Chicken and Rice Comfort Casserole



I'm always in search of a new idea for leftovers either meat or vegetables. My staple turns for leftovers are frittatas, enchiladas and pizza toppings, but I needed something new. I had leftover chicken and was craving rice, so googled the 2 for inspiration. Taking a lead from this recipe, here is the result.

I have to admit that much as I love love love the summer here, I do welcome the cooler weather; now I can turn on my stove again without cooking myself at the same time. So the prospect of brown rice needing 45 minutes on the stove, was happily an option, this morning, when I got a jump start on dinner.

This is a simple take on a casserole, but from from scratch. The sauce created is very reminiscent of a Campbell's soup casserole, but oh so much tastier and better for you. It checks off all the boxes for nutrition and throws in some major comfort too.

My oldest daughter has just started full day Kindergarten and in contrast to her usual hearty appetite, is often so tired by dinner that she has lost interest in food. So, tonight I prescribed comfort food, in the hope of getting a decent meal in her tired little body, before bed. It worked! I asked her if she liked her dinner and she answered, "Love it!". Score for Mummy!! Unfortunately my 3 year old was not so convinced; I'll keep working on her!

Chicken and Rice Comfort Casserole

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup chicken or veg broth ( preferably low sodium)
2-3 cups cooked chicken (chopped)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage (or herb of your choice)
2-3 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (thawed)
1/4 cup wholegrain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Melt butter in a pan over a medium heat
3. Add the flour and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring.
4. Pour in the liquid and whisk over the heat until smooth and thickened.
5. Add the chicken and sage
6. Taste and season as necessary
7. Lightly butter or oil a medium sized shallow casserole dish
8. Place the rice on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle over the peas
9. Pour the chicken in the sauce over the top and spread evenly
10. Mix together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle on top of the casserole
11. Place in the oven for approx 30 minutes and serve with a salad, or not...

Notes on the recipe:
This is an endlessly tweekable recipe; adding more cheese to the sauce would be tasty. Also, many different herbs could replace the sage; thyme would be particularly good. Broccoli or green beans would be good replacements for the peas.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Peach Salad



Chicken and Peach Salad



As a child, for many years, my choice for birthday dinner was "chicken and peach bake". It wasn't only me, in fact, I seem to recall my brothers deep love for it too. It is a recipe reminiscent of the 70's; using canned peaches and packet white sauce, with crushed chips on top. Heaven! I must get busy this winter and recreate the flavors with a "from scratch" version. In the meantime, tonight's recipe is a summer take, echoing the creaminess of the sauce and the sweet savory combination.

We have been reveling knee deep in peaches this week; the season is finally here. Mean Mummy in this house has not bought peaches since last summer so the girls have been enjoying the bounty too. We've had peach ice pops and smoothies, peaches for snack and now, peaches for dinner.

Alongside my chicken salad, I served some baby new potatoes and a green salad of baby romaines. The potatoes are worth a mention (I am Irish after all!). I microwaved them for 5 minutes, then halved them, tossed in olive oil and salt and roasted in my grill. Very quick compared to the usual roasting time, so I was happy. I should explain; I rarely turn on the oven in the summer; we don't have central air conditioning so the heat from the oven is no fun. Need I explain that an overheated Mummy is a cross Mummy! Instead, I use my outdoor grill as an oven and roast my vegetables and potatoes in a roasting pan with the burners on low-medium

Chicken and Peach Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces
2 medium peaches, chopped into similar sized pieces
1/3 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup 0% Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced and mashed to a paste
salt and pepper
handful of herbs (I used mint, basil, chives and parsley)


Directions

1. Whisk together the sour cream, Greek yogurt, mustard, garlic and vinegar in a medium bowl
2. Stir in the chicken and peaches
3. Add the herbs either on top or stir in just before serving.

My kid friendly tip would be to leave out the herbs; mine still object to the green flecks. This said, one ate it; the other picked out the peaches and told me she was done.

Please excuse the various errors in fonts etc in this post but I'm tired waiting for my blog host Blogspot to fix their endless glitches.

Enjoy!

Kat's "in 5 minutes flat" meals...

Leftover Fritatta



It's been a rough week here, hence the radio silence from kat ate that. I'm knee deep in a stroppy toddler and an intense preschooler. Both have been challenging their Mummy beyond my capacities this week, not helped by my husband being out of town and some other perfect storm circumstances.

Nevertheless, we still haven't eaten junk food or prepackaged dinners or even eaten out. So, I thought, therein lies my blog topic. I've been pondering for some time, how to write about the meals that I pull together in a snap. Lets face it, there are some days when we just don't have the time or inclination to plan and prepare earlier in the day. So I thought it might be interesting to start a series of my "in 5 minutes flat" meals. This is not rocket science, but we all run out of ideas sometimes so I thought putting some of this down might help both me and any readers in a similar position.

My typical week of meals involves, maybe, 3 complete "from scratch" meals, and the rest of the week I will use some of the leftovers as a base for a different meal, make one of my "in 5 minutes flat" meals or defrost a tasty something I've made a few weeks before.

I tend to cook as though I'm feeding a family of 8; when I roast up vegetables I will fill my (tiny) oven to the brim and use the leftover vegetables the following lunch or evening for something. Same for any meat, then I'll chop up the leftovers in any number of ways the following night. I generally cook extra rice or other grains when I make them and use them the next day in some way.

So today I'm offering a couple of my most trusty "go to" meals; Tortilla Pizza and Leftovers Fritatta. The "pizza" below was served with edamame before as I had no suitable vegetables at the ready. My fritatta was composed of leftover potato, broccoli and a few last crumbles of low fat feta. Anything goes!

I'm somewhat embarrassed to write these up as a recipe, but here goes. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts and ideas. I'm all ears!

Tortilla Pizza



Tortilla Pizza is always well received by the munchkins



Ingredients

Wholewheat tortillas (or flatbread, naan bread or pitta bread)

Pizza sauce (I frequently use pesto, but have been known to use bruschetta topping, tapenade, or whatever I have left in the fridge needing used)

Cheese (I have used fresh mozzarella, goats cheese, feta, cheddar, whatever I have)

leftover veg (roasted broccoli, corn, zucchini)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. Assemble the "pizzas" on a baking sheet
3. Cook for approx 8-10 minutes until crispy on the bottom.

If I have no suitable leftover vegetables I will serve either carrot sticks or edamame as an appetizer.

All good.

Leftovers Fritatta

Serves 4

Ingredients

4-5 eggs
1/4 cup of low fat or non fat greek yogurt or low fat sour cream
salt and pepper
2 cups leftovers (vegetables, potatoes, cooked meat)
1/4 cup feta cheese or cheese of your choice
chopped herbs of your choice

Directions

1. Beat the eggs and yogurt until combined well and season
2. Stir in the other ingredients
3. Preheat a small ovenproof skillet on medium and add a little oil
4. Pour in the egg mixture and move around in the pan for a few minutes until the fritatta starts to set
5. When the fritatta is well cooked on the bottom transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until the top of the fritatta is fully cooked also.
6. Serve with a salad or any other leftover vegetables

Enjoy!

Pork Extravaganza Part 2 : Healthy Fried Rice and Pork Tacos



It's all about the selling pitch, I find; I'm talking about whether my kids will eat what is prepared for them or push the plate away (arggghh!). This blog may primarily be about family friendly food, but be under no illusions, I do not have perfect eaters in this house and neither am I the perfect Mum. I have to use all the strategies under the sun to "sell" the food I prepare, but then I try not to hover or force them to eat it. There is a general rule, eat it or go hungry until the next meal (unless they are sick).

Anyway, hence the pink sauce. Having 2 young girls in the house, we are living the pink years. So I work it to my advantage, whenever possible. The sauce is actually salmon colored, thanks to smoked paprika, but my pitch seemed to excite the girls into taking at least their first bite. Then they realised their dinner was tasty.

If you read my previous Pork Post, you'll know it all started with a roasted stuffed pork loin. I didn't get my act together in time that night, to present that to my kids, as dinner. That night they had wholewheat gnocchi, pesto and corn. Point proven; not the perfect Mum.

I've taken some artistic licence with the tacos; the consistency is not what you'd expect but I wanted to disguise the vegetables. My youngest is going through a picky vegetable phase so the squash was my choice. Corn, tomatoes, peppers (roasted or not), even peas would work nicely/ nicer here.

Anyway, here are my 2 leftovers options:

Pork Tacos with Pink Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients for the Pink Sauce

approx 1 cup reduced fat sour cream

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

approx 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (approx 1 lime)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the Tacos

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, diced finely (or some chilli powder, flakes or hot sauce, to taste)

2 cloves of garlic, diced finely or minced

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 lb leftover meat (diced finely)

1 package frozen winter squash, defrosted (substitute roasted peppers, cherry tomatoes or corn)

1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken if you have it)

1 can black beans (rinsed thoroughly to remove some sodium)

8-10 small 6" tortillas (I always prefer wholewheat to corn)

Directions

1. Whisk together the pink sauce ingredients and set aside
2. Heat the oil in a deep sided pot on medium high.
3. Add the onion and fry for 3-5 minutes until softened
4. Add the jalapeno, garlic and spices and cook for a further 3 minutes until fragrant
5. Add the meat and cook a further 2-3 minutes then add then add the squash and broth. 
6. Add the beans, stir gently to combine and add more broth if it needs it, to gain the consistency you like for your filling  
7. Heat the tortillas in the microwave, wrapped in a paper towel, on high for 2 minutes
8. Serve with the pink sauce and either guacamole or simply avaocado on the side

Enjoy!

Healthy Fried Rice

(sorry no photo!)

Serves 4

Sauce Ingredients

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons mustard (I used a garlic mustard)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon garlic (I omitted, as garlic mustard used)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

3 tablespoons water

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic chopped finely or minced

4-5 cups chopped raw veg of your choice (I used carrots and corn; it was all I had left!)

2 cups cooked grains (I used brown rice but Lorna suggests barley or quinoa)

1-2 cups cooked meat (or scrambled egg)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Directions

1. Mix together the sauce ingredients and set aside (this will be too much but will keep for a month in the refrigerator)
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or a large pot and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes until softened then add 1/4 cup water and the remaining veg.
3. Cover the pot and steam the veg for approx 3-5 minutes depending on the vegetables you are using.
4. Add the rice, meat and ginger. Stir to combine and heat through
5. Add enough of the sauce to coat everything.

Enjoy!

Leftover Lamb and Sweet Potato Casserole

I'm a planner; I have to be or we'd never get a decent meal cooked in this house. In my 4 years as a mother, I've got better and better at making sure I dont need to go to the store to make the meal that's been running round my head all day. So, I have well stocked cupboards and a fridge with most of the basics at all times. I have become increasingly adept at tweaking a recipe here and there to accomodate my ingredient shortcomings.

So, in this vein, I've been considering a lamb and sweet potato stew/casserole whatever you'd like to call it, for some weeks. I had an (already cooked) 2lb hunk of lamb in the freezer asking to be used in a tasty way, invariably there are sweet potatoes in our kitchen in the winter and I happened across a delicious sounding, Martha Stewart, Moroccan influenced recipe, before Christmas, when I was having my brother's family of 5 coming to stay for 2 weeks. A lot of food was needed!

The recipe does not call for leftover lamb but it substituted more than nicely I thought and shortened the process somewhat (always a bonus in my life). It called for prunes and dried tart cherries and the cupboard was bare of cherries and almost so of prunes, so I substituted a few apricots for good measure. I also made a few other tweeks here and there but it turned out completely delicious. My 2 and 4 year old ate a rightly amount without much complaint (the 4 year old really does not like meat as a rule) but I've enough left to feed the 5 thousand! Yippee leftovers tomorrow, and it's friday too!!!

So here goes:

Leftover Lamb and Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger (I didnt have any and used ground)
2lb cooked lamb cut into 1 inch cubes.
olive oil
butter
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups beef stock (I substituted chicken)
1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes
8 medium carrots peeled and chopped in 1/2 inch pieces
3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup tart cherries (I substituted apricots)
1/2 cup prunes

Directions:

1. Combine the spices and toss with the lamb.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium high, in a dutch oven and toss in the lamb. Cook for approx 10 minutes then remove from the pan.
3. Add a knob of butter and the onions. Cook for 5 mins on medium then add the garlic and cook another 5 mins.
4. Add the stock, tomatoes, lamb and carrots. Simmer for approx 1 hour until thick and flavors are combined.
5. Preheat oven to 325°
6. Meanwhile place the sweet potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender, drain well, and mash with another knob of butter.
7. Spoon the potatoes directly on top of the lamb dish and place uncovered in the oven for 30 mins.
8. Enjoy!