Chicken and Black Bean Casserole

This has become a go to dinner for our family, meaning that I pretty much always have the stuff to make it and I make it often.  It is healthy with brown rice and a meatless option. This has been a new favorite to take to friends who just had a baby, or are in need of a meal.

 It has a bit of heat to it with some south of the border flavors.  we like to eat it with Cornbread. they taste good together, and I can use the cornbread to bribe picky eaters to eat  more rice and veggies.

On days when I know we are eating this for dinner I will cook the rice in the morning.  Brown rice takes awhile to cook, so be aware of that.  If i have time, I will cut up all the veggies earlier in the day also to make dinner prep easier later on. 

I found this scrumptous dish on Pinterest.  HERE is the original.  I have changed a couple ingredients and changed all the measurements.  The original was not enough to fill a full 9x13 pan.  

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
•  2 1/4 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth also will work)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2/3 cup diced onion
• 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
• 3 cooked skinless boneless chicken breast halves, chopped
• 1 cup sliced or chopped mushrooms 
• 1 tsp. teaspoon cumin
• salt to taste
• ground cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained (I always use a fresh minced Jalapeno pepper.)
• 1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese-depending on how much cheese you like (Swiss cheese and Monterey Jack cheese would also work well!)

How To

1. Mix the rice and vegetable broth in a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, or until rice is tender.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large 9x13" casserole dish.
3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in the zucchini, chicken, and mushrooms. Season with cumin, salt, and ground cayenne pepper. Cook and stir until zucchini is lightly browned and chicken is heated through.
4. In large bowl, mix the cooked rice, onion, zucchini, chicken, mushrooms, beans, chiles, and 1/2 the cheese. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
5. Cover casserole loosely with foil, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned. 

This would also make a great vegetarian dish- just omit the chicken!

Spinach Quiche

This is a super yummy meal!  I found it in the cookbook my Mother in Law made for us.  My favorite thing about this dish is that ALL of my kids love it!  They call it Spinach Pie.  I usually keep this meal simple by serving sliced pears or apples on the side.

1 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained, I press the liquid out using paper towels.

5 eggs, beaten

1 cup, small curd cottage cheese

2 cups grated combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese

2 Tbsp. dried onion

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 - 9 inch deep dish pie shell, unbaked

Preheat oven to  375 degrees.

Blend all ingredients and pour into pie shell.  Bake 50-60 minutes.  Let sit 5-10 minutes before cutting.  Cut into 8 wedges to serve.

I recently made this for brunch in little quiche bites for my book club. It was a huge, and delicious hit.
I made a recipe for double pie crust, and used my scalloped edge, round pastry cutter from Demarle to cut circles which I then pressed into the mini muffin silform made by Demarle.  My Demarle representative came to book club and was so impressed.  She thought the quiche bites looked like they had come from a bakery.
Score for me!

Quick and Easy Black Beans

 This is our favorite side dish!  I make it all the time.  Thanks to a good friend who shared this recipe with me.  She found it on Our Best Bites (linked on my side bar.)  I serve them with my own version of spicy rice.  Together they are great on the side of any Mexican kind of meal.

 2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 T olive oil
2/3 C diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that’s a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don’t want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Serve as a side dish, or on top or rice, in fajitas or tacos, or on top of chicken or steak.

Sweet Hot Cucumber Salad

 I love to make this and eat this year round.  It is especially good with fresh cucumbers from the garden.  It is a great side to any meal.  I've even served it for Thanksgiving.

1 cup vinegar                     1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 cup water                     dash of Parsley

3/4 cup sugar                      1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt                            Dash of Basil

3-4 sliced cucumbers

Very refreshing side dish!

Heat to boiling all ingredients except cucumbers.  Pour hot liquid over sliced cucumbers.  Put in refrigerator to cool for several hours.  Serve chilled. 



Curried Basmati Rice

I love to use this rice as a side dish. It is super easy, adds extra veggies and extra flavor.  The recipe comes from the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook.  My two favorite things to serve this with are Pork Satay and chicken with watermelon salsa.  The peanut sauce and watermelon salsa are really good mixed in with the rice.  I double this recipe always - we like leftovers, and we have a big family.

Tip - Not all curry powders are created equal.  Experiment with various heat levels, from mild to superhot, to find your favorite.  I use the basic bland curry powder sold in my local supermarket.  I would prefer something stronger, but not sure how my kids would take it.

2 tsp. Olive Oil

2 onions, finely chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I have used all colors of  bell peppers)

1 cup Basmati rice

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups water

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the onions and saute until softened.  Add the mushrooms and bell peppers.  Saute for about 2-3 minutes longer.

2. Stir in the rice, curry powder, salt and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered 15-20 minutes.

*Serving size - about 1 cup.   Calories 163   Fat 0g   Carb 37g   Fiber 3g   Protein 3g

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This is one of my new favorite meals!  It is completely vegetarian and SO yummy!  My friend Emily posted it on her blog.  She found the recipe on Our Best Bites.  A couple of my kids don't really like this dinner.  They like the filling, just not the pepper. 

4 very large or 6 medium sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 Tbs salt
1/2 C white rice (or brown if you want to take the time to cook it), quinoa also works *Corinne's note: I have always used quinoa in this dish, YUM!*
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 jalapeno, minced (or you could sub a small 3oz can of mild green chilies)
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced *Corinne's note: I have never had these on hand, and do fine without them.*
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder (you can start with 1/2 and add more to taste) *Emily's note: I used regular chili powder*
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 1/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.*Corinne's note: I never add the tortilla chips on top.*

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn, beans, green onions, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes. Place peppers in a baking dish. Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro. Stir to combine well and give it a taste. Add additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to your liking. Then evenly divide mixture between peppers.

Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you can fit it on there :) and crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Our favorite side dish with this meal is Sweet Corn Cake.  They go so well together!



Cheese & Vegetable Soup

                I love this soup, it is my favorite soup.  The pictures above were taken on my birthday 2006.  This is often my birthday dinner request, even as I was growing up.  This is one of my mom's recipe's.  I do not kow where she got it from.  

It is like eating Fondue with little bits of Veggies in the dip.  It is SO good!  Of course, it has to be served in a toasted bread bowl.  Sourdough is my favorite.

1½ cups peeled, diced carrots                           1 cup diced celery

½ cup onion, diced                                              ½ cup margarine or butter

4 cans chicken broth, or 5 cups chicken bouillon

2 cups shredded cheddar (sharp)                      2 cups half n half

1 cup bisquick                                                      ½ t paprika

1/8 t pepper                                                           1/8 t cayenne pepper

Cook celery, onion and carrots in butter until tender.  Stir in bisquick and spices.  Remove from heat.  Gradually stir in chicken broth.  Heat again to boil, stirring constantly boil for 1 minute.  Reduce heat and add half n half and cheese.  Heat until cheese is melted.  Serve in a hot bread bowl, dip bread pieces in like fondue.  YUMMY!