15 Minute Chicken & Rice Dinner

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 can (10 ¾ oz) cream of chicken soup

1 ½ cups water

¼ tsp. each paprika & pepper

2 cups Minute white rice, uncooked

2 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets

Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken; cook until browned. Remove chicken.

Add soup, water, paprika & pepper; stir. Heat to a boil.

Stir in rice & broccoli. Top with chicken. Season chicken w/additional paprika & pepper; cover. Cook on low heat 5 min. or until cooked through.

Fried Rice

4 cups cooked rice

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup peas

1 rib celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

ginger, minced

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

soy sauce and white pepper to taste

In hot work add oil and stir fry garlic, ginger, celery, carrot, and onion. When partially cooked add the mushrooms, peas, and corn. After add rice, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy, and white pepper.

Egg, pork, or shrimp are optional.

Recipe from Jan Dougherty

Fragrant Basmati Rice

When I do a stir-fry and want to serve it along side some rice, I've been taking plain Basmati rice and kicking it up a notch by adding some very fragrant spices to it when I cook it. Here's my take on fragrant Basmati rice.

Ingredients

200g Basmati rice
300ml(g) water
2 whole star anise
3 whole cardamom pods, slightly opened
Salt and pepper to taste

Weight the rice and then rinse it very well. Slightly open the cardamom pods by sniping the ends with a pair of kitchen scissors. Place the ingredients into a lidded pot.

Note the ratio of rice to water; it should always be 1:1.5 by weight (rice to water); 1ml of water weighs 1g.

Put the lid on and heat on a high flame. As soon as the contents begin to boil, set the timer for 8-9 minutes. When the timer expires, turn off the flame and let it sit for a minute. After resting, fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Granola

This recipe is from David's uncle Jon. I love a good granola!

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds

1/2 cup wheat germ, unsweetened

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup oil (unrefined peanut)

1/2 cup dried apricots, raisins, or chopped dates (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients and mix. Combine honey and oil and add to the dry mixture. Spread out in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan and bake 45-50 minutes in a 300 degree oven until light golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; add apricots/raisins/dates. Put in another pan to cool, stir occasionally while cooling. Stir in an air-tight container. This also freezes well!

Rice with Sour Cream and Green Chilis

1 cup rice, uncooked
1 4 oz can green chilis - drained and chopped
1/2 lb Monterey jack or cheddar cheese-grated
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Set aside 1/4 of the cheese. Mix remaining ingredients gently but thoroughly. Place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Goes great with empanadas.

Quinoa/Rice in Stock

This recipe is dirt-simple (well, dirt's not really simple at all, but you know what I mean). It's just a boxed quinoa and wild rice mixture cooked in vegetable stock.

Ingredients

1/2 c. quinoa/rice mix, rinsed
1 1/2 c. vegetable stock (we like Kitchen Basics brand)
1/2 tsp. good Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. each onion and garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring ingredients to a boil and then reduce the heat until it's just simmering. Cook for around 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Serve.

~David

Postscript: You might be thinking "David... what's with this recipe? It's not your normal standard, yummy, high-fat, delicious, you know... recipe." You're right to ask. Well, as I'm now a diabetic, I need to significantly reduce my non-vegetable carbohydrate intake. So while I can only eat a bit of this at any main meal (around 1/3 c.), it is delicious and satisfies that carb. craving.