Cilantro Lime Rice

Apparently this recipe is a Chipotle copycat; all I know is that it's delicious!  Thanks, Nikki!

Here's the recipe copied directly from her blog (and thank you, Pinterest!):
Serves 4

2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
1 Cup Jasmine Rice, Uncooked
1 Large Lime, Zested and Juiced (or 2 small)
2 Cloves Garlic - Crushed
2 TBS Butter, cut into small cubes
1 Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
1 large handful of FRESH Cilantro (Must be fresh or frozen, no dried) chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the rice with the chicken stock according to the directions on the bag. Here's a tip for cooking rice - Don't touch it while cooking! The best thing that you can do when making rice is bring your liquids to a boil, add your rice and stir for 1 minute, then put the lid on and lower your heat to low and leave it alone until its done.  When your timer goes off, keep that lid on and remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes and you'll have beautiful fluffy rice every time.  If you take the lid off and stir it, or fuss with it, the rice tends to get all clumpy which is not what you want.

While the rice is cooking, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and set aside. After you've let your rice sit for the 5 minutes, pour the bowl over the rice and mix well, serve along side some grilled chicken or in your favorite burritos!

Alternate uses for dressing: If you substitute the butter for 2 TBS of olive oil in the dressing you can use this to marinate Chicken, Pork, or Steak! It's a fantastic all purpose dressing that I've changed up in numerous ways and it always impresses.  Enjoy!

Kale, Cannellini Beans, and Potato Soup

6-8 servings
15 minutes prep
1 hour cooking time

 2 Tbsp EVOO
1 large onion, diced
3/4 C chopped carrots
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 C low-sodium chicken broth
2 C water
1 C white wine
3-4 potatoes, cut in chunks
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sage
1 tsp thyme
1 16 oz can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
2 C finely chopped kale leaves
1 small red chile pepper, seeded, chopped fine (optional)
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir the onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes more.Pour in the chicken broth, water, and white wine; stir in the potatoes, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the cannelini beans, kale, chile pepper, and black pepper, and simmer, covered, for 30 more minutes.

Cream Cheesy Pesto Chicken

1 tsp oil
4-6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 C cream cheese
1/3 C chicken broth
2 Tbsp pesto

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 6-8 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm. Add cream cheese to skillet; cook on medium heat until melted, stirring constantly. Whisk in broth and pesto; cook and stir 2-3 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and well blended. Pour over chicken. Serve with rice.

Smoked Cheese Ravioli

one 16- to 25-oz bag frozen ravioli (cheese or beef)
one small bunch kale, torn into bite-size pieces
1 c. milk [I used 1%.]
8 oz. smoked Gouda, grated
1tsp dried parsley
1 tsp pepper
dash nutmeg

While the water is boiling, grate the Gouda.  Begin stirring the milk over medium heat.  Add cheese and stir often.

When water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the package.  During the last four minutes, add the kale.  Add the parsley and spices to the melted cheese.  Continue stirring.

When the pasta is done, drain.  Return to pot and add cheese sauce.

Apple Oatmeal

4 crisp apples
1 c. steel-cut oats
4 c. water
3 TBSP packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
optional: 1/2 c. honey vanilla or vanilla Greek yogurt

Shred two of the apples using the largest holes of a box grater.

Over med.-high heat, lightly toast the oats (about 2 min.).  Add the water and shredded apples and bring to a boil.  Simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the other two apples.

Add the apples and spices and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes more, until apples are tender and the oatmean is quite thick.

Serve with a dollop of yogurt if desired.

Click HERE for the original Eating Well recipe.

Ravioli Casserole

(6-8 servings)
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed (or fresh)
16 oz bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 1/2 C mozzarella, shredded - divided

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Put in crockpot and add sauce, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Mix the last four ingredients together, reserving 1/2 C of mozzarella; add to crockpot during the last 30 minutes of cooking, turning crockpot to high. Add 1/2 C mozzarella to melt on top.

Marinated Brussel Sprouts

2 10 oz packages frozen Brussel sprouts (or cook fresh)
1 ½ C sugar
1 C cider vinegar
5 Tbsp horseradish
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp dry mustard

Cook sprouts until tender, then drain. Heat vinegar, add sugar to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients, and pour over sprouts (sprouts can be cut in half before marinating, if desired). Refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight. Drain, and put in bowl, reserving some of the liquid in case any are left over. Enjoy! Diana Miller