Chicken, Broccoli and Rice "Pie"

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate.  --Julia Child

The beauty and luxury of Central Air is finally sinking in. I've just realized that I can turn the oven on when it is 98 degrees outside and still maintain a comfy 72 degrees inside.  Awesome!  For those of you who don't have CA, maybe wait for a cooler evening to try this one? Or, bring a few more fans into the kitchen area? It's worth it...

I wanted to clear out the freezer a bit, so I whipped up a quick "casserole" using a few chicken breasts, broccoli, brown rice, and shredded cheese that were in there. 

I don't like the bad reputation a "casserole" often brings with it, so I put mine in a pie dish instead. It's not a casserole. It's a pie. And everyone likes pie!  Served with a fun salad of mesclun, dried cranberries, apples, pecans, cheese, and a nice balsamic vinaigrette, this "pie" made for a pretty tasty home-cooked meal.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice "Pie"

1 head garlic, minced

1/4 leek (white part only, washed and thinly sliced)

2 TBS olive oil

4 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless)

1 14 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets

1 10 oz. bag frozen brown rice (look for Birds Eye Steamfresh plain brown rice, or just use about 2 cups of cooked brown rice)

1 8 oz. bag Kraft shredded Italian, 5 Cheese

2 TBS Philadelphia Cooking Creme (plain)

1 TBS goat cheese (optional, but recommended)

2 TBS bread crumbs (seasoned or unseasoned is fine)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Do:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
• Spray a normal pie plate with non-stick olive oil and set aside.  
• Saute the chicken breasts in the garlic, leeks and olive oil until cooked through -- don't overcook it, you want it to stay juicy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool a bit.  
• In the meantime, toss your Steamfresh bag of rice in the microwave. Add the broccoli to your chicken pan. Do not cook through -- just heat through until the pieces are unfrozen and the water has evaporated.  
• Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and add back to the pan with the broccoli.  
• Your rice should be done -- carefully open the bag and add the rice to the chicken and broccoli and turn off the heat.  
• Stir in the goat cheese and cream cheese until incorporated. If you want it more garlicky, add a teaspoon or two of garlic powder now.  Add salt/pepper to taste. Note: I also stirred in some dried parsley and thyme.
• Stir in half of the cheddar cheese.

• Transfer the mixture to the pie plate, top with the rest of the cheese and the bread crumbs, then bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the breadcrumbs have browned.

• Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.

Yum!

xoxoxo

Other Ideas:

You could also try switching out the chicken, broccoli and cheddar with:

 - Ham, mushrooms and swiss

 - Ground turkey, green peppers, monterey jack and salsa

 - Bacon, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella

I Heart Simplicity

I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child

I've been having one of those crazy, busy, stressful weeks -- the kind that make Friday seem like it will never get here.  The type that make me excited about coming home to make butternut squash soup, not because I'm in the mood to cook-- but so I can have a swig from the brandy bottle...

As I was walking home from the train station, I remembered we were almost out of milk.  I nearly passed our lovely gourmet grocer, telling myself we had a few boxes of "little milks" that could get us through to the weekend, but then I remembered how just walking into the store calms me.  So, I went in, grabbed a basket (instead of a cart so I wouldn't go overboard) and walked the aisles.  I always like to pick up one or two items I've never tried before, and tonight I hit the jackpot!

See if you can find them near you...I would love to hear if you'll be using them or not, or maybe you're way ahead of me and have already given them a try!

Simply Heinz:  Favorite tomato ketchup, but with no High Fructose Corn Syrup!  I have been trying to cut out corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup from my diet since before Thanksgiving, and the one thing I wouldn't give up was Heinz ketchup. I grew up outside of Pittsburgh and it is a sacrilege to use any kind other than Heinz.  So, I was thrilled when a friend pulled it out of her fridge on Superbowl Sunday.  It tastes terrific -- sugar replaces the syrup, and I can finally stop feeling guilty. Awesome!

Pomi Chopped Tomatoes: "No preservatives, colouring agents or GMOs (genetically modified organisms), only one ingredient: fresh sun ripened tomatoes chopped in delicious chunks and packed in the area of production bringing directly to the table an incomparable taste."  Also available: strained tomatoes and marinara sauce. I like not having to worry about BPA (Bisphenol A) and hate the "tinny" taste that canned tomatoes sometimes have. These really are the next best thing to fresh tomatoes--bright, great flavor.  They will get me through the rest of the winter until I can have some local Jersey Fresh tomatoes at my disposal.

Haddon House Tomolives: Pickled Green Tomatoes...need I say more?  They are tangy and briny and almost remind me of sour grapes.  I tossed a handful in a salad and ate another handful right out of the jar.  And, they wouldn't be terrible as a cocktail garnish either...martini, anyone?

And, finally, the coup de grace:

Philadelphia Cooking Creme: Spoonable cream cheese. It was available in original and Italian Cheese & Herb, and the instant I saw it, I thought "Stuffed Shells!" My secret to the fluffy, creamy filling in my lasagna rolls and stuffed shells is adding cream cheese and fresh herbs or flavored cheese spread to my ricotta...now it will be even easier and I can just imagine how great a dollop of this on top right before serving could take it to a whole new level of rich and creaminess.  Yes, this is the one item that has more than five ingredients listed, but come on...you have to love something this smart!


Anyway, I did remember the milk, and the squash soup came out lovely.  But, we are now out of brandy...back to the store!


xoxoxo