Well, the frost really is on the pumpkin now! It seems as though it were only 5 days ago that I was outside painting in a short-sleeve t-shirt, but yesterday morning was our first heavy frost and this morning there were snow showers.
How very cool the feathery stalks of the decorative grass look when coated with frost!
My entire focus on food has shifted in the past couple of weeks, and I now plan warming meals. Especially since we just got our furnace repaired yesterday and we’ve been waking in a bedroom with mid-50’s temps. Brrr.
The other day I made stock from the carcass of a chicken that I roasted for dinner the evening before. I used it today to make a very thick, warm, satisfying stew for lunch. Jack isn’t a big fan of lentils, although I love them, and I put both lentils and chicken into the stew although the lentils and brown rice were the main ingredients (kind of a lentil stew seasoned with chicken).
This stew is a protein-fiber powerhouse with less than 450 calories in a 1-1/2 cup serving.
I harvested a lot of hot peppers from the garden last week-orange habanero, chocolate habanero, and red cherry:
And I added one of the smaller orange habanero peppers, chopped very finely, to the stew. Those are darn hot peppers! The stew was up at the higher level of my heat tolerance, but for the first time that day I felt warm. :)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Lentil and Brown Rice Stew with Chicken
Recipe By: Vicci
Servings : 6
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 1/2 ounces carrots -- chopped, about 1-2/3 cups
4 ounces onions -- chopped, about 1 cup
2 3/4 ounces celery -- minced, about 3/4 cup
1 large garlic clove -- minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 whole bay leaves
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup lentils -- brown lentils preferred
6 ounces zucchini or yellow squash -- chopped, about 2 cups
1 cup frozen, shelled edamame -- thawed
8 ounces cooked chicken breast halves -- chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
In a large Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and lower the heat a little, Stir often until the veggies have softened, about 8 minutes. Increase the heat back to medium and sprinkle in the flour; stir constantly for a minute.
Pour in the chicken broth slowly, stirring quickly to avoid any lumps. Add the thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the lentils and brown rice, stir well, and turn down the heat to medium-low. Cover partially and allow to cook for 40 minutes, stirring often.
Add the chopped zucchini and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir in the edamame and chicken and cook until the chicken is heated through and the rice and lentils are tender. Season with freshly ground pepper, and stir in parsley.
Yield:
"9 cups"
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Per serving: 437 Calories (kcal); 11g Total Fat (2g saturated); (21% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 26mg Cholesterol; 744mg Sodium; Dietary Fiber 14g
Food Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates
Note: I will add chopped mushrooms the next time, and perhaps some frozen peas—this is a great recipe to clean out the bits & pieces of frozen veggies in the freezer!
Well, no photo. I downloaded it, saved it somewhere (I'm certain that I did!) and then erased it from my memory card. If I remember, I'll try again with the leftovers tomorrow. Yeesh.
