Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

Kid favorite: Recipe found here

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Chicken Breasts boneless and skinless chopped into 1 inch size pieces
• 1 cup Basmati White Rice (you can use any kind of rice you prefer, note: my directions use Basmati Rice and I cooked it via the instructions on the package. This equals 3 cups cooked rice).
• 1½ cups Chicken Broth
• 1 16oz jar medium Salsa (about 1½ cups) You can use a more mild Salsa or more spicy, depending on what you prefer.
• 1 cup frozen Corn
• 1 15oz can Black Beans drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup fresh Cilantro chopped
• ½ tsp Cumin powder
• ½ tsp Chili powder
• ¼ tsp Sea Salt
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper
• 1¼ cups Mexican Chedder Cheese
• 2 Tbs Coconut Oil
• Toppings:
• 1 Avocado pitted, skin removed and diced
• 1 Tomato diced
• 1 Lime cut into wedges
• Add any other topping you prefer, sour cream, more salsa, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare Rice.
2. In medium sauce pan add 1 cup Basmati Rice and 1½ cups Chicken Broth.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low, cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit an additional 10 minutes.
4. While the Rice is cooking, prepare chicken.
5. In large frying pan over med-high heat add 2 Tbs coconut oil and chicken.
6. Cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 10-15 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
8. In large bowl add Rice, Chicken, Salsa, Corn, Black Beans, Cilantro, Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt, and Pepper. Mix well.
9. Mix in 1 cup cheese.
10. Add to lightly grease 2 quart casserole pan.
11. Top with remaining cheese.
12. Bake for 15 minutes.
13. Garnish with Avocado, Tomato, and squirt the Lime Juice over the top if desired.
14. Enjoy!

Curry Drumstricks

Video explanation here

Blend the following in a food processor until as smooth as desired.

1= Tray Chicken Drumsticks (10-16 pcs)
4= Tbsp. Olive Oil
2= Onion
2= Tomato
1= small piece of Ginger
8= Garlic Cloves
3= Green Chili
1= Potato (secret ingredient)

Cook over stove stop over medium high for about 10 minutes. Then add the following spices:
2= Tsp Salt to taste
2= Tsp Turmeric Powder
2= Tsp Garam Masala
2= Cumin Seeds (Zerra)
1= Cup of water (gravy to taste)

Add the chicken drumsticks (remove skin and cut them 2 times to the bone to faster and tastier cooking)
Simmer until the chicken is done, about 20-25 minutes.

Add cilantro, and enjoy!!

Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

source:  Sweet Treats and More

• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 5 large carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (5 oz ) can tomato paste
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Directions:

Grease your slow cooker with Pam.  Place the chicken and carrots on the bottom of slow cooker. 

Place the rest of the ingredients (except water and corn starch) in a food processor and process together until mixture is mostly smooth. ***If your food processor is too small to hold everything, process everything but the coconut milk. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl then mix in the coconut milk.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and carrots, mix well, then cover and cook on low for about 6 hours. 

An hour or so before serving, mix cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved.  Pour mixture into the slow cooker, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another hour.

**This will thicken up the sauce.  When the sauce is to your desired thickness, turn slow cooker to warm setting until ready to serve.  

Serve over rice, with Naan, and garnish with cilantro.   

**if you want you can chop the bell pepper into larger pieces and place in with the chicken and carrots rather than processing into the sauce.  This is what I did and we loved the different textures of the carrots, chicken, and pepper in the sauce. 

Butternut Squash Curry

This recipe never fails me! It is the kind of recipe you can work on throughout the day or even a few days before. The preparation is all worth it in the end! I absolutely love curry and coconut so this is the perfect recipe for me! Our sister-in law, Dana is the one who introduced it to us. It is so good!

Ingredients

• 1 2 to 2 1/2 pound butternut squash
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon curry
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 14 oz can/box chicken broth
• 2 cups,cubed cooked chicken breast
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Hot White Jasmine Rice
• Cashews (optional)
• Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Source

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350

-Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray. Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds and pulp

-Place squash flesh side down onto the baking dish

-Bake for 30 minutes

-Remove squash from oven and flip the squash right side up.

-Sprinkle the squash with brown sugar and 1 tsp curry and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until squash is soft and the flesh can be scooped out.

-Scoop squash out into a bowl and mash well with potato masher, set aside until needed.

-Cook rice in rice cooker.

-For the soup, sauté onion in olive oil over medium high heat until the

onion is translucent and soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

-Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.

-Add squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken, curry, salt and pepper

-Cook soup until heated, about 20 minutes

-Serve over hot rice and garnish with cilantro and cashews

Enjoy!!

Curried Coconut Chicken

I am a huge curry fan but I love coconut even more! I was craving something asian the other day and I knew what kind of flavors I wanted. I came across this recipe and the reviews were amazing. Everyone raved about how simple yet how good this recipe is.

The ingredients are quite simple. I think next time I will try adding some pineapple and some green peppers in the mix. I'll let you know how it turns out! This recipe can be eaten as a soup or it can be served over rice.

Photo Credit

Ingredients

Source:All Recipes

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups of white rice
• Coconut Flakes (optional)
• 
  
• Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Serve over rice and top with coconut flakes and/or cashews!

Enjoy !!

-Christy

Creole Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo

I am FINALLY feeling pretty normal again and cooking! You have no idea how hard it was to start a food blog right when I got pregnant--well some of you may know. Yep, big news, I am pregnant! Food was not my best friend, nothing seemed appetizing to me, which is pretty much the worse thing ever, for serious. BUT now I'm back and loving food and cooking again. My amazing husband gets a break...he has been a trooper and cooking dinner almost every night while I would lock myself in a room where I could not smell anything, the joys :)

This dish was full of amazing flavors, and comfort food to it's finest. My 2 year old daughter just gobbled this all up like it was her job; and for all you mommas out there, nothing makes you happier than when you see your child eating your meal!

Ingredients: 

Served 4-6, takes about 1 hour total (35-40 minutes of that is downtime)

1.5 cups of rice

1/4 cup oil for frying

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6-7 mushrooms, sliced (you can use a can)
• 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken breast meat
• 1 cup large shrimp, cleaned and cooked until just pink
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, with liquid
• 1 cup chicken stock or bouillon
• 1 tsp parsley (or 2 Tbs fresh)
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it, I only put 1/4 tsp)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 
  

Directions

1. Cook the rice in 3 cups of salted water.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn), for 5 minutes or until mixture is the color of a copper penny. Reduce heat to low and stir in bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms (if they are canned mushrooms, add them in step 2). Cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chicken, chicken stock (or bouillon) tomatoes with green chile peppers, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Stir together, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cooked shrimp in the last 3 minutes to heat them up and to cook them fully.

Oh yes, enjoy this one on me!

Cathy

Sweet and Sour Chicken

So I love Asian food and I love going to Panda Express. I went to Panda earlier this week and I was craving sweet and sour chicken which is why I made it this week.This recipe is super simple and super good!! I'm telling you you must try this and you will be impressed with the amount of time it took you to make it and how good it was. I got there original recipe from here but I did change a few things up. Hope you like it !!

Ingredients

• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. corn starch
• 1 1/2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 Onion, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken meat, cut into strips
• 
  
• 
  
• Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, blend reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup and brown sugar. Mix in corn starch, and stir until thickened.
2. Stir bell peppers, celery, onion and water chestnuts into the saucepan. Mix in chicken. Cook and stir until heated through. Stir in the pineapple chunks before serving.

Enjoy !!

-Christy