I love Chipotle. It’s delicious, they are working to have more sustainable food production practices, and I can feed my family of five relatively healthy food for less than what we spend at McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s great and I happily partake!

One of the best parts of Chipotle is the white cilantro-lime rice (yeah, yeah, I skip the brown rice). I love it. It’s simple, it’s so good, and it’s a great base for a burrito.

Well, I finally figured out how to make it at home and I am SO excited! It’s really simple and oh-so-tasty. I’ve made it twice already this week!

You’re welcome.

Cilantro Lime Rice {Chipotle Knock-Off}

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup white jasmine rice
• About ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of chopped onion
• A swig of olive oil
• About 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice from half of a fresh lime

Instructions

1. Heat a swig of olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft. Add jasmine rice and fry it up for a few minutes in the pan. Add 2 cups of water and the salt, raise heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer (low) and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring the rice halfway through cooking time.
2. Remove from heat, add the chopped cilantro and lime juice and mix well.
3. Voila!

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I absolutely loved Maurice Sendak books when I was a kid. All of his books stand out clearly in my memory, from the wild things to the naked boy in the night kitchen to chicken soup with rice. Chicken soup with rice holds a very nostalgic place in my mind because of his book, even though I never actually ate it as a kid.

One of the many delicious meals that we’ve received from friends this past week was chicken soup with rice. It was SOOOO yummy. (Maurice would definitely approve.) Nate and I were literally fighting over the leftovers the next day. (He won, but in exchange he had to get me lunch at Cafe Borrone.)

My friend Mary Jo made the soup for us. I of course asked her for the recipe. She told me there was no recipe. I told her too bad and that she still had to write out exactly what she did for me. Thankfully, she obliged! I’m just hoping I’ll be able to recreate it!

Mary Jo’s Chicken Soup with Rice

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts, bone-in skin on rib attached
• onion
• carrots
• rice
• chicken broth
• cornstarch
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Boil 3 chicken breasts that have the skin still on and the rib attached, along with a chopped onion for maybe 25-30 minutes in a big pot. Save the broth.
2. Cook some carrots (I did them separately in another pan just so they don’t get over-cooked in the soup pot.
3. Cook some rice in a couple of cans of chicken broth””again not in the soup pot with the broth you’re saving. (I hate to use up all the good broth in the big pot)
4. Tear the chicken off the bones and discard the bones and skin.
5. Thicken the broth in the pot with some cornstarch.
6. Add the chicken, carrots, rice. Season (salt, pepper, garlic salt””whatever) (Jane note: I could taste the black pepper in Mary Jo’s soup and that was one of my favorite aspects of the flavor.)
7. Pour in some frozen peas that you’ve run some hot water over for a minute””the soup will cook them the rest the way, so they’ll hopefully remain a little green, rather than turn yellow.

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These stuffed peppers are worth stuffing…into your face, your mouth, your belly. You will stuff yourself silly. I’ve been wanting to share this recipe with you for weeks and the stars have finally aligned.

My friend Julia served these to us a month or two ago…I think that night I might have eaten 3 peppers, but who’s counting? I’m telling you, they are DEEE-LISH.

Without further ado (I think I might say that too much on here…whatever)…the recipe!

Stuffed Peppers Worth Stuffing...

 

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Author: My friend Julia Axtell, with my notes and alterations

Ingredients

• 6-7 bell peppers of various colors, 1¾ to 2 pounds (I went ALL RED. They're the best in my book.)
• 2-4 Tablespoons olive oil (I was out of olive oil - quel horreur! but canola oil worked like a charm)
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound sweet or hot italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 cups cooked rice (Julia used basic white rice and it was fabulous. I used a rice blend of Texmati, brown and wild rice and it was soooo yummy.)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
• ½ cup water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut tops from peppers and remove seeds and ribs. If your peppers don't want to stand up nicely, cut off part of the bottom as well to level the base of the pepper. Try not to cut through to the inside, but if you do it's not the end of the world. Brush outside of peppers with olive oil.
3. In a medium frying pan, heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-4 minutes, or until softened. Crumble sausage meat into pan and cook, stirring to break up lumps, until it begins to lose its pinkness, 5-7 minutes. Drain the fat (use a slotted spoon or pat with papertowels).
4. Slightly beat egg in a large-ish mixing bowl. Add rice, parsley, cheese, salt, pepper and sausage/onion mixture. Mix well.
5. Stuff the bell peppers with rice filling, mounding top slightly. Place peppers in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Mix tomato sauce with water and pour into dish around peppers. Bake 45 minutes.

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I am over the moon for today’s recipe murgh makhani, more commonly known as butter chicken. Our favorite Indian restaurant in Palo Alto, Darbar Indian Cuisine, has the BEST butter chicken. I can’t get enough of it. I’ve been trying to find a recipe so that I can make it at home, but all recipes have come up far too short. So, I did a lot of research, compared about 6 different recipes and have created my own. And I am here to tell you (in all humility, of course!), I nailed it. My version isn’t identical to Darbar’s, but it is darn close and they are equally as good. Success! (To add to the elation, both girls inhaled their dinner! This is a not-too-hot Indian dish, nice for kids. Increase the heat with more chilis and cayenne if you so desire!)

The key to this dish is using tandoori chicken. Almost all of the recipes I found were skillet recipes that simply add plain chicken breasts to the sauce. Using tandoori chicken makes ALL the difference. A delectable, mouthwatering difference. Not only is there more depth to the flavor, but the meat is oh so tender. Using tandoori chicken requires planning ahead, but it’s worth it.

Without further ado, I give you murgh makhani!

Note: This recipe does not have fenugreek because I did not have it on hand. Fenugreek is often used in butter chicken, along with all the other spices listed below. Feel free to add that in as well!

Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Mouthwatering with tons of flavor! Adapted from six different recipes!

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Poultry

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

• 4 cooked tandoori chicken breasts cut into chunks (see recipe below for how to cook the tandoori chicken - don't forget it needs to marinate overnight before cooking!)
• ⅓ sweet onion, chopped
• ~1 inch of ginger root, peeled and julienned
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 green chili (membranes and seeds removed), chopped
• 6 tablespoons butter (divided – 2 T and 4 T)
• 6 medium tomatoes, cut into large pieces
• 2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon coriander
• 2 shakes cinnamon
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken or veggie broth
• ½ cup cream

Instructions

1. When prepping the ingredients for the sauce, you only need to roughly chop the ingredients - they will all get blended together eventually.
2. Sautee onion, ginger, garlic and green chili in 2 tablespoons of butter until onions are translucent.
3. Add tomatoes and let simmer for ~5 minutes. Add garam masala, chili powder, salt, cumin, cardamom, coriander, and cinnamon. Simmer another 5-10 minutes or so.
4. Add tomato paste and broth, stir.
5. Blend everything in a blender until smooth then return to pan. Add tandoori chicken, cream and last 4 tablespoons of butter.
6. Serve with basmati rice and naan bread. Yum!

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Homemade Baked Tandoori Chicken

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• ¾ C plain yogurt (for a great non-dairy option, use cashew yogurt)
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 cloves minced garlic (I use my garlic press)
• ~1 inch ginger root, peeled and crushed (it was hard to crush, I squeezed the juice out with my garlic press and threw in some of the mangled pieces of the root)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (this is the amount you’ll need for the butter chicken recipe above – you can make this recipe with bone-in, skinless, dark & white meat chicken cut into pieces – my personal preference are boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they worked great)
• 1-2 T canola oil

Instructions

1. The night before, mix all the ingredients above except the chicken and canola oil in a bowl.
2. Stab the chicken breasts all over with a fork then make some gashes with a shapr knife. Marinate the mutilated chicken in the yogurt mixture overnight, covered, until you are ready to cook it the next day.
3. To cook the chicken, pat off some of the marinade, brush with oil and place in an oven-safe dish or pan (I used my 9X13 metal pan).
4. Roast in a 450º F oven for about 20 minutes, or until juices run clear and internal temperature of chicken reaches 160º F.
5. If using for butter chicken, let cool a bit then cut into chunks.

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Have you met Katie from goodLife {eats}? I have, and she’s lovely. And she has a delicious food blog. Thanks to her I have a new favorite recipe…Butternut Squash Risotto! It was so good Cate told me to make it every day. Coming from a 4-year-old, that says a lot. And in this case, the 4-year-old actually knows what she is talking about.

Chicken & Butternut Squash Risotto

 

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Adapted from Katie Goodman at goodLife {eats}, who in turn adapted it from Rachael Ray

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Rice, Poultry

Ingredients

• 1½ cups roasted butternut squash (if you can find a 12 oz can of squash, go ahead and use that!)
• 1 chicken breast, seasoned with salt & pepper, cooked (I sauteed in olive oil) then cut or shredded into bitesized pieces
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (Jane note: I used my garlic press)
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Dash nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• Heaping teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
• ½ C water (may not need)

Instructions

1. Cut up a butternut squash into 8 pieces. Wrap in foil and roast in 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until very soft. Scoop flesh out of the skins. One squash will yield more than 1½ C, so save the rest for another recipe or freeze for later. Have the squash and cooked chicken breast ready to go before proceeding with the next steps.
2. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast (and stir occasionally) for 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add 2 ladles of the warm chicken broth to the rice and stir until the liquid evaporates. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take about 20 minutes. (I ended up having to add an additional ½ C water at the end to get the rice soft enough. If you need to add much more than ½ C, I would use broth as opposed to water to maintain flavor.)
5. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the squash; season with nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the cheese and butter then add the cooked chicken.
6. You can leave the chicken out to make a vegetarian dish”¦it still tastes great!

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My little sister just returned from spending two months in India. Last night she and her friend Kristen cooked us a vegetarian Indian dish called Gobi Matar Sabzi. It was awesome. I can’t wait to try cooking it myself when I get home and maybe even trying some other Indian recipes. By the way, for you parents out there…both of my girls gobbled this dish up!

Featured Recipe: Gobi Matar Sabzi

 

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Original recipe from my veggie world – Anne and Kristen changed it up

Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish

Ingredients

• 1 big onion ground to a fine paste
• 1 big tomato pureed
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or minced fresh garlic, 1-2 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon green chili paste
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
• 1 cup cleaned cauliflower florets
• salt to taste (between 1 tsp and 1 TBSP)
• pinch of turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
• 3 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 tablespoon oil
• chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat oil (mediumish heat). Add onion paste and fry till cooked or until raw smell disappears. Add ginger, garlic (if using fresh), green chili paste and saute for one minute. Add tomato puree and cook till paste is thick. Add powdered spices and salt. Stir then add vegetables. Cover and simmer over medium heat until cauliflower is tender. Add chopped fresh cilantro prior to serving.
2. Serve with basmati rice, with fresh cilantro added to the rice just prior to serving.

Notes

Jane note: this dish would be good with more kick, as well – I liked it mild, but I want to experiment with making it spicier some time

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Today’s featured recipe is EASY and DELICIOUS. That’s about all I have to say about it.

Featured Recipe: Easy Apricot Chicken

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Recipe type: Main Dish, Poultry

Ingredients

• 4 – 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 8-oz bottle of Russian salad dressing
• 1 Cup Apricot Preserves/Jam
• 1 Package Lipton Onion Soup Mix

Instructions

1. If your chicken breasts are frozen, no need to defrost – just place them in your baking dish. Sprinkle the entire Onion Soup Mix over the top then pour the Russian Dressing and Apricot preserves over the top and kind of “mush” it all together with a spoon.
2. Bake in a 350 degree oven for ~1.5 hours. (You can cook it for a shorter time if the chicken isn’t frozen)
3. Eat with rice.

Notes

Jane Notes:
- I rarely cook 4-8 chicken breasts at once”¦but this makes enough sauce for that much chicken. I just do 2 breasts and have lots of leftover sauce.
- I mix the onion soup, russian dressing and apricot preserves with a spoon in the casserole dish and then add the chicken.
- I don’t use the entire onion soup mix packet – I like about ½ – ¾ of the packet. Just a personal preference.
- You can just add half the apricot preserves if you have an 18 oz jar. Half the jar is about 1 cup, and you won’t have to wash a measuring cup. One of the reasons I love this recipe is because there are no dishes to wash except the dish it cooks in!!

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