Second Place winner from “Recipes for Healthy Kids Cookbook for Homes” provided by the USDA’s Team Nutrition.
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cups brown rice, long-grain, regular, dry
- 1 ½ tsp salt-free, chili-lime seasoning blend
- ¼ tsp granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1 cup fresh onions, peeled, diced
- 4 cups cooked fajita chicken strips (16 oz)
- 3 ½ cups fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced ½ inch
- ½ cup fresh red bell peppers, seeded, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- ½ cup canned diced green chilies
- ½ cup canned low-sodium diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Directions:
- Combine brown rice and 4 ½ cups water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Turn heat down to low. over and cook until water is absorbed, about 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt-free seasoning blend, granulated garlic, and cilantro. Mix well. Keep warm. (A rice cooker may be used with the same quantity of brown rice and water.)
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet or a wok. Cook onions for 2 minutes or until translucent.
- Add chicken, squash, and remaining salt-free seasoning blend. Stir-fry over high heat for 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
- Add red peppers, corn, green chilies, tomatoes, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for no longer than 2 minutes so vegetables will remain crunchy. Do not overcook. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 1 hour Amount: Makes six ¾-cup servings stir-fry and six ½-cup servings brown rice (¾ cup stir-fry and ½ cup brown rice provides 1 ¼ oz equivalent meat, ¼ cup red/orange vegetable, 1/8 cup starchy vegetable, ¼ cup other vegetable, and 1 oz. equivalent grains).
Nutrients Per Serving: Calories 396, Protein 20 g, Carbohydrate 59 g, Dietary Fiber 7 g, Total Fat 10 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 62 mg, Vitamin A 7347 IU (359 RAE), Vitamin C 44 mg, Iron 2 mg, Calcium 58 mg, Sodium 574 mg.