I remember LOVING broccoli rice casserole as a kid. It was probably the side Item (or main dish) I asked for the most as a kid. If it was on the menu at a restaurant, I was ordering it. I still enjoy eating it, I usually add in a protein and serve it as a main dish when I make it these days. Luckily, my other half loves it as much as I do, so there are no complaints when it ends up on the dinner table.
This is a VERY adaptable dish. The protein I use just depends on what I have on hand. I usually have chicken or ham, so those are the two I usually use for this dish. I am sure any protein you like would work with this dish. I have not tried beef in it, but I could see it going well in it. You could even change out the vegetable, for that matter. I have used asparagus in place of the broccoli, and it was great. You can change things out to fit your own personal palate. Add more cheese or different kinds of cheese according to your preference. That is the fun thing about cooking for yourself, you can change it to fit how YOU want it to taste.
As I have mentioned before, my wife feels better when she doesn’t eat a lot of rice so I cut it out where I can. Several years, after she had been exposed to gluten at a restaurant (and was in quite a bit of pain), I tried making the casserole with quinoa instead of rice. We loved it and it is now how we make it each time. The quinoa adds nuttiness to it that the rice doesn’t. It adds another level of flavor.
Broccoli Quinoa Casserole
1 1/2 C Quinoa (cooked)
1 Chicken Breast (cooked and diced)
3 C Broccoli (chopped)
4 oz Velveeta Style Cheese (something creamy that melts easily)
1/4 C Water
1 t Onion Powder
1/2 C Shredded Cheese (of choice, I use cheddar or Colby Jack)
Salt & pepper to taste (go easy on the salt as the cheese can be salty)
In a sauce pan combine the Velveeta cheese and water. Cook on stove top until cheese is completely melted. Stir in the onion power, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped broccoli and let simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the broccoli starts to soften. Add in the chicken and quinoa, stir to combine.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese.
Bake at 350f until cheese has browned, 15 – 20 minutes.
Enjoy!
Who doesn’t like chili, right? Everyone has a favorite style, and there are many styles out there. Maybe you like yours super spicy or vegetarian. Perhaps you only like your chili on a hot dog. In my house the question has always been: to bean, or not to bean? My other half loves a bean… any kind of bean. I grew up in a family of bean lovers, but I was not one of them. I don’t know why really, I was just never a fan. I have avoided them most of my life. Growing up in Texas you are taught that chili is beanless. Chili is meat, chilies, tomatoes, onions and spices. No beans. Even my bean loving family didn’t put beans in chili. I loved chili, specifically Wolf Brand chili with no beans. It was my favorite.
You never know where you may get inspiration for trying your hand at a new dish…
Winters are short here in the south. The few times we do have icy weather everything shuts down. We simply close our doors and wait for it to melt. If there is a hint of precipitation during a cold spell the list of school and business closures becomes quite long. People panic, like they will be shut in for months, and go buy everything in the grocery store. For some reason people here love to buy milk during a storm; I have seen people out in the worst of the storm buying carts full of milk. Not sure what one does with nine gallons of milk but it must bring them some kind of comfort. I am sure it gives our neighbors to the north quite a chuckle. It should, it is silly how we react, it just happens so infrequently here that we are ill prepared. Personally, I enjoy the cold and I enjoy the days where things are closed down because that usually means time at home cooking some of my favorite foods! When the cold sets in it is time to cook soups, stews, braised meats with think rich sauces. I love it.
GotNoThymeForGluten 