Chicken, Lemon, and Dill with Orzo

This is another dish I tried during our trip to Oklahoma this summer. I've been waiting for it to be cool enough to make for dinner, and since it's currently 71 I'd say we've hit the right time. The recipe is originally from PBS Everyday Food.

This is quick to toss together (although it needs 40 minutes to cook) and has a nice, lemony flavor. If your kids refuse to eat anything "combined," as mine currently do, then just make the chicken a bit larger and serve it as "chicken and rice." They'll never know. :)

The recipe calls for chicken tenderloins, but I had some boneless, skinless thighs I needed to use instead.

Ingredients:

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth. I used the broth I made from trash and froze in 1 cup portions.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I left out 1/4 tsp salt and used salted butter)

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces (used chicken thighs, left them whole)

1 pound orzo

2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. Spray 3 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
   
2. While the liquid is coming to a boil, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice in the baking dish. Pour boiling broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate.
3. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

That's it--super easy, tasty, walk-away while it cooks convenience, and usually eaten by picky little geeks.

Green Beans Parmesan

Green bean casserole is awesome, but it's also a caloric/fat nightmare and full of sodium. This recipe is from a Jenny Craig cookbook, and I actually prefer it to traditional green bean casserole made with a can of soup and french-fried onions. It is lightest as written, but I usually use real butter (and sometimes more than it calls for) and more shallots. Just watch the beans or they'll get too mushy.

2 tsp reduced calorie margarine (or you could just use butter)
2 large shallots, sliced and separated into rings
1 lb fresh green beans
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese

1. Melt margarine/butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook 20 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Wash beans and remove ends. Place beans, chicken broth, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 12-14 minutes or until beans are tender. Drain beans and stir in shallots. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.

As recipe is written: 4 servings, 67 calories per serving (8.8 g carbs, 3.9 g protein, 2.6 g fat, 2.3 g fiber, 2 mg cholesterol, 171 mg sodium, exchange=2 veg, 2 WW pts).

Christina's Easy Cheesy Garlic & Rice

My friend Christina shared this recipe, and I've made it twice so far. This is my adapted version, which is a big hit with all the geeks and is so easy that I'll probably make it often, even though it's not exactly diet-friendly. I did what I could to move it that direction. :)

1 jar Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce (I've also used a store brand, which was ok)
1 can petite diced tomatoes, NOT drained
1 can chicken broth
1 cup shredded or diced cooked chicken (original recipe calls for 1 can, but I like using leftovers)
1 cup uncooked brown rice (original recipe calls for long grain)
2 cups shredded 2% Italian-blend cheese (or full-fat)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a baking dish and cover with foil.
Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes covered. Remove from oven, uncover, stir, and cook for an additonal 10-15 minutes (brown rice takes longer--sample some when you take it out and decide how long it needs at that point). If you want to be "fancy" you can save about 1/4 cup of the cheese and sprinkle it on the top at that point, or just sprinkle some additional parmesan or something.

The original recipe said to cook "until the top is brown and bubbly," but mine never got to that point (perhaps b/c of the 2% cheese). The first time I made it it cooked for absurdly long before I finally just tasted it and decided it was actually done.

This has to be the easiest casserole ever, and it takes about 5 minutes to throw together and then you can just walk away from it for 45 minutes. AWESOME for those nights when you just.can't.do.anything.else. Add a salad and you're good, and the leftovers are yummy the next day. Plus you can use up some leftover chicken.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is another fast and easy weeknight meal that uses leftovers and hardly any effort on the part of the cook. I adapted it from a recipe in Cooking Light, although I'm pretty sure it's not THAT light this way. But it's not too bad if you use the 2% cheese.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (tonight I used leftover roasted chicken, which was good, but any leftover chicken will do)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 28 oz jar of enchilada sauce (I like verde, but use whatever you have/like)
about 12 small corn tortillas
2 cups reduced-fat shredded mexican cheese blend, or sharp cheddar if that's what you can find.

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat over to 350.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender (about 4 min), then add garlic and saute another minute. Add chicken, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin and heat through; remove from heat. Note: You can play with the spices you add, or leave them out altogether, especially if you have a flavorful enchilada sauce. This would also be a good place to toss some leftover veggies. If you chop them up, it's possible no one will notice them.

In baking dish, spread about 2/3 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of pan. Cover with tortillas (I use two whole, then two broken in half, and then I break one of the halves into "fourths" and cover the holes). Place about half the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas. Top with a layer of cheese (about 1/3 of it). Add another layer of enchilada sauce, then tortillas, then chicken mixture, then cheese, then enchilada sauce, then tortillas. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Super easy, super good, and you can assemble it in advance if needed.

The Big Geek and I like this. Well, actually, I LOVE it. The little geek is not a huge fan. She had broccoli for dinner.