Oven Baked Creamy, Cheesy, Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

Diane Smith is one of my go-to cooks on the internet. So when she posts a yummy recipe (especially a casserole), you can be sure I'm right there, writing down the ingredients and making plans to put her good cooking and excellent instincts to a test run in my kitchen.  This dish is inspired by Diane and I sure do have to give her the credit for her timing in cooking brown rice in the oven. As many of you know, I am seriously brown rice impaired, and Diane made it simple for me to pull together a perfectly cooked, creamy chicken and rice dish in one pot no less. Her original recipe can be found here, and it's made with poppy seeds. I am not so much a poppy seed fan, but love the combo of creamy, cheesy anything and want to share my little journey putting this beautiful and tasty oven baked dish together. Warning- It's not a 45 minute casserole, but worth every minute in the oven.

Oven Baked Chicken and and Brown Rice with Tarragon, Dijon and White Wine
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 c uncooked brown rice
salt and pepper
8 oz cheddar cheese grated
2 large boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1 10 oz can non fat/low sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c lite sour cream
1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 to 1-1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c dry white wine (I used chardonnay)
1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed
1/4 c unsalted butter melted

Let's cook: Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray or butter. I was feeling decadent and used the butter, (good choice I decided later). Spread uncooked rice evenly over prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Spread 1/2 the cheese over rice and place chicken on top.

Sprinkle a little more salt and pepper on top of the chicken. Set the chicken aside and mix your condensed soup, sour cream, tarragon and Dijon mustard

Spread mixture on top of seasoned chicken. In a medium size measuring cup, combine chicken broth, and wine and pour over the top of the casserole. This flavorful liquid along with the condensed soup is going to magically cook your chicken and rice to perfection. Looks good already, doesn't it?

 Place casserole uncovered in oven and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

And now my favorite part...the Ritz crackers and butter. Top casserole with the crackers and drizzle butter lovingly on top of the crackers. Place casserole back in oven.

 Bake another 25 minutes and dinner is done. And well worth waiting for. How delish is this?

I'll answer that since you haven't made it yet. It's creamy, cheesy, crunchy, and oh! so flavorful. It tastes like a meal fit for a king or queen. Plus the possibilities for this dish are endless. I might add some veggies next time- like baby peas or asparagus. Or some roasted red peppers. As I said to Diane, "this is not just a recipe- it's another way of cooking chicken and rice to perfection.... which is not easy!" As always, thanks Diane for a wonderful cooking experience! Loved every minute, especially the eating part. LD

Almost Vegetarian Lasagna for Two

This is kind of a take off from my "Ladies Who Lunch" crepe post. But it's easier and perfect for two people. No left overs and no rolling. But beware, there are egg roll wrappers involved (hey, I've got a few left over from my egg roll mania). Here's what you'll need to put this together:

Almost Vegetarian Lasagna for Two
serves 2 as a dinner and 4 as an appetizer

12 asparagus spears
2 T canola oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 small onion chopped
1 large clove garlic finely diced
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
3 low fat mozzarella sticks, each cut into 4 slices
3 egg roll wrappers
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup (I originally planned on using cream of mushroom, but I surprisingly didn't have any on hand)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
approximately 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T seasoned bread crumbs
1 scallion chopped for garnish

In a microve safe dish, place your asparagus and a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. In large skillet on medium heat add oil, onions and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes and then add the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook about 5-7 minutes until mushrooms are brown and cooked through. Set aside.

Before we begin the assembly of the lasagna, let's make the yummy sauce on the stove top. In small skillet combine soup, wine, water and tarragon. Heat it long enough (stirring occasionally) until the mixture becomes smooth. While the sauce is heating, spray an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place an egg roll wrapper on top of the spray and top with half the mushroom mixture.

Now add half the cooked asparagus and half of the sliced mozzarella cheese logs. I think you can see where I'm going with this. Cheesey goodness with yummy veggies.

Top with another egg roll wrapper and repeat the process- mushroom mixture, cheese and asparagus. Cover with the last wrapper and pour your wine/soup mixture on top. It may look like you have a lot of sauce- yeah you do, but it's a good thing to have because it soaks into the noodles and you can drizzle it over the crusty topping of your lasagna when serving. Top with the Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes and serve. Just slice it in half and garnish with sliced scallion.

Egg Roll Chronicles Part 2

I can't promise, but I'm thinking this should be the last of the egg roll saga for a while. Not that I don't love them; they have been, and still are the closest thing (besides humans) to my heart. But I'm becomming obsessive and just can't stop once again thinking about them. And I need to control this behavior. So let's put my weirdness aside for the moment and concentrate on today's concoction: Asparagus, Cheese, and Salami Egg Rolls with a Taragon Mustard Cream Sauce. Doesn't that sound good? And yes it is. The picture above doesn't have the tarragon in the sauce because by the time I made the final version my camera needed a re-charge. Anyway, here's the recipe. I simply adored it!

Asparagus, Cheese, and Salami Egg Rolls with a Taragon Mustard Cream Sauce
serves two

4 egg roll wrappers
12 pre cooked asparagus spears
3 slices of low fat Swiss cheese sliced into strips- I'm still hooked on Alpine Lace, I think their's is the best
4 rounds of thinly sliced Genoa salami
Dijon mustard- for the wrappers and also the egg wash
1 egg
Water
Store bought Italian bread crumbs
Grated Romano cheese
Canola oil for frying

For the sauce:
this was an eyeball type of thing, no exact measurements, just keep tasting
Dijon mustard
Sour cream- I use the Light
Rice vinegar
Mayo- again I use the Light
Fresh tarragon chopped

I think I've covered all the bases with the ingredients so let's get cooking. I love fresh asparagus and have found that if I cook them covered, in the microwave for 1-1/2 minutes with a bit of sea salt and a tablespoon or two of water they turn out great when I'm going to be cooking them again.

So cook your asparagus and let them cool. On each of 4 egg roll wrappers give a squeeze of Dijon mustard on the lower half (if you don't have the squeeze bottle, use a spoon).

Now layer on a slice of salami, 3 spears of the cooked asparagus and some Swiss cheese.

Roll up egg roll style and make an egg wash combining the egg, mustard and water. Apply the egg wash and roll in the bread crumb/Romano cheese mixture. That would be even parts of the bread and cheese.

Now doesn't that look good already?  Set your rolled egg rolls aside and make the sauce. Combine mustard, sour cream, mayo and vinegar and stir to combine. I added a little water too, to thin it out a bit, but I'm not sure if that's necessary. Add a teaspoon of fresh tarragon (dried would be fine too) and set aside.

In a large saute pan add a thin layer of canola oil and get ready to cook these little darlings on medium heat for about 2 minutes per side (including the shallow sides) just so it's brown all over. Plate and serve. Heaven! Yes, it was heaven. Love the sauce, love the meat, cheese and veggie combo. And you know me, the mustard cream sauce sent me over the top.

For Ladies who Lunch

I'm once again playing with egg roll wrappers and made a rather healthy dinner that would also be a great entree for lunch. It's fresh asparagus, chicken, mushrooms and Swiss cheese rolled up with a creamy tarragon wine sauce. Doesn't that sound good? It reminds me of the days when I used to frequent the restaurant The Magic Pan, but instead of crepes, the dish is made with egg rolls, which are easy to find in your supermarket, save a lot of time, and it's one less pan to clean at the end of the meal.

Asparagus Crepes
makes 5

5 egg roll wrappers
15 fresh asparagus spears
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp unsalted butter
4 oz mushrooms sliced
1 small onion diced
4 oz Swiss cheese shredded, I like Alpine Lace (lower fat)
1 chicken breast sliced, I use the rotisserie from my market
1 can cream of chicken soup, I use the 98% fat free
1/3 cup white wine, love chardonnay
1 T fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup water
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
Black pepper to taste

Saute mushrooms and onions on medium low heat in oil and butter.

While the mushrooms are cooking, clean the asparagus. For this dish, I peeled the lower parts of the spears to get rid of the woodiness. You want them to be tender and this is the solution. Place asparagus in boiling salted water and cook 3-4 minutes. Run under cool water to stop the cooking. Slice the chicken breast and get ready to make the simple sauce.

In medium size sauce pan combine soup, wine, water, tarragon, lemon juice and pepper.  Heat until almost boiling. Turn heat off and get ready to assemble your egg roll crepes. Also, now's the time to pre heat your oven at 350 degrees.

Take one egg roll wrapper and place 3 asparagus in the middle. Top with mushroom onion mixture.

Top with sliced chicken and cheese. Looking good so far, don't you think?

Fold both sides of the wrapper over the asparagus mixture and place in baking pan (seam side down). I coated the pan with cookin spray, not sure that's even necessary.

Repeat the rolling process 4 more times, cover with sauce and bake 25 minutes. I covered mine with aluminum foil but I think you don't even have to do that.

Serve this with a green salad and a nice glass of wine. It's a bit dainty, but a perfect meal when you're planning on chocolate cake for dessert.