Arroz Con Pollo Recipe

Arroz Con Pollo

Some day the best menu plan is no plan at all.  I'm still on my "back to real dinners" kick, and as a result I have a fairly well stocked pantry, fridge and freezer at the moment. So, to plan my meal tonight I picked up one of my favorite cookbooks, The Family Dinner.  I flipped it open and I was immediately greeted by the mouthwatering full page photo of "Arroz Con Pollo" (pg 96).

A quick glance through the ingredient list let me know that I had nearly all of the required ingredients. I altered some, due to what I had on hand. . .and I'll give you my version.

This was a hit with everyone tonight. I served it up with some sour cream on the side and a big bowl of green and black olives. My husband liked that it was flavorful without being spicy, and my oldest son was impressed by how very tender the chicken was.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 5 large bone in split chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large chopped onion
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 teaspoons Adobo Powder (without pepper)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 6 large Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped*
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 pound white rice (not instant) (2.5 cups uncooked)
• 1 cup defrosted frozen peas

To Make Seven Servings: (plus leftovers!)

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. 
2. Sprinkle the chicken with some salt and pepper  and brown them about 2 minutes per side.
3. Transfer chicken to a bowl and set aside.
4. To the hot oil add the onions and bell pepper, cook until soft (about 5-6 minutes)
5. Add the garlic and Adobo powder and mix. Add the tomatoes.
6. Return the chicken to the pot.stir well so that the chicken is covered with the tomato mixture.
7. Add the broth, rice and paprika. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for about 20 minutes. Add more broth if the rice dries out.
8. Just before done, stir in the peas. 

I liked my rice topped with some sour cream, and my husband and the boys shredded their chicken and added to to the rice inside a flour tortilla and had a sort of soft taco.

*The tomatoes came from my freezer. Last summer I froze some of the extra home grown tomatoes we were given. I just cut off any imperfections, cut off the core end and popped six of them at a time into freezer bags. When it comes time to use them I let them thaw about halfway, then slip the skin right off and coarsely chop. They end up taking on the texture of canned chopped tomatoes without all of the extra sodium! (and the kids like that there are no tomato chunks to be found!)

Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe

After a long hiatus of not being a very good cook for our growing family, I decided that tonight was the night to re-claim dinner!
I've been wanting to try some sort of stuffed zucchini for a while, but all of the recipes seemed to have too much of something we did not like, or too little of something we did like! Tonight's dinner seemed to strike a good balance, and since the seven year old said it was delicious, I think we have a winner!

Ingredients:

• 6 small to medium sized zucchini squash cut in half and scooped out (save the guts!)
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 10 oz container of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 4 slices of bread, cubed (I used some whole wheat and a few slices of white. . .look for the loose bread ends in the pantry!)
• 1 egg beaten
• handful of parsley
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese (or whatever is in the fridge)
• 1 can tomato soup (full strength) 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brown the ground beef and onion in a large frying pan until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic near the end of the browning so that it does not scorch. 
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender.
4.  In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, beaten egg, cheese, soup, spices, and cheese.
5. Combine the contents of the bowl with the meat mixture.
6. Place the zucchini in two 9X13 inch baking pans.
7. Scoop a generous amount of the filling into each "boat" (I used my little scoop that is made for cookie dough)
8. Pour about a cup of water ( a little less) into the bottom of each baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
9. Remove the foil, top with Panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese and bake for another ten minutes or so.

This is a great stand alone meal, but would also be good with a side salad. Next time I make this I plan on substituting Italian sausage for the beef, or adding some nice crispy bacon for some kick. I alos may substitute some leftover rice (if I have any) for the bread.

If you make this, let me know how you like it! I also had enough filling to bake in a separate baking dish, just in case one of my kids was "afraid" of the zucchini. But, honestly, the zucchini is a star in this dish!

Review: Five Ingredient Fix

I was thrilled to receive  5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes
in the mail last week!

I've enjoyed Claire Robinson's show by the same name on the Food Network for some time. I enjoy how Robinson can take five basic, seasonal, pantry staples make them into something sensational!

The minute I received the book I had to sit down and look at all of the mouthwatering photos. There is a photo for nearly every recipe, which is great when meal planning with children. As a matter of fact my older boys grabbed the book and immediately began selecting recipes for me to try!

Our first adventure? Beef and Onion Stuffed Potatoes. They were delicious. However, I must warn you that five ingredient cooking does not always mean a quick and easy meal. As a matter of fact, the stuffed potatoes that were devoured in less than 10 minutes took me most of the evening to prepare!

I can foresee using this book when planning special meals and parties. She has a lovely chapter on cocktails and appetizers, and there is an index in the back that has suggested menus such as "Casual Friday Night" or "Frosty Evening Gathering". As much as I DO enjoy planning meals, I like it even more when someone else does the work and selects recipes that work well together.


5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes

is available at Amazon.com in both hardcover and Kindle editions.

Note: I was given a promotional copy of 5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes in return for my review from Hatchette Media group through my relationship with The Product Review Place. However, all opinions expressed are solely my own

Shells and Beans, Busy Mom Fast Food

Some days, even the most dedicated from scratch cook needs a quick family meal that is cheap, convenient, and healthy. This recipe is a winner on all of these fronts, with the added bonus that all six of my kids love it!

Thursday night was a bit crazy in our house. Andrew had cross country practice (which requires shuttling him from one school to another for practice and then picking him up after practice). The Rev. had a class scheduled at the church, and the three other boys had an open house and choir concert at school, which was beginning at 6.

A schedule like this used to mean a quick trip through the fast food drive through. While we do eat the occasional fast food, I am generally opposed to it for dinner. Many "convenience" foods are either too expensive, or do not offer enough nutrition for our growing family. Even heating up frozen burritos takes too much time for a family in a hurry.

Enter the Meal Makeover Moms. I've talked about them a lot here. They really are my mealtime heros. I am really looking to their new cookbook, No Whine With Dinner, that is due out later this month.

This recipe is from their first cookbook, and it is called something like "Shells with Soupy Lentils". I've supersized it for my family, and now I always have the ingredients on hand. I can make it faster than I can drive to and from the drive thru and it is sooooo tasty!

I also love that it is meatless, as we try to eat one meatless meal a week. The Rev. loves that it costs less than $5 to feed our crew when I make this meal.

Our family has dubbed this dish: Shells and Beans

• 1 pound small shell pasta (the small shells really work best), cooked to al dente.
• 2 cans Progresso Lentil soup
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Heat all of the ingredients (except the cheese) together until bubbly. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Serve in bowls with crusty bread (I baked up a loaf of Pilsbury Simply Rustic French Bread. I would have liked to have made the bread from scratch, but it was a crazy day, remember? And the bread was delicious!

Lunch With the Babies

Anyone who has tried to eat in front of the girls has learned pretty quickly that they take after their mom...they LOVE FOOD!

These are no ordinary babies. They can be plied with Cheerios, if, and only if, they also see that I am preparing them some other kind of food. And those little jars...forget about it. Never mind that little Ellie still has no teeth, she wants to chew on her food. 

I spend my lunch time then, thinking of creative things to make for the girls to eat. Better yet, if I can share it with them we will kill two culinary birds with one stone. Plus, hey, it keeps me honest. I have much higher nutritional standards for the children than I have for myself (you've heard about the Coca Cola and Twinkies, no?)

Today's lunch began as a smaller version of what I recommend for people who are in a rush and don't know what to make for dinner. Start with a pot of water put on to boil.

When I cook for the babies I get to use my very lonely and underused one quart saucepan. 

Once the water boiled I put in 1/2 cup alphabet pasta. Then I peeled and chopped a carrot (fresh from my CSA gleanings from last night!), I also diced the cutest little mini zucchini, and some mushrooms. Toss all of the the vegetables into the boiling pasta water.

While the pasta and vegetables cook, I add some seasonings. Baby food companies think that babies like bland food, but my kids prove otherwise. I added a dash of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and a teaspoon of dried chives.

When the pasta is tender and so are the carrots, drain the pasta and vegetables. 

Return them to the pan and add 1/4 cup each of shredded swiss and shredded cheddar cheese. Stir to melt cheese and cool for the babies.

This made enough for two generous baby portions and one reasonable adult portion. All three of us loved it!

When You Know Better, You Do Better: Riverbound Farm Pasta

I have been cooking for family and friends since my early teens. Cooking dinner was one of the chores that I chose to do to help out the family because I liked food, I was a picky eater, and I hated cleaning bathrooms.

One of my first "gourmet meals" that I served a friend was heating up a frozen pasta dish and placing it on fancy plates. I think I was about 13 years old at the time.

When I married fifteen years ago, my cooking had improved some, but our budget was tight. A common meal was "red beans and rice", which was actually some instant rice topped with a can of chili beans. 

Since those days, our family has grown, our budget has grown (though it is by no means extravagant), and my cooking has improved. 

Along with the improvement of my cooking has been a greater knowledge of food and nutrition and the impact of food upon our lifestyles.

I have become a crusader against childhood obesity, and I have rejoiced in seeing changes in some local school lunch programs.

I cringe over some of the meals that I used to feed my family. 

Through all of this I feed our little family of eight on about $150 a week. I strive to purchase the highest quality, least processed and healthiest food possible. I serve healthy, wholesome and tasty meals. I celebrate time spent together as a family around the dinner table, and I work to have my children involved in as much of the food preparation or planning as possible! 

Join me in our adventures in healthy family eating. I hope to introduce you to some great new tastes,  and I hope that your family loves the food as much as my family does! 

If you are looking for new recipes using a box of macaroni and cheese or hot dogs, this may not be the place for you. But if you are looking to take small steps towards healthier living, sit down and make yourself at home!

I cook for eight of us, in an average sized kitchen, with common, everyday, and sometimes inadequate equipment, just like you! My kids all have different tastes and sometimes complain. Some think I am trying to kill them with brown things, but in the end, I am the mom...and I always win in the kitchen!

I've learned that cooking for a crowd is no harder than cooking for two...sometimes it is even easier!

We outgrew our cookbooks...have you?

Lately I have become a much more local cook. I try to get as much as our food from local sources as possible. I'm in North Dakota, in some ways this is an easier task than if I lived in say, New York City, but it gets more complicated in the winter months. This summer we joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I came up with this very local recipe after a trip back from Riverbound Farm with a van full of fresh vegetables last week!

Riverbound Farm Pasta

1 pound North Dakota grown wheat bowtie pasta, cooked and drained

3 medium sized yellow summer squash, thinly sliced 

4 medium tomatoes

2 cloves minced garlic

I cup shredded swiss cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a large frying pan. 

Lightly saute the summer squash. Add the garlic near the end of the cook time.

Toss the cooked pasta with the squash, chopped tomatoes, and swiss cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

I leave the tomato chunks rather large so that my tomato averse children can pick them out easily. Other fresh vegetables also work well in this super quick pasta toss, feel free to add sliced mushrooms, onions, carrots, or whatever else suits your fancy! This meal is satisfying, delicious and comes together in a snap!

Kid Food Fail

This is my fault for not reading labels better. I wanted to get some fruit cups that I could toss in the diaper bag. All of them were either packed in light or heavy syrup, none in juice. 

So, out of the corner of my eye I saw this package and was lured in by the "no added sugar". 

Too bad the sugar is replaced by artificial sweeteners. 

Shame on you Del Monte for not offering a natural product, and shame on me for not being a more careful consumer.