Cheddar Chik'n Rice Skillet

Cheddar Chikn Rice Skillet (slightly adapted from KraftRecipes, Total Time: 20 min., Servings:  4)

Ingredients

·         ½ cup Lite Zesty Italian Dressing

·         2 pkg. Trader Joe’s Chickenless Chik’n Strips

·         2cups  instant brown rice, uncooked

·         1 ¼ cups  fat-free reduced-sodium vegetable broth

·         1 green pepper, cut into strips

·         2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped

·         1 cup  Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

·         4 green onions, sliced (green and white parts)

Directions

1.       Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chik’n; cook and stir 2 min.

2.       Stir in rice, broth and peppers. Bring to boil; cover. Simmer on low heat 5 min. or until rice is tender. Let stand, covered, 5 min. or until liquid is absorbed.

3.       Add tomatoes, cheese and onions; mix lightly.

I used more broth than was called for, probably about 1 ¾ to 2 cups.  I also used one can of diced tomatoes, drained, instead of chopping some fresh ones. 

The taste of the dish was good, but didn’t really wow me.  The carb and protein mix in this dish is good, but the fat is slightly high – use Reduced Fat cheese (or less of the regular kind) if you have concerns about that.  Also, using the vegetable broth helps bring the calorie count down – making this a pretty healthy dish.