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Cheesy Tomato Chicken Rice Bake | alidaskitchen.com

Cheesy Tomato Chicken Rice Bake


Cheesy Tomato Chicken Rice Bake combines 5 simple ingredients – broccoli, diced tomatoes with herbs, chicken, cheese and Minute® Rice – into an easy, cheesy, delicious meal the whole family will love!  {gluten free} Plus a $100 Visa gift card giveaway!
Cheesy Tomato Chicken Rice Bake | alidaskitchen.com

For weeknight meals, we often rely on the same rotation of recipes. The recipes are favorites, but it is nice to mix things up a bit. The key is to keep recipes simple, with both preparation and ingredients. This Cheesy Tomato Chicken Rice Bake is a result of this motivation when raiding my pantry for a new weeknight meal.

A combination of Minute® White Rice and cheese (always a popular with the kids) plus diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, chicken and broccoli, made this cheesy Chicken Tomato Chicken Rice Bake an instant favorite with the entire family. Any meal that has my 3 year old asking for ‘more broccoli please’ is a definite winner!

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Santa Fe Chicken Baked Quesadillas | alidaskitchen.com

Santa Fe Chicken Baked Quesadillas

This easy recipe for Santa Fe Chicken Baked Quesadillas transforms a simple can of soup into an easy, cheesy, finger food favorite the whole family will love!  

Santa Fe Chicken Baked Quesadillas | alidaskitchen.com

As the temperatures get cooler and busier months approaching, with the holiday season, parties, school productions and everything in between, quick and easy comfort foods are very popular in our house. Make ahead casseroles, chili, ready to eat soups – all are great for that first taste of warmth for the fall season. And then sometimes we transform these comfort food favorites into a fun finger foods, like these Santa Fe Chicken Baked Quesadillas!…

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Lighter Sesame Chicken

This Lighter Sesame Chicken recipe is an easy-to-make, healthier version of a take-out favorite. Lean chicken breast is coated with a light sesame and honey sauce, and served over rice and steamed broccoli. 
 Lighter Sesame Chicken | alidaskitchen.com

This Lighter Sesame Chicken dish has been a staple around our house for years and is truly one of our favorite chicken dishes.  It is easy to make, using ingredients you most likely already have at home.  The recipe also halves easily, making a nice dinner for 2….

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Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone

Years ago, I aspired to make risotto for the first time.  But I hesitated, because it was a little intimidating and seemed quite difficult.  Coincidentially, around the same time, I happened to catch a cooking show about risotto.  The chef explained step-by-step how to make it and alleviated any uncertainty I had.  Armed with a recipe from Cooking Light, I was bound and determined to perfect the art of making risotto!
Fortunately, risotto was just as easy to make as the professionals on television led me to believe.  Years later, we are still enjoying that same recipe, however since then I have incorporated a few changes to the original recipe.  I swapped oregano for thyme, added lots of fresh spinach and used vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian dish.
While we enjoy this risotto as a vegetarian entree, it of course makes for a wonderful side dish.  Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone is a household favorite, suitable for company, and a definite crowd pleaser.
Porcini Mushroom and Spinach Risotto with Mascarpone
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups boiling water
  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 14 ounces vegetable broth
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice (or other short-grain rice)
  • ¾ cup chopped shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup white wine
  • ¼ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • ¼ cup (1 ounce) mascarpone cheese
  • 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine boiling water and mushrooms; let stand for 10 minutes. Drain through colander over a bowl. Reserve 1¼ cups soaking liquid, and chop mushrooms.
  2. In a small sauce pan, bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer (do not boil), keeping mixture warm over low heat.
  3. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add rice, shallots and garlic; saute 5 minutes, or until the rice gets browned and toasted.
  4. Add wine and cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).
  5. Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed (about 5 minutes); stirring frequently.
  6. Add remaining broth mixture ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently, until each portion of the broth mixture is nearly absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).
  7. Remove pan from heat. Add mushrooms, cheeses, oregano, spinach, salt and pepper, stirring gently until combined and cheese melts. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 4 servings
Adapted from Cooking Light