Mega Mushroom Risotto with Peas and Parmesan

Don’t like mushrooms? What’s wrong with you? Try this dish and you’ll start singing a different ‘shroomy tune.

Mega Mushroom Risotto with Peas and Parmesan 
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
¼ cup dry white wine
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to sprinkle on top
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the porcini in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Soak for about 15-20 minutes, until they’re softened. Use a slotted spoon to transfer porcini to a cutting board and coarsely chop the mushrooms. Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir for 3 or 4 minutes, until lightly toasted. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until almost evaporated (this only takes a minute, tops). Reduce heat to low-medium and add porcini, 1 cup broth and the mushroom liquid (leave behind any sediment). Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time and cook, consistently stirring, until rice has absorbed the broth. Stir in sliced creminis after 20 minutes. Cook until the rice is creamy but still al dente, about 25-30 minutes (it’s OK if you don’t use the full amount of broth -- just keep adding broth until you reach a desired consistency). Stir in peas and Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper.

Make-Fast Mondays: Curried Chicken Burgers with Mango Chutney

The next time you want a burger but want to go for something a little less conventional than your trusty beef patty with lettuce, tomato and cheese, give these flavor-packed chicken wonders a try.

Curried Chicken Burgers with Mango Chutney 
1 pound ground chicken
1 egg
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon yellow curry powder, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup plain fat free yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 green onions, sliced
8 tablespoons mango chutney, divided
Four sandwich thins (whole-wheat buns would also work), toasted
Garnishes: sliced English cucumber and red bell pepper

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Combine ground chicken, egg, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons curry powder and minced garlic in a medium bowl. Shape into four patties.

Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, green onions and remaining curry powder together to create curried yogurt sauce. Cook burgers 5-7 minutes on each side, until meat is completely cooked through. Serve the burgers on sandwich thins, topping each patty with two tablespoons of chutney, a healthy spoonful of the curried yogurt sauce, and sliced bell pepper and cucumber.

Shrimp Enchiladas with Spinach and Goat Cheese

There are days when I crave an enchilada oozing with melted cheddar and covered with red sauce. But then there are days (and enchiladas) like this, and they’re just as delicious.

Shrimp Enchiladas with Spinach and Goat Cheese 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 7-ounce can diced green chiles
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed, chopped
6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
1 28-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce
3 ounces chevre (soft goat cheese)
12 corn tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, cumin and oregano and sauté until tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add shrimp and chiles and cook until shrimp are pink. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Use a butter knife or spoon to crumble the chevre over the shrimp mixture.

Warm enchilada sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Ladle enough enchilada sauce to lightly coat the bottom of a 9-by-13 glass baking dish. To assemble each enchilada, dip a tortilla in sauce until lightly coated, add a scoop of the shrimp mixture to the center of the tortilla, roll the tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and grated Monterey jack, cover with foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, garnish with cilantro, and serve.

Vegetarian? Swap out the shrimp for a pound of sliced cremini mushrooms!

Salsa Chicken and Rice Casserole

Yes, I know there’s a good chance it’s hot where you are and the last thing you want to think about is firing up the oven, but hear me out. You won’t need to spend much active time in the kitchen to put this delicious dinner together -- start the chicken in your slow cooker before you go to bed and you’ll have a pot full of delicious, shredded, salsa-y goodness waiting for you in the morning, which you can then stash in the fridge until you’re ready to make dinner. Cook the rice while preheating the oven, quickly stir everything together once the rice is done, plunk everything into your trusty Pyrex baking dish, and pour yourself a frosty beverage to enjoy during those 20 minutes of bake time. No biggie, right?

Salsa Chicken and Rice Casserole 
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 ½ cups of your favorite tomato-based salsa
¾ cup white rice
1 ½ cups water
¾ cup corn kernels
4 ounces sliced black olives
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 7 ¾ ounce can El Pato tomato sauce with jalapeño
7 ounces diced green chiles
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
⅓ cup sliced green onions

Combine chicken and salsa in slow cooker and cook, on low, for 8 hours. Shred chicken with fork and knife and stir to blend with salsa. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken and salsa mixture, corn, olives, beans, tomato sauce, chiles, cumin and chili powder until everything’s combined. Transfer mixture to 9-by-13 baking dish. Top with shredded cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with green onions and serve.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

Bran muffins are something that take me back to childhood. It seems like my mom was always pulling a batch of muffins out of the oven, so good on their own but even better with a smear of butter. My take on my mom’s recipe calls for dried blueberries (it was always raisins in our house when I was growing up) and uses applesauce instead of shortening to lighten things up a bit.

Blueberry Bran Muffins 
1 cup bulk oat bran
1 cup boiling water
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 cups bran cereal
2 ½ cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir water and oat bran together in a small bowl. Mix applesauce and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs and continue mixing. Stir in buttermilk. Mix in oat bran, bran cereal, flour, baking soda and salt. Fold in blueberries and stir until mixed. Grease muffin tins with butter or cooking spray. Scoop ⅓ cup mix per muffin cup. Bake for 20 minutes.

Yields 24 muffins.

New cookbooks earning a spot on the shelf

My cookbook collection has grown quite a bit in recent months thanks to all kinds of thoughtful gifts from friends and family. Here’s a quick rundown of the recipes I think make these books keepers.

The Newlywed Cookbook 
Favorite recipe so far: Southern Shrimp & Grits
Also want to try: Bittersweet Chocolate Tart with Smoked Sea Salt

Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook
Favorite recipe so far: Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos with Cilantro Coleslaw
Also want to try: Spiced Chickpea Wraps with Tahini Dressing

One Pan, Two Plates 
Favorite recipe so far: Beef Stew in High Heels
Also want to try: Lemony Risotto with Asparagus, Carrots and Chives

Fifty Shades of Chicken 
Favorite recipe so far: Roasted Chicken with Hearts of Palm, Avocado and Orange Salsa
Also want to try: Jerk Chicken with Spices, Rum, Chiles, and Lime

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook 
Favorite recipe so far: Sesame-Spiced Turkey Meatballs and Smashed Chickpea Salad
Also want to try: Mushroom Bourguignon

What’s your favorite cookbook right now?

Chocolate Banana Brunch Bread

This bread isn’t easily categorized. On one hand, it contains bananas and low-fat yogurt, so you might think it’s healthy enough to eat as a guilt-free breakfast. On the other hand, it’s full of chocolatey goodness and could easily pass for a dessert. So, my solution? Think of it as brunch bread -- a good way to start your day that feels like a special treat. It’s great with your morning coffee but is also quite enjoyable when paired with a mimosa or two.

Chocolate Banana Brunch Bread 
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup very ripe, mashed banana (2 large bananas worked for me)
½ cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
¾ cup light brown sugar
Cooking spray or butter, to grease loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease one 9-by-5 loaf pan. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in large bowl and stir or whisk to blend. In another bowl, combine bananas, yogurt, vanilla extract, egg and brown sugar, stirring until blended. Add dry ingredients to the bowl with banana mixture, stirring until everything’s nice and gooey. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Adapted from A Couple Cooks, who adapted Smitten Kitchen’s recipe