Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

(10-12 servings)

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, instead of stuffing. It calls for a 13 x 9 baking dish, but I used my 14 inch cast iron skillet to minimize cleanup. 

You could leave out the mushrooms, if you don't like them--cubed firm tofu or uncooked, cubed chicken would be good substitutes--but the mushrooms are great in this dish.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 12 oz package sliced cremini (baby portabella) mushrooms
1 cup wild rice (uncooked)
1/2 cup brown rice (uncooked)
4 cups water
1 can beef broth
8 slices bacon
1/2 slivered almonds
 1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/4 cup cold water
additional salt & pepper, to taste

Directions
 
Place water, butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium sauce pan and bring to boil. Add wild rice, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 40 minutes and then stir in brown rice. Cover, cooking for another 20-30 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, put oven rack in center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and put a shallow cooking rack in pan. Place the 8 bacon strips on the pan and bake for 12 minutes. Carefully turn bacon and cook for another 4-7 minutes, or until just crisped. Remove pan from oven.

While bacon is cooking, chop onion and peppers. Use bacon drippings (enough to lightly coat a large skillet) to cook onion, peppers and mushrooms with celery seed. Salt and pepper to help the veggies cook down. Once veggies are tender, add beef broth and bring to boil.

Stir corn starch into cold water until smooth and add to mixture. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Drain cooked rice and add to mixture. Crumble bacon and fold in with almonds.

Lower oven rack down from center. If using cast iron skillet, place directly in oven. If not using heat-proof skillet, transfer mixture to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Cover and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 minutes longer.

This is rich, so you'll have plenty of leftovers for the next day. :)

Cheesy Bean & Rice Bake

Yes, it has been forever and a day since I last posted anything. Mostly because I have drifted into the land of menu-planning, which has saved my sanity but suppressed my creativity.

Even so, Emeals (see banner above) is an amazing weekly menu plan that saves you money and you can tailor it to specific stores, which makes it handy, too. Nothing frustrates me more than having a plan and the store is out of major ingredients. Then, it takes twice as long to shop because (I'm convinced) there's some subliminal thing playing in the background, drawing me to buy frivolously and with abandon. "Why, yes! I do need some garlic stuffed olives!" Anyone else been there?

Anyway, here's a wonderful recipe that I made the other night instead of going to the store on-the-fly. It was tasty, and lends itself so well to being customized. And it baked up very nicely.

(You would know that, if I had remembered to take a picture when I got it out of the oven. You'll just have to trust me. It was pretty looking, and pretty good, too.)

This is also a cinch to double or triple, it can be customized**, and I think this would freeze well, also.



Ingredients

1 cup cooked rice (I used brown), drained and cooled slightly
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
4 ounces shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend), with a handful reserved for topping
1 egg (I used Eggbeaters equivalent)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or chili powder, or curry powder...whatever you fancy)
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (or more, to taste)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter (or spray with Pam) a casserole dish. (I used a square one with a lovely fall motif. Again, you would know that if I'd taken a picture...sorry.)

Mix egg and milk together, then combine everything else.  Put in casserole and spread evenly. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until set and lightly browned around edges.  Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

**I also added a package (~ 6 oz.) of grilled chicken strips that I shredded,  You could add browned ground beef or turkey to this (1 lb) as well. I didn't make it very spicy because my kids aren't fans of spicy things, but it would taste great with some sauteed peppers and onions added to the mix.

Leftovers were even better the next day.

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken and Broccoli

This basic recipe is from a fellow homeschooling mom, and it is super-easy to double or triple. I added a few touches, and it is just as good as any take-out Chinese food.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 cup brown sugar, packed tightly
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 C. lemon-lime soda
1 cup of Basmati rice, cooked
1 (12 oz) bag of frozen broccoli florets (I used a self-steaming bag)
1 tablespoon of arrowroot starch
1/2 cup of toasted, sliced almonds

Place cut-up chicken into crock pot, and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix next four ingredients together, stirring to incorporate sugar (break up any hard pieces). Pour over chicken. Next, pour over the soda (it will slightly fizz).

Cook over low heat for 4-8 hours, or until chicken is no longer pink.

About 20-30 minutes before serving, cook Basmati rice. Then, 5 minutes before serving, steam the broccoli florets until done to desired tenderness. (I like mine to be slightly firm.)

With a slotted spoon, remove chicken from crockpot and place in a large serving bowl. Carefully pour Balsamic mixture into a medium saucepan or skillet. Mix arrowroot starch with enough water to dissolve it, then add to the mixture. Cook at medium high heat, whisking until the sauce thickens slightly.

Gently toss chicken and broccoli together in bowl. Pour over sauce and stir to coat.

If using toasted almonds for a garnish, place them in a dry skillet (I use cast iron) and heat over medium heat, stirring gently, until they become fragrant and start to lightly brown (it won't take long).

Serve chicken and broccoli over rice, topped with the toasted almonds.

This is delicious!

Serves 6