Chicken with green beans & brown rice


Green beans are just one of those things I haven't made much of.

They are great as a first food but you lose so much in the cooking,
pureeing and straining process that I never really did it.

However, now that Peanut is used to texture in his foods, it's perfect.

Picnik collage

I also had this great brown rice blend from Trader Joe's that I used,
which is why there are dark spots that almost look like pepper.


Chicken with Green Beans & Brown Rice
1 small chicken breast (about 4 oz) cut into chunks
8 oz frozen green beans (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup brown rice
2 cups water (or unsalted stock), divided

Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add the chicken.
Rinse green beans to remove ice crystals and add to the boiling water.
Bring back to a boil, cover, reduce heat and
simmer for 4 -5 minutes until fork tender.
The color should be bright green, if they are starting to turn brownish/dark then pull them out.

Meanwhile, grind your brown rice in a blender or spice grinder.
You can grind to a powder, into smaller pieces or not grind at all,
depending on the texture you want for your little.

When the green beans and chicken are done, add them to the food processor,
reserving the liquid.
Puree, adding cooking liquid as needed.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil.
Sprinkle brown rice powder into the boiling water, whisking constantly.
Turn the heat down to simmer the mixture,
whisking constantly until the liquid is absorbed and the grains cooked.
Mine was ground to a powder and it took about 8 minutes.

Add the rice mixture to your pureed veggies and stir in
(or pulse the food processor to incorporate).

Enjoy!




*Variations
-Although Peanut loves this I thought it would be even better with herbs.
Add some minced fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, chives or parsley.
-This would also be good with a bit of garlic or onion
-Substitute a different kind of rice or grain like barley, quinoa or spelt.

*Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
When you reheat, make sure you heat completely to bring it back to a nice consistency,
 then allow to cool to the right temp for your little.

*Benefits
Green beans are high in folate, potassium, vitamin K, fiber and even a bit of calcium and vitamin A.
Chicken is a great source of lean protein in addition to potassium, phosphorus, niacin,
calcium, iron, selenium and zinc.
Brown rice still has it's bran layer which allows it to retain more fiber (4x more then white rice)
 as well as nutrients like niacin vitamin B6, magnesium and manganese.

4 comments:

  1. Yum! I've been keeping my eye out for 'meals' like this that incorporate a veggie and protein and grain...perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks yummy. My little guy just started eating chicken so I will have to try this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
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