Grilled Lemon Chicken and Crazy Brown Rice

If you're looking for something quick, easy and tasty for a weeknight meal look no further. Serve with a salad and you have a very tasty, healthy meal. Chicken cutlets cook up very quickly but you could also use chicken breasts and they will cook up pretty fast as well. My chicken cutlets were pretty small so I didn't need to use a lot of liquid. If you use breasts you may want to increase the amount of lemon juice.

Crazy Brown Rice...weird name, isn't it? That's the nice version of what Steve suggested I call it. Oh, he liked it, don't worry he just felt like busting my chops! The brown rice is something new that I bought from Trader Joe's. The rice comes in a box with three packages of two servings each. There are two ways to cook it, microwaved in the bag it comes in (like those veggies in a steamer bag)or in a pot on the stove top. I cooked it on the stove for about 10 minutes. If you have another brand of brown rice feel free to use it. You can use white rice as well. I was trying to be healthy and get Steve to try something new.

So here you have it. Grilled Lemon Chicken with Crazy Brown Rice. Delicious!


Grilled Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl, add chicken and allow each piece to get coated with mixture. Let chicken marinate for one hour.

Heat grill pan and drizzle with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through.



Crazy Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 package of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice (2 serving package)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini or 1 small baby zucchini
2 campari tomatoes, chopped
approx. 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
a splash of dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parsely, chopped


Directions:

Cook Rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking saute onions and garlic in oil. Add

Meanwhile, saute onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil. Once softened add zucchini and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and let them cook down, about 3-4 minutes, add wine and reduce, season with salt, pepper and parsley. Add cooked brown rice and toss with veggie mixture. Add more oil if it seems dry. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the rice before I arranged it on the plate. I really thought I did but the picture is nowhere to be found so I guess I didn't. Sorry!

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Crazy Brown Rice

If you're looking for something quick, easy and tasty for a weeknight meal look no further. Serve with a salad and you have a very tasty, healthy meal. Chicken cutlets cook up very quickly but you could also use chicken breasts and they will cook up pretty fast as well. My chicken cutlets were pretty small so I didn't need to use a lot of liquid. If you use breasts you may want to increase the amount of lemon juice.

Crazy Brown Rice...weird name, isn't it? That's the nice version of what Steve suggested I call it. Oh, he liked it, don't worry he just felt like busting my chops! The brown rice is something new that I bought from Trader Joe's. The rice comes in a box with three packages of two servings each. There are two ways to cook it, microwaved in the bag it comes in (like those veggies in a steamer bag)or in a pot on the stove top. I cooked it on the stove for about 10 minutes. If you have another brand of brown rice feel free to use it. You can use white rice as well. I was trying to be healthy and get Steve to try something new.

So here you have it. Grilled Lemon Chicken with Crazy Brown Rice. Delicious!


Grilled Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl, add chicken and allow each piece to get coated with mixture. Let chicken marinate for one hour.

Heat grill pan and drizzle with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through.



Crazy Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 package of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice (2 serving package)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini or 1 small baby zucchini
2 campari tomatoes, chopped
approx. 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
a splash of dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parsely, chopped


Directions:

Cook Rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking saute onions and garlic in oil. Add

Meanwhile, saute onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil. Once softened add zucchini and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and let them cook down, about 3-4 minutes, add wine and reduce, season with salt, pepper and parsley. Add cooked brown rice and toss with veggie mixture. Add more oil if it seems dry. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the rice before I arranged it on the plate. I really thought I did but the picture is nowhere to be found so I guess I didn't. Sorry!

Nanny's Baked Rice and A Rice Cooker

Fridays during lent are always meat free for Catholics and when you get tired of pizza or ailo oilo (pasta with garlic and oil) you need to use a bit of creativity. Nanny would make some white rice, mix it with sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese, put it in a pyrex, top it with some breadcrumbs and bake it until the top becomes crispy. It was always very satisfying for me. When I decided to make this for Steve the first time I knew that he would want a little more added to it for it to be considrered a whole meal. That's how I came up with this. Nanny's version is like a rice ball and mine is like a sicilian rice ball. Make this either way or both ways, they are both great. If you don't like peas you can leave them out or put less in. When I made this last night I only had a couple of handfuls of peas in my freezer and it was still great.

Thanks to my friends over at Bakespace I purchased a rice cooker and used it for the first time yesterday. Eric found this great deal for a 3 cup rice cooker for only $9.99!!!



It was great! I never have to worry about my rice being too mushy ever again! The best part is that it's small enough for me to find a space for in the closet. That was my biggest concern but it turned out to not to be an issue at all. Thanks Eric and all my bakespace friends!

Nanny's Baked Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of white rice, uncooked
1 can crushed tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb 85% ground beef
1 small package of frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 package of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Italian Style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook rice, set aside. Meanwhile in a small saucepan sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add basil and let it cook for 1 minute to let flavor release. Add tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar; if too thick add a little water (swish in can). Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. While sauce is cooking prepare ground beef. Season beef with salt pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and brown in a nonstick pan (no oil needed if using a nonstick pan). Be sure to constantly break up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain fat. Ladle a little sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular Pyrex dish to prevent rice from sticking. In a large bowl combine rice, mozzarella, ground beef, peas and Parmesan cheese, adding a little sauce at a time. Do not want it to be too wet or too dry. May not need to use all the sauce. Add mixture to baking dish, spreading out and pressing down with spatula. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Place under broiler to crisp the top if necessary

Nanny's Baked Rice and A Rice Cooker

Fridays during lent are always meat free for Catholics and when you get tired of pizza or ailo oilo (pasta with garlic and oil) you need to use a bit of creativity. Nanny would make some white rice, mix it with sauce, mozzarella and grated cheese, put it in a pyrex, top it with some breadcrumbs and bake it until the top becomes crispy. It was always very satisfying for me. When I decided to make this for Steve the first time I knew that he would want a little more added to it for it to be considrered a whole meal. That's how I came up with this. Nanny's version is like a rice ball and mine is like a sicilian rice ball. Make this either way or both ways, they are both great. If you don't like peas you can leave them out or put less in. When I made this last night I only had a couple of handfuls of peas in my freezer and it was still great.

Thanks to my friends over at Bakespace I purchased a rice cooker and used it for the first time yesterday. Eric found this great deal for a 3 cup rice cooker for only $9.99!!!



It was great! I never have to worry about my rice being too mushy ever again! The best part is that it's small enough for me to find a space for in the closet. That was my biggest concern but it turned out to not to be an issue at all. Thanks Eric and all my bakespace friends!

Nanny's Baked Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup of white rice, uncooked
1 can crushed tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 lb 85% ground beef
1 small package of frozen peas, defrosted
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1 package of shredded mozzarella
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Italian Style breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook rice, set aside. Meanwhile in a small saucepan sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add basil and let it cook for 1 minute to let flavor release. Add tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar; if too thick add a little water (swish in can). Let cook for 30 to 40 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. While sauce is cooking prepare ground beef. Season beef with salt pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder and brown in a nonstick pan (no oil needed if using a nonstick pan). Be sure to constantly break up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain fat. Ladle a little sauce on the bottom of a large rectangular Pyrex dish to prevent rice from sticking. In a large bowl combine rice, mozzarella, ground beef, peas and Parmesan cheese, adding a little sauce at a time. Do not want it to be too wet or too dry. May not need to use all the sauce. Add mixture to baking dish, spreading out and pressing down with spatula. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Place under broiler to crisp the top if necessary

Nanny's Special Touch - Danielle's Reflection

My sister Danielle wrote a few words describing her memories of Nanny. Stay tuned for the recipe and photos of Nanny's Baked Rice.


"Wow…I have so many memories of Nanny. She really was such a special person to everyone. When it comes to food, Nanny was on the top of the list of the yummiest, quick, creative and simple dishes. I think about the things she made all the time and wish that I was smart enough to pay more attention to all the things she made so well. My food memories of her go from the littlest of desserts to the large meals she prepared.
Nanny had a way about her cooking that no matter what it was she made, it just tasted better because she made it. Even when she would make vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding it just tasted better. I remember she would call up to me at night from the bottom of the stairs telling me to come down to the basement. She would have a little serving of the pudding waiting for me and we would enjoy it together. Even breakfast was delicious. She would make farina from a box but put an egg in it and who knows what else and it was so good. I really wish I knew what it was because I think my kids would enjoy it. When she didn’t know what to make for lunch, I remember her making a little bit of pastina and you would just crave more of it. She would add an egg, then she would take out a frozen container of sauce from the freezer and just scoop some out (frozen and all…for an elderly person she was very strong) and add it to the pastina. Oh my gosh…it tasted DELICIOUS!!!! This is what I mean when I say she was creative. She would just mix a few things together and there you have it….an outrageous lunch or dinner.
One of my favorite dinners that Nanny made was her Baked Rice. Again, it was nothing complicated but it was so good. It was rice with chopped meat, mozzarella cheese, grated cheese, and sauce all mixed together in a pyrex dish. She would put it in the oven and there you have it. It was so good I can taste it now. That is one recipe of hers that I make often in the winter. Sofia and TJ don’t eat it (they don’t eat anything) but Thomas, myself and Emily really enjoy it. My food memories of Nanny go on and on. I could write a book with just the little things that she did. Thinking back I see how lucky we were to have her living with us thoughout our childhood. Because she was always there we are able to keep her memory alive even with the little things."

Nanny's Special Touch - Danielle's Reflection

My sister Danielle wrote a few words describing her memories of Nanny. Stay tuned for the recipe and photos of Nanny's Baked Rice.


"Wow…I have so many memories of Nanny. She really was such a special person to everyone. When it comes to food, Nanny was on the top of the list of the yummiest, quick, creative and simple dishes. I think about the things she made all the time and wish that I was smart enough to pay more attention to all the things she made so well. My food memories of her go from the littlest of desserts to the large meals she prepared.
Nanny had a way about her cooking that no matter what it was she made, it just tasted better because she made it. Even when she would make vanilla pudding and tapioca pudding it just tasted better. I remember she would call up to me at night from the bottom of the stairs telling me to come down to the basement. She would have a little serving of the pudding waiting for me and we would enjoy it together. Even breakfast was delicious. She would make farina from a box but put an egg in it and who knows what else and it was so good. I really wish I knew what it was because I think my kids would enjoy it. When she didn’t know what to make for lunch, I remember her making a little bit of pastina and you would just crave more of it. She would add an egg, then she would take out a frozen container of sauce from the freezer and just scoop some out (frozen and all…for an elderly person she was very strong) and add it to the pastina. Oh my gosh…it tasted DELICIOUS!!!! This is what I mean when I say she was creative. She would just mix a few things together and there you have it….an outrageous lunch or dinner.
One of my favorite dinners that Nanny made was her Baked Rice. Again, it was nothing complicated but it was so good. It was rice with chopped meat, mozzarella cheese, grated cheese, and sauce all mixed together in a pyrex dish. She would put it in the oven and there you have it. It was so good I can taste it now. That is one recipe of hers that I make often in the winter. Sofia and TJ don’t eat it (they don’t eat anything) but Thomas, myself and Emily really enjoy it. My food memories of Nanny go on and on. I could write a book with just the little things that she did. Thinking back I see how lucky we were to have her living with us thoughout our childhood. Because she was always there we are able to keep her memory alive even with the little things."