Chicken Chard and Rice Casserole

So if you read yesterday, you know that we are doing some veggie clean-up in the fridge this week. We had a nice bunch of rainbow chard in the fridge, and if you have ever bought chard you know that it goes limp faster than, well, you get the idea. The chard needed to be eaten, like, yesterday. So I monkeyed with another Moosewood recipe. Turned out pretty good and very filling.

Chicken Chard and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T. oil
1/4 c. chicken broth (or water)

2 c. uncooked brown rice
1 T. butter
1 onion, minced
1 bunch of chard, stems removed and chopped (you can sub spinach or any other green)
salt and pepper
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. cayenne
2 T. Dijon mustard
3 beaten eggs
1 1/4 c. milk
1 1/2 c. grated cheddar or swiss

Put the rice in a rice cooker with 3 c. of water and turn to cook (start this right away!).

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a medium cast iron skillet over medium high with 2 T. of oil in it (I used canola). When it's hot, place the chicken in and salt and pepper. Brown for a few minutes then flip. Give the second side another couple minutes, then add the broth and cover, turn to medium. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, until middle runs clear. Remove chicken to a cutting board to rest and cool.

Chop your onion, then turn a large pan on medium and add the butter (if you are anti-butter you can sub oil but please don't let me know of this crazy perversion). Saute the onions until translucent and maybe just starting to brown on the edge.

While the onions cook, de-stem and chop up the greens and mince the garlic. When the onions are clear, add the garlic, greens, and salt and pepper. Stir frequently and cook about 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Pam a 13x9 pan. Chop or shred the chicken (it should be well rested by now, must be nice). Add the rice and the greens mixture. In a bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the mustard, spices, milk, and cheese. Add this to the pan and stir everything until well incorporated. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is set.

Sloppy Joes

We are pretty fancy around here. Like most families, we enjoy gourmet offerings like pizza, spaghetti, tacos ... Try not to be too impressed, especially when my kid uses his sleeve or the tablecloth as a napkin. Winter makes me hungry for rich comfort fare, and my selections on pinterest lately have reflected that. I saw a pin of a veggie-heavy sloppy joe recipe from an Australian blog, and the picture looked so good I decided to make my own. I had some leftover canned spaghetti sauce from a crock pot recipe earlier this week, so I used that instead of tomato paste and water. 

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 1/2 c. mushrooms, diced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 packed cup raw spinach, chopped
2 c. prepared spaghetti sauce (I used a spicier one, use any brand you like)
black pepper to taste
1/2 packet sloppy joe seasoning (I just used half since the sauce was already seasoned)
1 T. rooster sauce*
Whole wheat hamburger buns

Heat a large pan on medium until hot, add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot. While it cooks, chop the mushrooms. Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pan and stir. While the mixture cooks, chop the spinach, set aside. When the onions are translucent, add the ground beef and brown, stirring fairly often to break up the burger. Add the spaghetti sauce, spinach, 1/2 the seasoning packet, black pepper, and rooster (sriracha) sauce. Stir another few minutes, until sauce is warm and flavors blend a bit. Spoon onto toasted hamburger buns and serve.

*optional