Rosemary Chicken and Wild Rice

I found this recipe recently and thought it looked pretty good and kind of healthy, but I wasn't overly excited about it.  I wasn't overly excited, that is, until I tasted it.  It was SO good!  I totally did not expect to like it so much.  I will definitely be making it again.  The combination of flavors was surprising, and it was very easy to make.

  

Rosemary Chicken and Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice or wild rice/brown rice mix

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

2 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1/3 cup orange marmalade (low sugar, if possible)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1.  Prepare wild rice or wild rice/brown rice mix according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for the water and adding salt.

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Sauté garlic for 1-2 minutes or until golden.  Add chicken and carrots.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the rosemary.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 3-4 minutes.

3.  Stir in the marmalade, mustard, and pepper.  Heat through.

4.  Stir in the hot rice and toss to combine.

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe      

Spicy Cheesy Rice

Holy-o risotto.  Did you know you can make risotto with beer and cheddar?!  This stuff was incredible!  I love rice, and this was only the second time I had made risotto, but I thought this was the perfect dish.  It was so creamy and super cheesy.  It was like macaroni and cheese but with a slight bite to it.  I loved that you could still smell the beer while you were eating it, but it didn't taste like beer.  Make this.  I dare you.

Beer and Cheddar Risotto

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2+ tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice

12 ounce bottle of beer, preferably not light beer (I used Honey Weiss)

49.5 ounce can of chicken broth

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Pour chicken broth into a medium saucepan.  Keep warm over low heat.

2.  Heat large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Heat just until butter is melted.  Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent.  Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic.  Cook for 30 second to 1 minute, just until fragrant.

3.  Add rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.

4.  Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.

5.  Turn heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves.  You may not need to use all of the chicken broth - risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente.  This should take 30 minutes or more.  

6.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.

Source:  Made in Melissa's Kitchen, http://www.madeinmelskitchen.com

Wallow Night - Part 1

I was in desperate need of a good wallow last night, and, being an expert on wallowing, I know that one of the most essential parts of a wallow night is some delicious and comforting food.  I had some pages marked in the cookbooks that just showed up at my house one day (that tends to happen when your mother is a librarian), and they turned out to be excellent wallow recipes.

I had always wanted to make risotto, but it intimidated me with all that stirring!  Plus, I had never cooked with wine before and had no idea what kind to use (thanks, Google, for helping me out with that one).  It turns out that making risotto was not all that difficult.  Sure, I burnt the onions a little, but you wouldn't even know it by the time the risotto was finished :-)   

I'm a huge fan of rice, and I loved the creaminess and richness of the risotto.  I threw a little extra parmesan and some salt and pepper on top to give it some extra flavor.  Let me just say, all of that stirring was totally worth it!

(Look, Lauren...I'm becoming a wine drinker!  Aren't you proud of me?!)

Basic Risotto

Ingredients:

3 (14.5 ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1-1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  Bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil).  Keep warm over low heat.

2.  Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion; sauté 3 minutes.  Add rice; cook 1 minute; stirring constantly.  Stir in wine; cook 1 minute or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.  Add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total).  

3.  Remove from the heat; stir in cheese.

Source:  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook