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Broccoli Rice Casserole

August 21, 2014 by Kay Leave a Comment

Broccoli Rice Casserole is a comforting side dish filled with broccoli, rice and cheese and is sure to please even the finicky eaters!

As I sit and write this I am looking at my two cats, Oscars and Olives taking an afternoon nap. Oh, the life a cat leads. On long days like today I envy them, wishing I could snuggle up and take a nap. Unfortunately, that won’t happen today.

I just got home from work (my paying job) and am sitting down to work on my blog (my non-paying job). Don’t get me wrong, I love working on the blog but some days after getting home from work my mind is a bit blank and creativity is hard to come by.

I am also busy canning cucumbers this week. I am making dill pickles and sweet pickle relish. I received the best cucumbers for pickling from The Berry Dairy, the perfect height for pint sized jars and very little seeds, two things I find very important when canning dill pickle spears and relish.

Broccoli Rice Casserole can easily be made gluten free if that is a diet you follow. The cheese sauce used in Broccoli Rice Casserole is extra special because it uses two kinds of cheese, gouda and cheddar cheese. To the cheese sauce you add sauteed broccoli & onion and cooked rice. The casserole is topped with more cheese and baked until its bubbly and brown.

Feel free to serve this dish along side some grilled chicken or pork chops.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Rating: 51

Yield: 6 Servings

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 ½ - 4 cups broccoli, chopped into small pieces
3 tbsp. water
1 ½ tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. gluten free flour, or regular flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup half & half
1 cup milk, I used skim
1 cup gouda cheese, divided
¾ cup cheddar cheese divided
1 cup rice, cooked

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion. Cook the onion for 6-8 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and start to brown.
Add the broccoli and water to the pan, cook another 5 minutes, until the broccoli turns a bright green. Put the broccoli mixture in a bowl and set aside.
Add the pan back on the burner and add the butter to melt. Lower the temperature to medium and whisk in the flour, let cook for 2-3 minutes, working any lumps out of the mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil and once it is thick, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in ½ cup of the gouda cheese and ¼ cup of the cheddar cheese.
Stir in the broccoli mixture and the rice. Pour the casserole into a 2.5 quart baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Cook for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese starts to turn brown. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/broccoli-rice-casserole/

Saute the broccoli and onion.

Gouda & Cheddar Cheese is added to the sauce.

Stir in the rice, broccoli and onion mixture.

Add the mixture to your baking dish.

Top with more cheese!

Bake until golden brown.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Real Comfort Food

Every bite is delicious.

Beef Basil Stir Fry

May 12, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Beef Basil Stir Fry is a speedy recipe that you will have on the table in less than 30 minutes.

I like the combination of beef and basil in this recipe, they work well together. Normally you use fresh basil in Italian dishes, but adding basil to stir fry recipes is another great use for the herb.

The vegetables in this stir fry are onion, sweet pepper, snow peas and the surprise vegetable is kohlrabi. If you have never tried kohlrabi, I urge you to try it, it has a peppery flavor to it and adds a nice crunch to the stir fry. The sauce is made up of sweet chili sauce and soy sauce and if you like a little heat add some sriracha.

Enjoy!

Beef Basil Stir Fry

Rating: 41

Yield: 4 Servings

Beef Basil Stir Fry

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. New York Strip Steak, sliced thin
1 small onion, sliced
2 small or 1 large sweet pepper, chopped
1 kohlrabi, peeled & sliced
2 cups snow peas
½ cup sliced fresh basil plus more for garnish
¼ cups Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Rice, for serving
Sriracha, for serving

Instructions

In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the strip steak and cook for 4-5 minutes, just until cooked through. Transfer steak to a plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and add the onion, pepper and kohlrabi. Saute 3-4 minutes and add the snows peas. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and add the steak back into the pan.
Mix together the sweet chili sauce and soy sauce, add to the pan and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the ½ cup basil. Serve immediately over cooked rice, garnish with basil. Add sriracha if you like.

Notes

In place of kohlrabi, feel free to add matchstick carrots or broccoli to the stir fry.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/beef-basil-stir-fry/

Beef Basil Stir Fry

Serve the stir fry with rice.

Beef Basil Stir Fry

This recipe was featured on:

Flour Me with Love

I’m an Organizing Junkie

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

March 20, 2014 by Kay 11 Comments

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry is packed full of fresh vegetables & chicken and bathed in a rich sauce that is served over a bed of rice.

I know it’s easy to order Chinese, but I need to tell you, it’s easy to make Chinese dishes at home. Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

The sauce for the Cashew Chicken Stir Fry has chicken broth, molasses and soy sauce as the base with some spices thrown in for added flavor.

I used onion, pepper, carrots and asparagus for the vegetables. You can easily switch up the vegetables if you’d like. Broccoli, pea pods, zucchini or celery would work as well.

I topped off this dish with salted cashews. My hubby, Mr. B doesn’t care for nuts in his Chinese dishes, so I add them on top to my serving. You can easily add them in with the vegetables if you like.

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

I love the crunch of the cashews.

Asparagus in a stir fry is delicious.

The bright color of the peppers really stand out.

I use Basmati rice.

Enjoy!

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Rating: 51

Yield: 4 Servings

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp. red wine
1/4 tsp. cayenne
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
For the Chicken & Vegetables:
1 cup cashews, lightly salted
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium sweet peppers, chopped
6 - 8 asparagus spears, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 carrots, sliced

Instructions

Add the cornstarch to the chicken broth and whisk to combine. Add in 2 tbsp. olive oil and the rest of the sauce ingredients, whisk to combine and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium high heat add 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add in the chicken chunks, lightly salt & pepper and cook until cooked through, approx. 7-9 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the vegetables to the pan and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and stir to combine. Add in the sauce, bring to a boil and boil for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Serve over rice. Add cashews to the top.

Notes

You can add the cashews to the stir fry when you add the sauce.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/cashew-chicken-stir-fry/

Tamale Pie

January 15, 2014 by Kay 1 Comment

Tamale Pie is a layer of polenta with a mixture of rice, corn, beef and tomatoes baked on top. Are you familiar with polenta? It is corn meal mixed with a liquid and then it can be eaten directly, baked, fried or grilled. In this case, the polenta is baked at the bottom of the Tamale Pie.

The great thing about this recipe is the fact that you can freeze it if you wish. This recipe makes enough for two meals. I made half of the recipe in a 2.5 quart casserole dish and the rest of the recipe I split into ramekins to freeze and use at a later date.

As mentioned in Monday’s post, I made 2 pounds of ground chuck and split the meat between Monday’s Post for One Pot Pasta Dish and today I will use the rest of the meat for the Tamale Pie.

Tamale Pie

Brown the onion and ground chuck in the olive oil. Add in the spices, tomatoes, rice and corn and cook until it boils. Next you will make the polenta and divide evenly between your baking dishes.

Polenta

Now divide evenly the meat mixture between your baking dishes.

Divide the meat mixture.

Add parmesan cheese if you like but only to the portion you are going to bake right away.

Tamale Pie

To freeze, leave unbaked, cover in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tamale Pie

Rating: 41

Serving Size: 8 - 10 Servings

Tamale Pie

A mixture of polenta, beef, rice, corn and tomatoes come together to make a delicious pie.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pounds ground beef
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes (more if you like things spicy)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup rice, cooked
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
Cornmeal Crust (recipe below)
½ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
*Make filling: Brown ground beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until browned, drain the fat.
Reduce heat to medium and add the red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the crushed tomatoes, rice and corn. Cook mixture until it comes to a boil
Make Crust (recipe below). Pour 1/8 of the crust (1/4 cup) into the bottom of each of eight 10- to 12-ounce ramekins or use two, 2.5 quart baking dishes or a combination of both. Smooth tops with a spoon; cool 5 minutes. Top each with filling, dividing evenly; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake on a rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes for ramekins, 45 minutes for baking dishes.
*If you are going to make this recipe along with the All In One Pasta Dinner, you will use half of the beef mixture you browned before making the two recipes.
For the polenta:
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Whisk cornmeal with 1 1/2 cups cold water.
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/2 cups water, salt, and pepper to a boil.
Gradually stir in cornmeal mixture. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring often, until very thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted.

Notes

To freeze this dish, do not add cheese in step 3. Let pies cool completely; do not bake. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; freeze up to 3 months. To cook small pies: Remove plastic wrap from frozen pies, and cover with foil; bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with cheese, and bake 30 minutes more. To cook large pies: Defrost overnight in refrigerator. Sprinkle with cheese; bake, uncovered, 45 to 60 minutes.

https://www.lovefoodwillshare.com/tamale-pie/

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