Chicken Fried Rice

The past couple of years have put me on the quest for easy meals. Life is full and the academic demands and activities for the kids have only gotten more intense which leaves me with less time in the kitchen. Freezer meals, quick dinners, slow cooker recipes and planning ahead has been important for me (and I've struggled with all of those at times). I'm working on shortcuts and cooking extra food for other meals later in the week - this post is one of those later-in-the-week recipes.

I've gotten in the habit of cooking a large amount of rice, so we have leftovers for a few days. It makes great salads, can be added to soups or casseroles, and makes the best fried rice! This week I also baked several chicken breasts - I used 2 for dinner and saved the other 3 to use in various dishes. One of the dishes I made for a lunch was chicken fried rice - it is very popular with my bunch!

The secret to good fried rice is the sesame oil (in my opinion). You can find it at the regular grocery store in the International aisle or at a speciality International food store. The recipe below serves 4-5 lunch size portions.

CHICKEN FRIED RICE

3 Tb. Sesame Oil
1/2 onion or 1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. frozen or fresh mixed vegetables (cooking time will be a little longer for fresh)
1 c. cooked chicken, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. cooked rice (we prefer white)
4 Tb. Soy sauce (or to taste)

Heat sesame oil in a skillet (or wok). Add the onion and vegetables and sauté until tender. Add chicken and sauté a few minutes longer to heat the chicken. Push this to the side. Pour eggs into the bottom of the skillet and scramble. When cooked through, combine with the veggie/chicken mixture. Add the rice and soy sauce - fry together until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

Cilantro Chicken Enchiladas

These are really easy and really delicious. My husband said he would marry me all over for these enchiladas. :) Obviously, that means we will be adding them in to the rotation from time to time despite them not being quite as healthy as I prefer.

The cilantro makes these enchiladas have such a wonderful and distinctive flavor. Cilantro is one of those things that has grown on me over the years and now I really enjoy it. However, it's been my husband's favorite for a very long time and he is drawn to any menu item or recipe that includes it.

The first time I made these, I used some smoked turkey breast I had on hand (I do not mean deli meat) and they were a hit - think Thanksgiving leftovers! Chicken or turkey...whatever you choose will be great. You can also make these ahead and freeze them before baking.

Cilantro Chicken Enchiladas

CILANTRO CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

2 1/2 c. cooked chicken or turkey
(I roasted chicken breast in the oven at 350 degrees with a Southwest Seasoning on them)
1 c. sour cream
2 c. Mexican cheese blend (or cheddar or whatever you like), divided
1 bunch chopped green onions (I've used chives when I did not have them)
1 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
12-14 small flour tortillas
1 can green enchilada sauce (you can use as much as you like - I used most of a large can OR you can make your own)

Combine chicken, sour cream, 1 c. cheese, onion, cilantro, salt, cumin, and oregano in a bowl. Warm tortillas until pliable and easy to roll (you can do this by frying them in a skillet or microwaving them. Place meat mixture in tortillas (1/4-1/3 c or so) and roll tightly. Place in a lightly greased 9x13 pan with the seam side down. Pour the enchilada sauce over all - making sure to spread with a spatula if needed. Top with 1 c. cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Curried Red Lentils

Curried Red Lentils are a healthy and easy dish for weeknight dinners!

What?! A post?! You probably thought we had forgotten what those were... :) In truth, we have been working on re-launch and are a couple of months behind where we hoped to be. Our lives have taken unexpected turns and have not allowed as much time as we would like for blogging. We do plan to be back on a semi-regular basis. We are excited to have a new look (still in progress). We have changed blog platforms, so please make sure to clear your past history (media cache) to make our site function for you (i.e. searching). Please know that we are still a work in progress and bear with us. We hope it will be worth it. On to the post for today...

These days, I need quick, healthy, and easy meals. Life with four kids - all with varying needs - leaves less time for meal planning and execution. These curried red lentils are always a hit, can be ready in 45 minutes or less, can be easily adapted, and are nutritionally great. This can also be made gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and dairy-free. While I have changed this recipe a fair bit and generally double it for my family, the original inspiration came from one of my favorite cookbooks, More With Less. I serve this over brown rice - just put it in your rice cooker with plenty of time to fully cook.

Red Curried Lentils

CURRIED RED LENTILS

1 c. red lentils (you can use brown or french, but texture will be different & cooking time maybe longer)
2 1/2 c. chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

In a separate pan sauté together for 5-10 minutes:

1/4 c. butter, olive oil, or coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled & diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

Add:

1 1/2 - 2 Tb. curry powder

Combine the veggie mixture and the lentils.

Add:
2 Tb. fresh lemon juice
2-3 Tb. fresh cilantro (plus more for serving)

Cook on low for just a few minutes stirring frequently to allow flavors to combine. Remove bay leaf before serving. Top with fresh cilantro and serve over rice, quinoa, or couscous.

Pizza Stuffed Peppers

All to often I have pull-open-the-fridge-what-do-I-have-for-supper moments. For reasons I truly can't understand, I've yet to be able to tackle regular meal planning. With my bent towards organization and order, this baffles me. However, the fact remains. Therefore, I frequently find myself flying by the seat of my pants for weeknight meals. Thus, this recipe came to be with ingredients I had on hand and in the time I had available.

Not only are stuffed peppers a lovely presentation, but they are tasty and nutritious. I used pizza seasoning and flavors as my inspiration; however, if you're the type of person who keeps pepperoni around, feel free to chop some up and add that to the filling for an even "pizzaier" flavor. Many of the measurements are approximate, so use this recipe as a guide to create your version of pizza stuffed peppers. If you want the filling, saucier, add more tomato sauce or jarred pasta or pizza sauce. If you want more meat than rice, or vice versa, increase accordingly. If you want more veggies, chop them up and cook with the meat. You get the idea. And, as I used mini peppers, I can't tell you exactly how many larger peppers you would need here, maybe 4 or 5?

I hope you enjoy this quick weeknight meal for a taste of a little something different!



PIZZA STUFFED PEPPERS
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1 c. cooked brown or white rice
3/4 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
1 tsp pizza seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
grated cheese of choice
Whole bell peppers, large or small, tops cut out and seeded
Prepared pasta or pizza sauce (opt.)

Cook rice according to package instructions.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

While rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and chopped bell pepper and continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Mix in the cooked rice, tomato sauce, pizza seasoning, and garlic. Heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in as much grated cheese to suit taste.

Spoon mixture into prepared bell peppers and place them standing up in a lightly greased 8x8 baking pan. If you like, pour some prepared pasta sauce over the peppers and sprinkle with additional grated cheese.

Bake peppers for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.