obvious choice was cauliflower rice, so I add lots of other veggies to bulk it up into a filling meal.

You’ll be totally satisfied after this easy, healthy, nutritious dinner that is completely low stress.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken:

• 2-3 pounds chicken drumsticks
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce (go for the gluten free version or low sodium if you need)
• 1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic

Cauliflower Rice:

• 1 head riced cauliflower
• 1 bag frozen stir fry veggies (mine had zucchini, broccoli, water chestnuts, peas, carrots). Feel free to use fresh if you want, this is just cheaper and easier for me.
• 1 tablespoon canola oil or butter
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

In a large slow cooker, add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 4-6 hours until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened.

About 15 minutes before you serve the chicken, heat oil in a large skillet. Add cauliflower and stir fry veggies, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Cook until veggies are tender.

Serve a pile of veggies with chicken on top. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Enjoy!

By the way, I love this chicken cold in a salad the next day, so you might give that a try!

How to actually enjoy canned soup, healthy TV dinners, and pizza-pockets

Yes, hello, I am a college student and a food blogger. Weird combo? Yes.

Truth be told, the recipes I post are usually ones I make when I visit home, or when I have a class canceled, because I never cook during the week. I faithfully meal prepped for the first two months of school, then learned that I can’t eat the same thing every day. I ended up desperately giving away frozen portions of the food I made, because I could not stand another bite.

So, I started making a lot of Lean Cuisines, Hot Pockets, Soup, etc. I try to eat real food for one meal and pre-made food for the other every day. I’ll scramble some eggs for dinner if I had a frozen pizza for lunch. I’ll make a grilled cheese if I had canned soup earlier. This way, I don’t feel like I am living exclusively off of preservatives.

I have found that I actually save money when I’m buying 1$ frozen meals for most of my shopping. Still, I get sick of everything feeling so heavy. Even when the meals are only 200 calories and loaded with veggies, they don’t exactly feel fresh and exciting. It’s all one sauce or one broth, one flavor coating everything

So, these are my tricks for my fellow apartment-bound, busy young adults out there to make these kinds of food a little more exciting.

FOR A FROZEN PASTA DISH:

If it’s any kind of frozen cheesy pasta, like Alfredo, Ravioli, or Mac and Cheese, I add veggies and seasoning. Firstly, I stir in some frozen broccoli halfway through cooking. You could also do fresh spinach right after it’s done. A few diced tomatoes wouldn’t hurt either. Then, I add smoked paprika, seasoned salt, garlic salt, Cajun seasoning, or BBQ seasoning. Anything to add more depth of flavor. I’ll also do a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or Italian salad dressing for some acidity. If I happen to have a lemon in my fridge, I’ll zest it on top. This is a great chance to clean out your veggie drawer or try those spices you never use.

If it’s a frozen spaghetti-dish, I still add the veggies and the seasoning, but I top it with shredded cheese instead. Or, I’ll do store-bought Parmesan Crisps for some texture (they’re over by the salad toppings).

FOR A HOT POCKET, LEAN POCKET, PIZZA-POCKET, ETC.
This is a fun one. Right after those things come out of the microwave, when they’re still too hot to eat, cut a slit in the top. Then, insert a hunk of cheese. I will do a piece of string cheese that I broke in half and put one on each side of the slit. It’ll melt and get super gooey. I also will shove in a folded up slice of cooked bacon or some fresh spinach. Then, adding a dipping sauce helps bump it up. With a cheesy-ham one, I’ll do ranch dressing or honey mustard or BBQ sauce. With a spinach-cheese one, I’ll do store-bought pesto or marinara sauce. With a breakfast-one, I like ketchup with a dash of hot sauce.

FOR A CAN OF SOUP:

Microwave it for one less minute, then stir in some frozen chopped veggies. Put it back in for that last minute, and the veggies should be warm. Then, top! I love cheese, crackers, sour cream, ranch dressing, popcorn, cayenne pepper, tortilla chips. Soup is all about the toppings. Don’t forget you can also season your soup!

Taco Veggie Bowl

My church group feeds me every Tuesday night, and it’s great. It’s so nice to have an evening off from cooking and dishes, and the food is always lovely! However, I cannot say that the food is always healthy. I usually make Tuesdays my splurge night for that reason, and eat my meal happily.

However, there are always leftovers to take home. I have trouble eating heavy leftovers after a heavy meal, but I also feel bad not taking home free food! So, every week, I try to makeover the leftovers into something healthy for lunch on Wednesday.

This week was tacos, so I just brought home cooked beef, queso, veggie toppings, sour cream, and shredded cheese. I skipped the taco shells and side dishes.

So, that’s the inspiration for this dish: a way to use up leftovers. However, you certainly don’t have to use the leftovers I specifically had; if you have leftover meat of any type, or any leftover sauce and cheese, you can make this. I’ve done this before with leftover sausage, marinara, and mozzarella. You can and should make this your own!

Or, if what I made just sounds really good, make all the ingredients fresh and put it together for real. You do you.

INGREDIENTS (for one bowl- double or triple with whatever you have):

• 1 cup cooked ground beef (or brown ground meat of any kind in a skillet with some oil until done)
• 1/4 cup leftover queso (or the jarred kind)
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup frozen broccoli
• shredded cheese, olives, lettuce, salsa, any toppings you want

Put the frozen broccoli in a bowl and prepare according to package directions. If it called for you to add water, drain it off after it’s cooked. If you play your cards right, this should be a one bowl lunch. Add the spinach and stir around until the heat from the bowl/broccoli starts to wilt it. Top with queso, beef, and any toppings you want hot (I wanted my cheese melted, so I added that on). Microwave for about 45 seconds, until everything it hot. Top with sour cream and cold toppings.

Lunch is served!

Alternatively, you can throw everything in a skillet, especially if you’re doing more than one portion. But I had no desire to dirty up another dish.

 

 

Pizza Craving Soup

Ahh, pizza. Just the word elicits memories, both pleasant and unpleasant. Ordering pizza with friends during finals week? Pleasant. Pizza parties when you were 7 years old and little Johnny took the last four slices of cheese and only ate 2 but it didn’t matter because you got stuck with sausage? Less pleasant.

Ironically, sausage is now my favorite of the classic pizza flavors. Buffalo Chicken takes the overall prize though, because why not?

Adding to the role of pizza in my life is that I used to be able to get it anytime I wanted in the dining hall. I could get my two slices and a side salad and not feel nasty. Now, if I want pizza that isn’t frozen, I have to order a whole pizza! I simply should not eat a whole pizza before it goes bad, and freezing it just takes up space.

Also, let’s face it, pizza is pretty bad for you. Bread and cheese? Not terrible in moderation, but not a balanced meal.

The solution to portion control and a low-carb alternative? Frickin’ Pizza Soup!

It TOTALLY satisfies the pizza craving. All of the flavors I crave go right into the pot, and I don’t miss a thing. I can make a small batch for myself or a big batch for my friends, and it’s so much cheaper than buying pizza.

I probably didn’t even need to convince you to look at this recipe, but even if I did, I think I’ve done the job. Pizza soup? Done.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground Italian Turkey Sausage (or pork if you prefer)
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1.5 cups water
• 14 oz can tomato sauce
•  14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
•  5oz can diced green chilis
• 1 can artichoke hearts (okay, not a pizza ingredient, but I like them in here. Leave out if you don’t!)
• 1 package pepperoni
• 2 cups of your fav mushroom, chopped
• 1 can hominy, white beans, or chickpeas (Also optional, but these bulk it up a bit)
• LOTS of mozzarella cheese

TO PREPARE:
Brown sausage in a soup pot. Once brown, remove from pan and drain any fat. Add every other ingredient besides the mushrooms. Bring to simmer, then add mushrooms and sausage back in.

Once it’s hot, it’s done! Taste for seasoning; you may want more water or broth if it’s too acidic for you.

Serve in bowls with so much cheese.

Little Johnny won’t get his hands on this.

 

Christmas Taco Stuffed Peppers

I really need to have a blog specifically for holiday food. Let’s be honest here, how many Halloween recipes have I posted?

Well, that may be a future idea to deal with after final exams and Christmas and auditions and life. For now, I present a Christmas meal! I wanted something red and green, and something super healthy, and red pepper supporting avocado immediately came to mind!

The deep red and bright green make it super festive, and the lean ground turkey and zero grain make it a summer-body meal! These are good year round, with whatever color pepper you have.

They’re  spicy, zesty, light but filling, and full of nutrition.

Nuff said!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound ground turkey (or beef/chicken/pork/meat substitute)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (or cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder. Don’t be that person).
• Four bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 cup salsa
• 3 avocados
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt and pepper
• taco toppings: onion, lettuce, cheese, tomato, cilantro, crushed tortilla chips

TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 350, and put a shallow pan of water in the oven to get it steamy.

Melt margarine in a medium skillet. Add the meat and taco seasoning and cook until brown.

Pour in the salsa and let simmer three minutes.

Place the peppers in a cake pan and stuff them! Bake for 15-20 minutes next to the pan of water. I like mine crunchy, but you may want to bake longer.

To make the guacamole, mash the avocado, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper together. You can add herbs or other flavors if you swing that way.

Once the peppers are done, top with guacamole and other toppings.

Happy Healthy Holiday!

 

 

 

 

 

Crockpot Cranberry Glazed Chicken Tenders

I have a confession to make: I. Love. Cranberry Sauce.

This is an unpopular opinion, I understand. Not everyone loves sweet with their meat. However, the great thing about this recipe is that it is not coyingly sweet. I counter the sweet cranberry sauce with savory spices to make it into a BBQ-sauce like flavor. If you’d eat BBQ chicken, you would eat this!

It’s also very reminiscent of holiday flavors. Cranberry, duh. But, it also adds a dry onion soup mix, which is the number 1 flavor in any holiday dip down here in the south. Spinach artichoke, creamy onion, you name it, there’s a soup mix in there. Just the smell makes me think of every Christmas party I go to, standing there with a red paper plate full of dips and an eggnog in my hand.

So, this is a great recipe to usher in the season! The chicken comes out tender and coated in a thick glaze, with almost no effort from you at all!

Quick trick: Use a slow cooker liner to make this recipe even easier! At one point, I have you drain off the chicken juice, and it’s way easier just to pull out the meat and pick up the liner and drain then to scoop out juice one spoon at a time.

It also freezes beautifully, which is my priority when I’m cooking and eating for one. I cooked it all today and left one portion in the fridge, and the rest is in my freezer in small tupperwares perfect to pull out every morning for lunch. This meal is also super cheap and pretty healthy, a real winner for anyone watching money, low on time, and trying to eat lightly.

Dig in!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
• 8 oz (half a bottle) fat free Catalina salad dressing
• 1 package dry onion soup mix

TO PREPARE:

• Place the chicken in a slow cooker and cook on high 2.5 hours.
• Drain juice from slow cooker
• In a mixing  bowl, combine other ingredients and pour over chicken
• Cook on high another 45 minutes, until the sauce is thick and coats the chicken.

Enjoy!

Jack O’ Lantern Mac and Cheese

I love creative Halloween food using creepy colors and textures. However, I am smart enough to know that if it’s too abnormal, less adventurous eaters won’t touch it. When I got invited to a Halloween potluck, my first instinct was a creepy green pesto pasta salad. Then, I realized, a bunch of college kids might be hesitant to eat pesto.

Mac and cheese? A very safe bet! And, it’s orange, so it’s a perfect vehicle for a big Jack O’ Lantern face!

As a college student living in a small apartment, I needed a recipe with few ingredients and few dishes. This worked great for me! You boil the pasta in the sauce itself, so you only use one pot! It’s a life savor!

I also love recipes that use all of an ingredient. This uses a whole small jug of milk, 3 whole bags of cheese, a whole packet of mustard that I stole from the dining hall. You have leftover cream cheese and leftover Doritos, but that’s much better than other mac recipes where you have leftover EVERYTHING. Plus, Doritos go fast in a college apartment, and the cream cheese was gone in a couple days by being beaten with peanut butter and used as a fruit dip!

It’s also a very classic, cheddar flavor. You could fancy it up with other cheese, veggies, different pastas, etc, but this was perfect for a group without much experience with fancy food. It’s also great for kids, of course, or just a weeknight Halloween dinner. It’s so easy, delicious, and it’ll freeze super well if I have leftovers! That’s everything I need!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 pound macaroni or other small pasta (I used penne because I’m extra)
• 4 cups whole milk (ONLY recipe I have where it has to be whole or it won’t thicken)
• 6 cups shredded cheddar (that’s three standard bags, or an arm workout if you grate it)
• 2 oz cream cheese (you can use fat free here)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Doritos or black olives for a face if you want

TO PREPARE: Preheat the oven to 350′

Place the pasta and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring milk to a boil (it’s fine!) and stir for 5 minutes, or until pasta is tender. It’ll reduce a lot- that’s great! It essentially turns into heavy cream.

Stir in 4 cups shredded cheese and every other ingredient.

Butter a 9×13 dish or a round, pumpkin-shaped dish if you’re doing the Halloween version. Scatter the extra cheese on top, then pop in the oven for 15 minutes until it’s melted.

Fashion a face on top if you’re a fun person.

So easy! I used a disposable dish too, so I only had one pot to clean!

Trick AND Treat for you!