Southwestern Chicken in a Foil Packet

Do not adjust your monitor. Aliens are not invading your computer. That's just the best picture I could get of this dish. The glare from the aluminum foil doesn't make this dish the most appealing thing to look at, but I promise it's good!



1-3/4 cups warm water
2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1/4 lb. each)
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Ranch Dressing
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 red pepper, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Tear 4 large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

3. Add water to rice. Let stand for 5 minutes and then spoon evenly into the center of each piece of foil.

4. Top rice evenly with remaining ingredients.

5. Bring up opposing sides of foil. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in large baking pan or on a cookie sheet.


Source: Kraft Foods

Portobello & Beef Patty Melts

Many of you may be asking this question: Where's the beef? I've got your beef right here! LOL I've also got a brand new laptop which means I'll be posting regularly again.

In case you haven't noticed, all of the recipes I've posted up until now have been made using chicken. I have a confession. I'm not a fan of red meat. (insert gasps of horror here) However, my husband IS a big fan. In fact, after our first 2 weeks of marriage (also our first 2 weeks of living together full time) I asked him if he had any requests for dinners the following week. He gulped, looked a bit hesitant and said "I need more beef." Since then I've been doing my best to incorporate red meat into our menu at least a couple times a week. He seems to be pleased with what we've tried so far, including these Portobello & Beef Patty Melts made using a recipe I found here and modified.

16 ounces lean ground beef
2 cups finely chopped portobello mushroom caps (about 2), gills removed
1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

[b]Directions[/b]

1. Position a rack in upper 1/3 of the oven. Preheat broiler and line a broiler pan with foil.

2. Gently mix the beef, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until combined.

3. Shape the mixture into 4 patties and place on the foil-lined pan.

4. Broil about 4 to 6 minutes per side or until cooked through.

I served these on toasted whole wheat kaiser rolls found on the shelf near the deli in our grocery store. My husband followed the original recipe and topped his with swiss cheese. I used muenster.

You could taste mushroom, but it wasn't overpowering. Using the portobellos also made them really juicy! The whole meal was easy to prepare and took very little time. It fit perfectly into our busy work week schedule.