Butternut Squash Risotto

As a dance teacher, I work nights. Not all night and not every night but enough that I need to have things in my recipe arsenal that are easy for Brian (or a babysitter) to heat up and give the Ballerina for dinner when I am busy. 

Lucky for us, she is not a very picky eater. Yet. 

She loves almost all meats, cheese, and most fruits & vegetables. 

As with most risotto recipes it can be a bit time consuming but Ballerina loves this and it lasts the entire week! 

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash

1/2 a white onion- finely chopped

1/4 cup apple juice

1 cup aborio rice

3 cups chicken broth- unsalted

2 tablespoons butter

In a large saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Then add the rice and onion. 

Once the onion is translucent, add your butternut squash. 

Lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes.

While that cooks add your 1/4 cup apple juice to 3 cups chicken broth.

Slowly add broth mix to your rice. Stirring as you add. 

(I normally add one ladle full every 1 minute) 

Once all the broth has been added, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Until all liquid is absorbed. 

Feel free to add shredded parmesen cheese in the last few minutes. (We don't because I never have any around!)

I normally put ours directly into a plastic tub and serve small bowls to Ballerina throughout the week. 

It makes plenty!! 

Happy Cooking!

-Whitney 

Black Bean Turkey Chili

 Not sure what everyone else ate during the Super Bowl, but at our house... it is a chili day!

This is our newest chili recipe at the Brown house and we LOVE it!!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

1 white onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

3 cans black beans

1 can diced green chiles

2 cans stewed tomatoes

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves 

In a large frying pan cook your onions in olive oil over medium high heat until transparent.

After about 1 minute, add the garlic.

Once onions are soft, add the turkey meat.

While turkey is cooking, add the tomatoes, black beans, green chiles, vinegar and spices to a large pot. (Do not drain anything!) Once turkey is cooked through, add turkey, onion & garlic to pot.

Leave the chili to cook for an hour on med-low heat. 

Then serve! We added some chopped avocado on top! Mmmmm...

 Chili is even better on day 2!!

Enjoy!

-Whitney

My Favorite Tomato Soup

It's that time of year when I crave soup about 24/7. In NYC, I had the luxury of stopping by the corner deli on my way home and getting one of the fabulous homemade soups! In Oklahoma, delis do not exist. (When we first moved here and my husband was looking for a deli someone told him to go to Arby's! God save us!) So I am forced to make my own soups. I have tried a few and this is super simple and super tasty. 

You only need 3 ingredients. 

1 can of your favorite tomato soup.

1 tub chive and onion cream cheese.

3 1/2 cups of chicken broth.

The original recipe I saw for this has pasta and used condensed soup. I have tried it with several and my favorite is with Amy's Organic Chunky Tomato Bisque. I have also tried making this with no fat cream cheese or low fat... it just isn't the same. Gotta have the fat.

First bring the 3 1/2 cups broth & tomato soup to a boil.

Remove the soup from heat and 

then you are going to take 1/2 of that tub or cream cheese and throw it in the pot of boiling soup.

Then take a hand blender (you can whisk it if you like but this works much faster with fewer cream cheese clumps) and blend that cream cheese into the soup.

When you finish, you should have a frothy orange colored bisque.

Put back on heat if need to keep warm or serve immediately.

I prefer all soup be served in a mug but a nice bowl of this tomato soup goes fabulously with a good ol' fashioned grilled cheese.

Enjoy!

-Whitney

Mexican Chicken Bake

As many of you know, my brother is a chef. Well, let's just say that he is the only one of us that got my mothers fabulous cooking gene. I am too OCD to cook without a recipe and exact measurements.

With that being said, I try desperately to make us something new and fun each week. Since we moved to Oklahoma and Ballerina was born, I have slacked in this area. My New Years resolution is to get back to the kitchen! So in honor of my resolution... here is one of my staple recipes.

I saw it on Pinterest a year ago but just realized you can get a very similar one on the Bisquick website as well.

Mexican Chicken Bake

(only 290 calories a serving!)

Ingredients

1 cup cubed chicken (cooked) 

1 can red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

1 can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved

1 small can green chiles

1 cup frozen corn

1 tablespoon Bisquick Heart Smart

1 1/3 cups Bisquick Heart Smart

1/2 cup fat free milk

2 egg whites

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and...

Make sure you cook your chicken!
(I assume you could use canned chicken to save on time if needed)

Mix the 1 tablespoon Bisquick Heart Smart with reserve tomato liquid.

Then add your rinsed kidney beans, green chiles, corn, tomatoes and cooked chicken to mix.

Stir everything together well and then put in the microwave for 3 minutes.

 While the chicken mix is in the microwave, get to work on your topping!

With a wire wisk, mix together the 1 1/3 cups Bisquick Heart Smart, 2 egg whites and 1/2 cup fa free milk.

Now pour your chicken mix into a 9x13 inch pan. 

Then evenly spread your topping over the chicken mix.

 Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 Not the prettiest dish but pretty tasty!

We eat it as is but you could always add a little cheese or sour cream.

I also think it would be quite tasty with a dash of chili powder. 

Enjoy!! Here's to one new recipe a week in 2013!! 

-Whitney