Chicken and Rice Florentine

3 cups cooked brown rice
1 10oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups cut up cooked chicken
1 cup chicken broth
1 can fat free cream of chicken soup (or 1 recipe cream of anything soup)
2 cups grated fat free cheese
1/2 TBS minced garlic

In a 13 x 9 pan evenly layer rice, spinach, and chicken. Assembly sauce from the remaining ingredients. Pour over the chicken and bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serves 9

Chicken Paprikash

12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts - cut into 1" pieces
(leftover cooked chicken works just as well)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup chopped scallions (can substitute chopped onion)
1 cup chopped bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Cook the chicken pieces well and remove to a plate to keep warm.

Add the scallions, bell pepper, and garlic to the pan. Stirring frequently, cook 4 - 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in paprika and thyme and cook 1 minute more.

Stir in the broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the mixture is reduced by half.

Stir in sour cream and add cooked chicken and simmer for 1 - 2 minutes or until heated through.

Server over hot brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Bulgur Pilaf

1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups stock
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1/2 cup frozen baby peas (optional)
a few mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
1 tbs olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Saute the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in the olive oil. If you add the mushrooms, saute them with the rest of the vegetables. I like to add a few pieces of broken whole-wheat spaghetti right as the vegetables are almost finished cooking. Add bulgur, salt, pepper, and bay leaf and toss to coat with the oil. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the frozen peas the last five minutes. Fluff with a fork and let rest five minutes before serving.

Couscous Curry

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp curry powder (I use 1 TBS because we like it HOT)
1 TBS parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cups couscous

Heat oil in heavy non-stick skilled over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot, and celery 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and curry powder and saute for about 2 minutes. Add water and parsley and heat until boiling. Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve.

I usually add a can of peas to this dish.

Dirty Rice

1 lb extra lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 TBS chopped parsley
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown rice
1 can beef broth
1 cup water

In large skillet, add beef and all vegetables, cooking until beef is done and carrots are tender. Add seasonings, stirring well. Add rice, broth, and water, mixing well. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, cover and cook 25-30 minutes for regular rice or 10 minutes for instant rice, cooking until rice is done.

Serves 6

Teriyaki Rice

1 cup brown rice
2 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS teriyaki sauce
1 TBS brown sugar

Heat broth to boil. Add salt and rice. Return to boil and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. Add onions, garlic, teriyaki sauce and brown sugar. Stir and reheat until the green onions are soft but not mushy.

Mexi-Snack

1 can fat free refried beans (I make my own from cooked pinto beans and freeze individual portions.
Diced jalapenos to taste
Salsa to taste
Fat free cheddar cheese

In small pan, mix all ingredients and heat until bubbly.

Serve with celery and green pepper strips.