Guest Chef Time!

by

This week’s semi-anonymous guest chef is none other than the MizFit’s sister.

The MizFit’s runnercookerbabymamaEXTRAORDINAIRE sister who hath been dragged here because the recipe below *always* garners praise and needed to be shared (again) with the masses.

I give you Sisterfit:

I love this dish — using instant brown rice and creamy Neufchatel cheese makes an easy and fancy “mock risotto.” Substitute any vegetables you wish for the asparagus, bell pepper and mushroom or just add more. I like it as a meal and add lots of vegetables.

It’s originally from Eating Well (MizFit note: Ok, I had to look up the fact that Eating Well is a magazine. Im woman enough to admit it and nice enough to share the info and spare you the search…or did you already know?) and I added the mushrooms, tomatoes and lemon juice — and omitted grated cheese that should be incorporated into the mixture. I also don’t add the garlic or the scallions!

Who am I you asked?

Working mother of one — I love having a dish that can be made ahead and be reheated fast. [i like sunsets, soft music and walking on the beach — hee hee]
Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carton sliced mushrooms (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups instant brown rice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups vegetable or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)

Grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese for garnish
1/2 cup Chopped tomatoes or scallions/chives (garnish)
Lemon Juice squeezed on top to taste.

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and salt and begin cooking — add in mushrooms. Cook until mushroom soften, and onions are just beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

2. Add rice and garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

3. Add broth and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Remove cover and spread asparagus and bell pepper on top of the simmering rice—do not stir into the rice mixture. Replace cover and continue simmering, adjusting the heat if necessary, until the liquid is almost absorbed and the asparagus is bright green but still crisp, about 5 minutes.

5. Add peas and cream cheese; stir until the mixture is creamy and the cheese is incorporated. Return to a simmer and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated and the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes more.

6. Serve topped with chives (or scallions) or tomatoes and grated Parmesan Cheese.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 352 calories; 12 g fat (6 g sat, 4 g mono); 28 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrate; 13 g protein; 7 g fiber; 665 mg sodium; 338 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Vitamin A (70% dv), Folate (29% dv).
THANK YOU SisterFriend!

(and alas you had no choice—-you were already a MizFit.)

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Comments

  2. I didn’t know you had a sister! Sisters are the best!! And this dish sounds FAB (plus it’s vegetarian – with veg. broth subbed). YAYAYAYYYY!
    Thanks!

  3. I know.

    Just when you think MizFit is such a snoozeworthy open book she whips a surprise your way.

    Im also in the FBI’s Witness Protection Program—-just like Crabman (anyone?)

    M.

  5. All of these recipes SOUND good. Boy, I wish I could cook. Do any of these come with a plastic pull fresh sheet and 4 minutes in the microwave??

  6. Sounds very YUMMMMMMM.
    Now off to my madscientist kitchen to devise a lactose-free but still creamy version . . . . .

  7. Yumyumyum. Sisters are so good for that sort of thing (mine makes good chocolate cake. And she’s the MASTER of stirfrying (=university staples).).

    I’m a bit iffy about cream cheese. Any suggestions on substitutions for it?

  8. I suppose you could use a couple wheels of Lite Lauging Cow cheese?

    Honestly the Neufchatel cheese is lower in fat than regular cream cheese (you could also reduce the amount used to 2 or 3 oz.). But, when you think about it — the recipe makes 4+ servings — which is less than one ounce of cream cheese per serving.

    In short. Love that I can get my husband to eat brown rice this way — so I pick and choose my battles 🙂

  9. (thanks JC. I HEART Crabman. And his muscles. And his tattoos. HEARTAGE abounds)

    Sagan? why on the cream cheese (I know, Im just curious now :)) health? personal dislike?

    and Nitmos? My sibling is now in a box and coming your way UPS.
    please to open her immediately upon delivery.

    M.

  10. awesome recipe…..i think my kids will love it with broccoli!
    bought the 10# brown rice bag on my last super big box store expedition. i think i will be making this a lot!

  11. Cream cheese is fine for taste- yeah, its the health part:)

    I have such an infatuation with the Laughing Cow light cheese. But it says on the box its processed cheese. Which I don’t understand because the ingredients SEEM to be all elements of most cheese products. Do you happen to know much about it?

  12. Sagan? I’m gonna look into that as I love LC and have wondered that same thing.

    MamaRuns?
    Please to make some extra & ship to me via express mail.

    M.

  14. wow, that sounds delicious!

    Can she/you/anyone cook some up for me and send it my way. I still haven’t learned how to cook or prepare with children.

    Inquiring minds want to know if sisterfit has similar arms? 🙂

  15. Sagan?

    All I could find is that Laughing Cow is, indeed, ONLY cream, milk & a combo of fresh and aged cheeses.

    The processed part mightcould be a reference to the pasteurization process and the fact that it doesnt need to be refridgerated?

    Still searching….

    M.

    (and WO Mommy? Sisterfit is the cardioqueen. she and I would be the perfect exerciser (if one cared about that—which we dont, right? :)) if we could combine ourselves into one.)

  17. Yum! I’ll have to try that!

    You could send it over to my party and I’ll post it there, too. It’s worth a stab at a book to ya! 🙂

  18. i want to try this! I’ll be the guinea pig and give it a go w/Laughing Cow this weekend.

    Stay tuned!

  20. You had me until I read “instant rice” I’m a brown rice snob and won’t eat instant, the recipe looks quite tasty though so I’ll modify it with my pal Uncle Ben.

  21. The Bag Lady read this earlier today, but had to go to town, so didn’t have time to comment BUT whilst she was in town, she picked up some instant brown rice….don’t ever think you don’t have an effect on people!! 🙂

  24. I made the faux risotto, and I used real brown rice. Fed it to the family for Mothers Day dinner – everyone ate it except my uber-fussy 9 yo boy. They LOVED it, even my mother who turned her nose up at the idea of brown rice. It was delicious. I forgot to buy vegetable broth, so I cooked some carrots, celery, and red pepper and onion in water. Then I used my stick blender to puree the veggies, putting that in the rice instead of vegetable stock – who knew? No one!

    I highly recommend the risotto~

  25. VERY COOL, hughsmom.

    and thanks for the update.

    Im gonna be sure and tell Sisterfit!

    🙂

    M.

  26. I am such a — follow the recipe woman — that it never occured to me to use regular rice??!! I often have to make a special trip to find the instant — when I have long cooking already at home.

    Thanks for letting me know that it would work with regular rice!

    I am so excited to not have to hunt down the instant rice now!

    Dana

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