Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice

When I'm in the mood for comfort food, I reach for this recipe. And as the weather gets colder, who isn't in the mood for comfort food?

Ingredients:

6 pieces bone-in chicken (we use legs or thighs)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced onion
salt & pepper to taste
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs sour cream

Place chicken in crock pot. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Cook 6-8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High. 20 minutes before serving, remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Remove cooking liquid from the heat and whisk in sour cream until smooth. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones. Place shredded meat into the gravy and return to the heat. Serve warm over brown or white rice.

Enjoy!

Grandma's Chicken-Broccoli Bake

When NanaJane makes this dish, it is called Chicken Divan. Grandma has a variety of homespun names for it. I found it filed under three such names in my recipe box... all the same recipe, and all delicious. This is an all-in-one dinner just perfect for a rainy day.

Ingredients

8 cups cooked rice
(I prefer jasmine rice, but brown rice is also delicious)
8 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
salt & pepper to taste
seasoned salt to taste
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
6 tbs. fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons worth)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion, minced
10 oz. frozen broccoli
(or 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli, blanched)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9x13 casserole dish, place rice in an even layer. Cover evenly with cooked chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. In a separate bowl, mix together the sour cream, soups, lemon juice, garlic, and onion. Spread rice and chicken with half this mixture. Layer the broccoli on top, followed by the remaining half of the soup mixture. Sprinkle cheese over all and top with breadcrumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Red Lentils with Garlic

As I've mentioned before in this blog, we try to eat one vegetarian meal each week in our household. It is one way we introduce our children to new tastes from different parts of the world. I am beholden to Mahur Jaffrey for inspiring this wonderful dish. If you haven't read her book, World Vegetarian (Random House, 1999), I would heartily recommend it. The initial cooking method for the red lentils is hers, the flavoring afterward -- my own. We like it best served with Thai jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils, sorted and washed 3 times
4 cups water
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. salt

2 tbs. canola oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbs. snipped chives
salt & pepper to taste

Begin by sorting and washing the lentils in several changes of water. You want the cooking water to be fairly clear, not murky. Bring lentils and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Skim off the foam that rises to the surface of the water. Add the turmeric (this will give it a lovely bright yellow color) and stir. Place lid on pot so that it is slightly vented, or open the steam vent slightly if you have one. Cook gently on low heat for 40-50 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add salt and stir. Remove lid to allow some water to evaporate and turn off the heat.

In a small frying pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds and fry until they pop. Add cayenne pepper and garlic, heating over medium heat to brown and soften garlic cloves. They should brown on all sides, but not scorch. Once garlic is soft, slightly mash with a fork into spiced oil. Pour contents of pan into lentils and stir.

Allow lentil liquid to reduce and flavors to combine by again placing uncovered pot over low heat while you cook the rice. 2-3 minutes before serving, stir lemon juice and chives into lentils. The chives will turn bright green against the beautiful yellow of the lentils.

Enjoy!